So does this chap
Rant: Microsoft Windows Out of Box Experience Sucks
OK, rant mode on. This morning I spent over three hours running Windows Update on the cool Viliv S5 UMPC I am evaluating. Yes, I realize it runs the older Windows XP operating system, but even so Microsoft must make the out of box experience (OOBE) better than this. I have recently experienced this process with Vista too, and itÂs no better than XP. ItÂs time that Microsoft fix this absolutely unbearable process.
The entire Windows Update process resulted in 5 reboots and took almost 3.5 hours. That is ridiculous in and of itself, but watching it closely (something you have to do as it requires user input at inopportune moments) really got me steamed, as I realized that Microsoft could easily fix this stupid process.
How can Microsoft make this more bearable for the end-user? Simple. Watching the update process made it clear that Microsoft supplied the OEM with Windows XP SP1. A large part of the update process was downloading and installing SP2, which has been out for years. The next pass of Windows Update then downloaded and installed SP3, which has also been out forever. Why the hell is Microsoft not supplying OEMs with the latest SP slipstreamed in the build image?
My fury didnÂt end there, no siree. The update process also duly downloaded and installed .NET Framework 1.0. Then 1.1. Then 1.5. That is absolutely stupid on any level. Then came the core Microsoft applications that had to be Âupdated. You may not believe it, but the update process had to download and install Internet Explorer 7, yes, thatÂs right 7, which is not even the current version available. Windows XP is still shipping with IE6 in the OEM image. Incredible.
[. . .]
OTOH, when I put the hP nb on hi-speed for update, before shipping it off to its new home across the continent: surprisingly (atop my previous clean install w/ BugFixes 1 & 2) -- it seems I was spared the 100+ bug-at-a-time process via Bug-fix 3. Thus my sole experience with Beast Update was 100% OK.
[Hah..]
(And yes, I did apologize to new owner re what she shall henceforth have to do, regularly ... for even a 50% chance of maybe getting some work done; oblig. reminder about how easily Ubuntu could save her from several dozen hours of uncertainty each month ... and that constant Beastware companion: The Fear.)