[rant-on]
Nobody likes it when something does not work as expected, but to "blame" Microsoft or announce I will never use any MS product again is going a bit overboard, IMO. Windows 7 has worked perfectly for the vast majority of more than 100 million Win7 users!
I think some history is needed here. When XP came out, security was not a big deal - the badguys had not yet caught on. The Internet was still in it's infancy and, by far, most computers, except in big corporations/institutions/governments, where stand-alone, and very few had Internet access. The only way to get infected was by
sneakernet and an infected floppy left in the drive while booting.
Microsoft was bloodied and bruised badly by MS bashers and the biased IT press for forcing everybody to buy new hardware (again) and new software (again) when moving from DOS to Windows 95/98. So for XP, Microsoft was forced to weigh legacy (read: old, outdated, obsolete,
insecure) hardware and software support in XP over security - their enormous customer base was very vocal - they did not want to retool everything because of XP, and the technical press/media was too busy looking to find something else to bash MS about, was not looking to the future - especially in terms of security, or the HUGE advances in hardware technologies.
Microsoft wanted to clamp down on security - even tried to integrate an AV into Windows. But NO! Norton and McAfee cried, "Foul! MS is trying to take over the world and run us out of business!" Norton, McAfee and other cried to Congress and the EU that MS was trying to create a monopoly, and that they, Norton and McAffe, were going to rid the world of malware. We see how well that went. I ask,
what incentive does Norton or McAfee (or the entire anti-malware industry) have to rid the world of malware? That will put them out of business.
So Microsoft was forced with XP to ignore potential threats in order to support legacy hardware and software - designed for the DOS era.
Microsoft was forced to abandon their own anti-malware initiatives.
Then high-speed Internet hit residential areas - and so did the badguys.
Then MS was forced to endure years of bashing for XP being insecure - when in fact, it is badguys who are at fault, to include corrupt governments who fail to fund for, or to support EXISTING laws.
Finally, MS said enough and beginning with IE7, XPSP3, Vista, the purchase of Giant AS (later becoming the
free, Windows Defender), MS started pushing security over legacy support. Window 7 was designed to support
current and future hardware and software technologies - NOT legacy, and insecure stuff. Therefore, it is time for users to let go, buy current hardware and updated versions of their favorite software. Stop trying to make their DOS era hardware conform to today's technologies. And stop blaming MS for every little problem - because it is probably not caused by MS.
It is important to remember that the beauty of Windows, and the hardware that supports it, is that together, they make a computer every user can customize their own way - with potentially millions (if not more) different hardware and software configurations. And for nearly 1 billion Windows users out there, more than 100 million of them using Win7, it works perfectly. That suggests to me, Microsoft got it right.
Mike said:
The piracy problem that they have been trying to combat is not coming from first world countries. It is an effort to clamp down on largely populated countries that cannot afford Windows and where counterfeiting goes unpunished.
It is not just the lost revenue that matters - in fact, lost revenue from piracy hurts MS much less than it hurts other, smaller companies. The music and movie business are hit very hard too. But the big picture, as far as pirated Windows and other software is concerned is security.
One of the largest distribution methods for malware is through computers using and compromised by pirated software. This is because the pirated software is infected to begin with, or more commonly, the users, who
know full well they are using illegal software, fail to keep their systems fully patched and updated for fear of being detected! This leaves vulnerabilities long ago patched exposed to exploitation. These same pirated software users - thieves - often partake in other risky practices too, like illegal file sharing, almost guaranteeing exploitation, thus turning these machines into weapons, to be turn upon the rest of us.
Because of badguys,
NOT Microsoft, I, as in me the user, must spend time and effort to keep my systems patched, updated (to include hardware), scanned, and blocked. I must avoid risky practices like visiting illegal porn or gambling sites or P2P sites that support illegal filesharing.
Because of badguys, I must take my shoes off and be body searched at airports. I don't like that either, but I do it. And I am glad they make everyone do it.
[rant off]
Toshiba did a DREADFUL job on the install, creating two hidden partitions for repairs INSTEAD OF SUPPLYING A 10-CENT DVD...
Now wait! For one, this is a notebook. I am sorry, but notebooks are work machines for the traveler and no matter how badly the marketing weenies would like us to believe otherwise, notebooks are NOT desktop replacements, nor do they make good game machines. The intense competition to make notebooks thinner, lighter, and longer lasting per battery charge causes notebooks to be very proprietary - and not really designed for "customization".
Notebook makers typically don't include disks for two reasons: (1) They are notebooks - and notebooks are for road-warriors who need to travel light. And (2) while it may cost MS a few pennies to press a disk, it cost much more than pennies for Toshiba to buy and provide them. That would force Toshiba to raise the price, and then folks would buy a Sony.
I don't know what Toshiba you have but I have a new A505-6009 and it has only one hidden partition. And while I too would like a disk, the first thing my Toshiba did on power on was prompt me to create recovery disks - just in case the HD failed. And I did that.
Since you can buy and download Windows 7 on-line, the need for the original disk is not that important - because as noted above, you don't own Windows, you own a license to use it.
kemical said:
Where the 'grey area' appears is what constitutes a 'new' machine. Some hardware does fail from time to time and usually as long as the motherboard isn't replaced the licence will hold although re-activation will be needed depending on what has been replaced.
I don't think it grey at all. An OEM license is tied to the original computer. It cannot be transferred to another computer even if the other computer is destroyed or not in use. The motherboard is the heart of the computer. As kemical noted, as long as you are not replacing (or upgrading) the motherboard, you are fine. The exception is if the current motherboard has failed, and you are replacing it as part of a repair action with an exact (same brand and model number) replacement, then you are okay. If you decide to upgrade the board at the same time to something newer, you need to buy a new license. This is where many get screwed because finding an exact replacement motherboard is not easy if the current model is out of production - and motherboard production runs don't last long.