Sigh. Tried a fairly low tech task & it screwed way out in a spiral. Vista problem.

[UTUSN]

An elderly relative's anti-virus was set to expire, so I bought it for her and installed it. Since it allows 3 machines total, I updated mine and was doing the same for somebody else.

The first two times went fine (Windows 7). The 3rd machine is Vista. The anti-virus was installed fine and even the 45 minutes' full scan was done. Everything was fine.

But then Vista did what I just found out is its little flaw, forgetting that it itself does fine opening software. So a window popped up unexpectedly, with icons in two columns, asking which one (browser?) did I want to open stuff with. IE was listed first, and I absent mindedly clicked on it and the nasty deed was done!1


Now, none of the installed software opens up. All of the icons have an IE "e" plastered on them, and a stoopid "View Downloads" window opens up when you click on any software, whether on the desktop or in the Start menu. And RESTORE doesn't work.


The IE *does* connect to the internet through the Start list, but not from the icon. I can't get to the black and white "Safe Mode" list.

From the Windows help online site, it turns out that this is a known Vista problem, that Vista "forgets" it does fine opening stuff and something triggers it to ask you to pick a way to open stuff and all Hades breaks out after that. Something about ZIP files in the Registry, which is WAY beyond my capacity.

The thing is out of warranty so, since I caused the problem, I guess I'll spring for $59 to Windows Tech Support tomorrow.


Unless - wink wink - some beauteous and so intelligent DU Lounger has some answers!1

[Redstone]

1. I'm not a Windows expert, but this is what I'm doing:

I bought Mrs R a great Toshiba laptop, and our 14-year-old-from-Hell got his mitts on it, and got it loaded up with viruses.

It happens that I own a fresh, legal copy of Windows XP Pro, so rather than deal with the viruses, I'm going to wipe that dreadful Vista off the computer and "backgrade" her to XP Pro.

I've been running XP Pro under emulation (via Virtual PC) on my Macs for years now, and have never had a problem with it.

So if you can find a legal copy of XP that would cost less than the de-virusing, you might want to try the above.

Good luck.

Redstone

[EOTE]

2. Sounds like you need to restore your file associations.

This is how you'd go about that in Vista:

http://www.mydigitallife.info/restore-and-reset-file-association-in-windows-vista-back-to-original-default/

[UTUSN]

3. O.K., I'll try this tomorrow, thanks!1 n/t

[UTUSN]

4. In the cold light of morning, this is WAY too techie for me, but thanks!1

I'm going to call the HP/Vista tech support and pay them the $59.

[EOTE]

17. Is there a particular part in which you're getting hung up?

I might be able to guide you through it. What's giving you problems?

[UTUSN]

18. Just to tie a string on it, i'm NOT a TECHIE. m getting Win7 n/t

[UTUSN]

5. All's well that ends well !1 Well, not to crow too soon...

I had a lousey Friday stewing about this frustration and not looking forward to spending Saturday morning on the line with Tech Support.

After the initial call, which was 1 minute of providing the machine and user data followed by TWENTY MINUTES ON HOLD, the 2nd call went better than could be hoped for.

The tech provided instructions for his taking remote control, but the loading into the virtual room was interminable, and finally he said that the most effective thing would be to reload the operating system with CDs. Uh, no, no CDs since the machine came with the Vista. He then said he will FedEx the CDs. Great. But then he said that this machine supports 3 operating systems and can handle Windows 7 so he is ordering WINDOWS SEVEN!1 He said it will be a totally new machine!1 Absolutely GREAT!1

So, not out of the woods until the woods are totally over, but this changed the whole Saturday!1

[JCMach1]

6. Time for the Ubuntu treatment! Cures Windows every time!

[UTUSN]

7. O.K., I bit & Googled/Wiki-ed "Ubuntu Treatment" & still have nothing in my mind. Will U elaborate?

*************QUOTE*************

from Wiki:

Ubuntu (pronounced /ʊˈbʊntuː/)<5><6> is a computer operating system based on the Debian GNU/Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu ("humanity towards others").<7>
Ubuntu is designed primarily for use on personal computers, although a server edition also exists. Ubuntu holds an estimated global usage of more than 12 million desktop users<8>, making it the most popular desktop Linux distribution<9> with about 50% of Linux desktop marketshare.<10><11> It is fourth most popular on web servers,<12> though its popularity is increasing rapidly.<13>

Ubuntu is sponsored by the UK-based company Canonical Ltd., owned by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth. Canonical generates revenue by selling technical support and services related to Ubuntu, while the operating system itself is entirely free of charge.

The Ubuntu project is entirely committed to the principles of free software development; people are encouraged to use free software, improve it, and pass it on.

*************UNQUOTE*************

[freshwest]

8. Thanks, I've heard about UBUNTU but didn't know what it was.

[UTUSN]

9. You're welcome, now can you explain it to me?!1 Still have no idea what JCMach1 meant!1 n/t

[REP]

10. Stop using Windows and use Linux is what he meant.

Same thing as "get a Mac."

[UTUSN]

11. Ahhh... thanks!1 n/t

[pokerfan]

19. Not exactly

"Get a Mac" implies buying a new computer where Linux is designed to run on PC hardware.

http://www.ubuntu.com

[freshwest]

12. I'm clueless on that one, too. I was intitated into the cult of mac in 2001 by maniacs.

It was a Borg-like moment, really. I could not resist, LOL. I'm not sure I have much more than a beginner's grasp of OSX at this point. I buy books and read the stuff on line, but I forget everything.

I'm also the kind that doesn't read instructions. Or can't read them, more like it. My learning seems to come from experimenting. Fortunately nothing has blown up irreparably.

But I can't deal with Windows anymore, so half of these things go over my head. I think that Linux is like a grandparent or big brother of mac operating systems, but haven't missed Windows, Microsoft, etc. I'm not willing to go back, although my machine would run Windows through Bootcamp if I sprang for the program.

But I'd need more hard drive space, as I'm always having to burn things to disk to make more room. I'm glad you found a repair professional to help you so easily. I don't understand why Microsoft didn't fix their Vista glitch.

My biggest problem is some incapabilities with different versions of Quicktime and iTunes I'm running now. They don't really help you with things like that, I guess they figure I should know. For most things, though, if worst comes to worst, there's always putting the start up disk in the computer, which is probably tricky, and I thouhght after the few first posts here that is what you were going to have to do to regain control.

I only have one really smart thing to say: Redundancy & Backup. If everything blows up, and it will since no hard drive lasts as long as you want it to, you'll be glad you did. My hard drive went belly up in a wink a few years ago and I hadn't backed up. I was fortunate to find a place to retrieve my thousands of hours of work, creating and downloading all kinds of files. It took them almost an entire 7 days and night to slowly get my data off the fried drive and it'll never happen again. Run that backup all the time!

[JCMach1]

13. In recent years when I have had Windows machines where the OS has died,

I install Ubuntu Linux and never have a problem again.

[kentauros]

14. You're forgetting the one thing that keeps people going back to Windows

time and time again: familiarity.

I'm in that same camp. If the learning curve for anything Unix/Linux-based is more than five minutes, then forget it! I, and the many tens of millions of other Windows users, will put up with the problems and just call someone to "fix it!" when it needs it. I will not learn programming just to fix something or make a driver for a program that works fine on Windows just to make it work on some open-source OS. You know how to do that? Fine, knock yourself out.

There's really no point in telling people to "get another OS, one that works" when you certainly must know that they never will follow that "advice"...

[JCMach1]

15. The new Linux flavors are hella easy... if you can operate your Android or iPhone

you can use Ubuntu.

[kentauros]

16. Well then, I can't.

I don't own a "smart" phone. I have no need for one.

As for operating the OS, what about its compatibility with everything I own? If it's not compatible with all of it, then it's not worth my time to learn it. And that's going to be another stumbling block with the masses. All too often, drivers aren't written for anything but Mac and PC, especially all those small programs for specific purposes (the freeware and shareware.) A few big programs too, such as how I get my primary source of income, AutoCAD. It doesn't work on any Linux system, or not without running it on some other program, or something called "porting". If it can't work straight out of the box on the native OS without "help" then that's a pretty big failing in my book.

I am familiar with Windows and will stick with Windows. It's really not as bad as it's made out to be by the Open Source folks, and really, you're going to have a hard time convincing most people to switch, myself included.

[JCMach1]

20. In linux now, drivers disappear in many cases. I just plug-in a printer and it works

[kentauros]

21. And yet, AutoCAD still won't work in Linux.

Do you have any idea how important that program is to engineering companies and architects? Seems like a rather major flaw with Linux to me...

[JCMach1]

22. Not an engineer, but it seems like quite a lot of folks have cracked that nut

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/09/free-autocad-clone-draftsight-coming-to-linux/

http://architectafrica.com/bin0/news200411111_wine.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9xcoKXs7rM