My computer blooped

[Since1982]

My computer went down a week ago and I just got a friend over today to fix it up...Explorer sent me a FREE, UNwanted, UNneeded, way to lose 90% of my saved sites which of course I loaded like I load all their upgrades. YUK, My friend reversed all but one of the updates and now everything works as I'm used to.

[r.m.anderson]

What 'fantastic' "gotta-have" upgrade program did they convince you that you absolutely positively needed to have this program ?
Was it something to do with Windows XP ? Vista ? 7? or internet explorer 9. #$@&%* ?
I just love it when nothing is broke and everything is working perfect and Microsoft says you just have to install this upgrade regardless
of the consequences. Sort of like Mickey Mouse in the "Sorcerous Apprentice" !

rm

[klaatu]

I switched to Linux years ago and have never looked back. Never get the crap that so many people complain about using Microsoft products.

[renesm1]

I wouldn't touch internet exploder!!! Firefox or Chrome seems to work better for me!

[Since1982]

Um, you mean Google Chrome?? Google is a corporate partner with Microsoft... I might check out Linux tho...and to the other question in you 3 responders, I have Vista..which I hate but was free...I think..

[ethelthefrog]

Google is a corporate partner with Microsoft...

Not really. Google run their datacentres on Linux. Google's Android operating system is based on Linux, and is in competition with Microsoft's Windows Mobile. Everybody's heard of Google, but Microsoft also have their own search engine, which they set up in a doomed attempt to compete with Google. Google Apps compete with Microsoft Office.

Microsoft hate Google's guts.

On the other topic, Linux certainly isn't for everyone, but it's getting better and better. I've been using it for ten years now, and vastly prefer it to anything Microsoft has ever spat out. I'd recommend giving it a go. If you don't like it, you can always switch back.

[Since1982]

If you say so...However, everytime Microsoft puts a series of uploads in, one of them is always Google Chrome and MUST be removed if I don't want it. It takes me up to an hour to jump through all the hoops to get rid of it. I just wish Microsoft would leave the same search engine I've had for 4 years on here without me having to remove what I didn't ask for every single time. I like the older Google 8 program and really dislike the Chrome, too invasive for me.

[crfriend]

Microsoft hate Google's guts.

And vice-versa, I'd add because if not for that very visceral hatred of "The Evil Empire" Microsoft would have successfully bought Google by now.

On the other topic, Linux certainly isn't for everyone, but it's getting better and better. I've been using it for ten years now, and vastly prefer it to anything Microsoft has ever spat out.

This is a matter of opinion. My experience is that the Linux kernel is undergoing the sort of creeping featurism that has dominated Microsoft's world-view since roughly day 1, and that I am having an increasingly difficult time with my "elder iron" with newer Linux kernels that despite vicious pruning are still a bit obese on a 64 Meg system.

Microsoft's NT, however, is actually maturing rather nicely -- and in step with the way that other David Cutler operating systems have. Recall that RSX-11 in the early versions was positively horrible, and VMS until about 5.0 was a steaming pile of dung. Cutler, when he bailled from DEC for Microsoft took the "next generation" of VMS, called Mica, with him and that became the core of Windows NT (the first real OS that Microsoft ever deployed). I recall getting exposed to Windows NT 3.5.1 in the mid 1990s and recoilling from it because it was bug-for-bug compatible with VMS 3.0; my suspicion was verified several years later when the "flight of Mica to Microsoft" was verified by the ex-VP of R&D for DEC after DEC had been bought out by Compaq. So, Mica's now at about 7.0 and actually very stable; I've not experienced a kernel-panic at work in years. Microsoft's applications however, are a different story altogether. (I wish that Cutler had pocketed the source to DCL in addition to the Mica kernel; the Microsoft command-line tool stinks.)

I'd recommend giving it a go. If you don't like it, you can always switch back.

That's a fair assertion, and if one never has to go to the command line pretty much *any* OS can do reasonably well.

It's the Intel architecture I have problems with. I am not a fan of monocultures, which is why that there are at any given time at least two completely different computing architectures up and running at home, and frequently three. (Intel, MIPS, and SPARC at the moment)

[klaatu]

Give this a try. D/l it and burn it to a CD. http://www.pclinuxos.com/

[Big and Bashful]

If you say so...However, everytime Microsoft puts a series of uploads in, one of them is always Google Chrome and MUST be removed if I don't want it. It takes me up to an hour to jump through all the hoops to get rid of it. I just wish Microsoft would leave the same search engine I've had for 4 years on here without me having to remove what I didn't ask for every single time. I like the older Google 8 program and really dislike the Chrome, too invasive for me.

Sorry Skip but no. Google Chrome is a browser and a direct competitor to Microshafts IE9. I use Chrome and hate IE9, I tried it and hated it compared to Chrome. Microsoft try and get people to drop Chrome and switch to their clunky browser.

Google Search is Google's search engine, Microshaft have Bing, I don't like Bing because it has a silly name! and I am used to Googling for stuff. I can't believe Microshaft would ever try to switch anyone to a competitors search engine, that doesn't make sense! They want people Binging, not Googling.

All in all, very strange!

[Since1982]

All I know for sure from personal experience is everytime ( about every 6 mo.) I get Microbrain loads I get a load which upgrades my Google 8 to Google Chrome. THIS last time my favorites file went Poofers from my Explorer top of the page and I had to hunt for 3 days to find it, I still don't know how to get it back on my Exploder top of the page. HELP PLEASE

[Jack Williams]

Well that all sounds well over my head when it comes to computers, but am using Firefox, and never seem to encounter any of the pitfalls mentioned above.

[Miket]

If memory serves me - which sadly it doesn't always these days - in the "old" Skirtcafe we had a poll of Operating systems.
Here I've been using Linux in various forms for about 15 years - currently UbuntuStudio 11.04, and a variety of non- Microsoft browsers - currently Opera and Firefox (Opera does my emails as well).

No viruses - no hassle - except for my own stupidity!

How about another poll?