Microsoft strikes again

Just thought i'd relay this experience to show that even as technology marches on, it STILL isnt where it should be.

I'm setting up an Audio / Video Production studio in a spare bedroom. It will give me a place to do all my audio and video projects (shooting a band documentary) thats organized.


So....I finally get the MultiMedia PC built, a Dell heavy duty server class machine. Windows XP Professional as the op system. Get all the Audio and video Editing programs (some 6 different programs) installed. Tweaked the machine for video.

So, Friday, I go to transfer some video files from my camcorder for the first time on the new machine. Guess what??

XP doesnt recognize the Sony Camera. Zilcho.

To make a VERY long story short, after hours and hours of troubleshooting and phone support, nothing worked. I tried everything humany possible, changed slots, etc. NADA.

As a last resort, I formatted the system drive and reinstalled XP.

Guess what?

It works.

Now, the original install and the new install were made with the SAME Windows XP CD!!!!
One worked, the other didnt.

i'm a sure a Mac wouldnt have had this problem!!!

 

I'm sure you're right!

Next time, it's a Mac for me! I've got an iBook laptop and it works wonderfully....next up is the home Mac when the time comes...

 

Mikey, there may have been a driver issue. Don't blame Microsoft. And, don't naturally assume that a Mac would have worked the first time. Things happen on Macs too.

 

Depends, too, if the Dell came pre-loaded with their own addons. That's why I build my own: I know exactly what goes into it, and I only get a clean install of WinXP without having to guess as to what kind of "extras" a manufacturer installs on a computer. My pile-of-Compaq from 1999 worked better after I wiped it clean and installed a clean Win98 on it.

FWIW, I plugged in my Canon camcorder via firewire and it was recognized immediately. And , it would take a lot more than one single error to send me running to another computer platform! I often have XP running literally for a couple of months without a reboot since my computer runs 24/7. Busy as I've been lately, I have had Photoshop and CuteFTP Pro open on my computer since late August...

 

Gosh, will this thread get "PC/Mac" discussions added to the list of Gortable offenses?

Sure, there are indeed Mac problems and some horror stories (watch out, though, the more extreme ones out there on the web seem to be hoaxes). But you're not likely to run into driver issues with something as basic as a FireWire camcorder, and you are much more likely to be able to plug it in and have it just work. Short of hardware problems, Macs tend to just work. "Plug-and-play" is not an add-on feature with Apple -- it's not even in the Apple lexicon, because Apple machines always worked that way (hardware standards permitting).

If I sound like I've drunk the Apple kool-aid, well, yes. I even worked at Apple for quite a while -- not only have I seen the inside of the sausage factory, I've helped make the sausages. And I'm here to say: you can build a cheapo PC with a lot of power for a lot less than your basic Macintosh. But you don't get the solid and elegant combination of Apple's hardware and software. I sometimes switch back to a PC running XP for certain obscure tasks at work, and I'm constantly amazed at what the Windows world puts up with.

Anyway, Rudy's advice is sage. Clean installs are a must unless buying from Apple. The Wintel vendors tend to stuff a lot of useless "branding" or "help system" crap on the hard drive -- who knows what the hell else they do? Further, the rule of thumb I use to advise people who ask the Mac vs. PC question is: If you have to/want to use a PC, the way to go is definitely to build your own. That way, you save money and you get exactly what you want. If you don't want to or can't build your own, you'd probably be happier with a Mac. Especially with A/V or graphics tasks.

 

I don't know, Whitenoise, I've never had plug-and-pray issues on any of my Windows computers, from Win 95 to WinXP. (I never had ME) Rudy has a point, also, the major PC manufacturers load a bunch of brand-name crappola on computers. Just like Rudy, I now build my own PCs and will never go back to buying one unless it's a high-end. YOU install the OS, and YOU know and control what goes into the box. There's less room for problems that way.

Look at it this way, if Apple had licensed it's OS, you had better believe that companies would load up their proprietary crap on it and foul it up too!

 

Jeebus tapdancing Whist, can't we avoid PC/Mac dogma discussions in freaking 2004? This is SO 20 years ago...

 

Uh...I think that as far as "dogma" discussions go, this is almost alarmingly civil. C'mon, where's Bill Gates=Borg?

 

Don't trust a Windows installation that you haven't set up yourself.

The first thing I always do when optimizing a brand new PC that came with preinstalled Windows and software is to format the hard drive and install everything from scratch.

 

Bill Gates is watching you, David....didn't you know that?

I agree that the discussion was civil, but I thought we were past the point of PC dogma discussions...although I'm curious if the Amiga nuts are still claiming that their computers do graphics the best.

 

Sounds like Mikey's USB enumeration went numb. This can happen with Mac's too, but for a different reason.

Mikey, your problem was software related, and your MS OS may have needed to be reloaded anyway.

 

Don't worry Michael, *I* wasn't debating the pros and cons of either OS. I was just pointing out that it's unfair to automatically blame Windows/Microsoft for anything that does not work perfectly every single time, and that it's wrong to just assume that a Mac is superior. I also mentioned that it could be a driver issue.

When I loaded up XP in my newly-built computer one year ago, I found out that the software for my USB scanner would only work under Win98. The emulation mode would not work either. I ordered a software upgrade CD ROM from HP, and it still would not load up. After that, I went researching a new scanner. I never bought one, but one day, while on my PC, I accidentally pushed the scanner button, and all of a sudden, the software popped up on the screen. All is good. But, I didn't blame Microsoft!