Computer Guy Afraid of Vista?

Windows Vista has been released for over a year now.  Major computer manufacturers like Dell, HP, Acer, Sony and Toshiba are all selling computers with Windows Vista pre-loaded.  Microsoft has released Service Pack 1 for Vista a short while ago.  Even after all this, does your local computer guy/girl still tell you "Vista's buggy" or "Vista has all kinds of problems"?  If so, has the tech even used Vista?

Being a computer guy myself, I installed a beta version of Windows Vista when it was released.  I then purchased the retail Vista Ultimate when it was released and installed it on my home machine that I use daily.  Since then I've installed Windows Vista Basic on my wife's computer, Vista Home Premium on my laptop, and Vista Business edition on one of the machines we use daily at the shop.

Not only have I installed Vista and run it daily, but I went one step further and installed the 64bit edition of the OS on my home computer and the business machine at the shop.

So what have I to report after my extensive experience with Vista?  What bugs have I found thus far?  None to speak of.  I'm sure there must have been something buggy with that first month after the initial installation, but I can't remember any.  There was an annoyance of it taking FOREVER for files to transfer over the network... but that was addressed in Service Pack 1, and I haven't had an issue since.

That being said, there are some comments made about Windows Vista that are true.  "Windows Vista uses a lot more resources than Windows XP".  That's true, but Windows XP was released 6 years ago.  The technology that exists today wasn't even thought of then.  Vista uses a lot more resources because machines built today have a lot more resources available.  When XP was released at 20GB hard drive was HUGE, and the operating system only used 128MB of RAM (memory).  We're in a new generation of computing.  Will your old Windows XP machine run Vista?  Maybe... but you may need more memory to run it well.

Another comment about Windows Vista: "It looks different".  True, it does.  Windows Vista not only looks different, but the underlying file structure is different as well.  Why?  Evolution.  Computers used to be all text base, there were no mice, or graphical user interfaces.  Now you can hardly find an area where if you say the word mouse, it doesn't have two meanings.  Technology is evolving, and to make it easier for the end user to interact with technology, Microsoft has designed Vista to be more graphically enhanced.  They've also redesigned where information is located to make it easier for the end user to find things.  In previous versions of Windows you had to know the user profiles were located in the Documents and Settings folder.  In Vista they're in the "Users" folder.  While this concept may be more difficult for your computer guy to figure out (because he's a geek and used to command-line text based file structures), you may actually find it to be easier to navigate.

There are a few things one should be aware of when deciding whether or not to run Windows Vista.  First, if you've got older peripheral equipment (printers, scanners, etc) your equipment may not work with Windows Vista.  You should check the manufacturer's website and see if Windows Vista drivers are available before upgrading.  The same is true with any software you're running.  If you're still using a DOS shell to run software that operates your business, Vista is probably going to laugh at you when you try to run that software.  Windows Vista will let you run software in compatibility mode for previous versions of Windows, but there's no guarantee that it will work.  Chances are you can find a newer version of the software you're running, or compatible software from another manufacturer.  This might not always be a great solution for a business, as sometimes specialized software can be expensive.  When considering upgrading, also calculate the time savings as a dollar amount to weigh against the cost of the software and hardware upgrades.  If a new computer will allow you to produce 15 more widgets a day, there may be significant value to that figure.  One question I always ask when considering software upgrades is "will it make me any more money?"  For businesses, if it doesn't make you more money, it might not be worth the expense.

The end all beat all of this article is to let you know that we've heard all kinds of nasty rumors about Windows Vista not working, but also know those rumors usually stem from people with little or no experience using it.  Next time you hear a comment, ask the person how much experience they have with it, you may find they haven't used it at all, or they tried the beta edition (which is very clearly advertised to the technical community as not the retail version and is only released so Microsoft can have real world experience working out the bugs before the actual retail release).

Also know that just because someone says they are "good with computers" doesn't mean they know what they're talking about.  Ask around about the technicians you're using, or ask the company they work at for references.  Inexperienced computer technicians tend to confuse their opinions with facts.
 
Windows XP Service Pack Can't Find clbcatq.dll

When installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 on a machine today I received a message that "setup cannot find clbcatq.dll..." I haven't seen this with SP3 yet and we've installed it on about a dozen or so machines thus far.  I was able to duplicate the exact error on another machine, only this time installing service pack 2.  Both machines were in my shop for virus/spyware removal so I can only deduce that the error is the result of either a Windows update that conflicts with the SP installation, or the spyware/viruses removed the file.

To fix it, I just popped a Windows XP with SP2 disk in the cd drive and told it to go find the file in that drive's I386 folder.  Worked for both the SP3 update and the SP2 one.

 Incidently, the SP2 machine threw the same error when I installed SP3 after installing SP2.
 
Liquid Spills on Keyboards

I sat at my desktop computer the other night thoroughly entrenched in website design. I had just taken a sip of my beverage and went to set it on my desk and only got it just barely on the desk. The result was a whole lot of liquid on me and on my keyboard. I've lost two previous keyboards to this very same act of fate. The keyboard I'm using now is the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 keyboard and at $60 there was no way I was going to let a little water get the best of me. Immediately I started sopping up the fluid with paper towels, but things just weren't happening fast enough. After a few moments I had most of the surface cleaned up, but when I pressed a few keys I got multiple letters from one button, a sign there was still something not right inside. I immediately unplugged the keyboard and set it face down on the desk. My thinking here is that gravity will force the fluid off the printed circuits and on to the inanimate plastic keys...which won't matter. My keyboard spent two days upside down and unplugged, but I'm happy to report it is operational again.

Some tips you can use if you succumb to a liquid spill on the keyboard.

  • Immediately turn the keyboard upside down to prevent the fluid from flowing deeper into the board
  • Unplug the keyboard and leave it unplugged for a day or two until you're sure the insides are completely dry.
  • Use 90% rubbing alchohol to remove stickiness.  The alchohol evaporates and doesn't leave a residue, so it won't short out the circuits.

I know a guy who has also taken a laptop keyboard and submerged it in a tub of rubbing alchohol, swished it around a bit and then hung it up on a line to dry.  I've never tried it, but the theory is sound.
 
Quickbooks, Turbo Tax, etc opens and immediately closes.

A lot of Intuit product users have experienced frustration over the past few weeks as their applications (Quickbooks, Turbo Tax, etc.) have just stopped working.  It turns out the issue is related to an automatic update issued by Microsoft.  While Intuit seems to think Microsoft broke their product, it is actually more likely that Microsoft patched something Intuit hadn't updated appropriately.  The problem doesn't seem to appear on computers that have had the majority of windows updates installed recently, like a new computer that has been updated completely before being installed.

The fix is relatively simple if it works... and relatively difficult if it doesn't.  Intuit's response is to "uninstall .net Framework 2.0 and reinstall it".  Part of the problem appears to be with removing the installation source for the .net framework itself, making uninstalling it by using Add/Remove Programs impossible.  Instead, one must follow a series of steps (somewhat complex for the average user) to manually remove the .net framework 2.0.  The .net framework 2.0 can then be reinstalled and updated without any further adverse affects from Quickbooks (or other Intuit products we've tested).

Manual removal of the .net framework 2.0 requires editing the system registry and some other tasks that should not be attempted by the faint of heart.  Making changes to your system registry can make it inoperable, so you're best to let a professional handle it.  Average time to fix the problem manually is about 1 hour, depending on the machine involved.

The manual removal process is outlined at microsoft here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908077
 


News/Updates

Thank You Knox County!
May 27, 2010- Computer Solutions voted by the people of Knox County as the Best of the Best Computer Service.
 
Computer Solutions LLC Earns Apple Service Endorsement

ROCKLAND (March 15, 2010)—Good news for Midcoast Maine Mac users! Todd Gustafson, owner of Computer Solutions in Rockland, has announced that his company has earned a service endorsement from Apple, Inc.

Until last week, local Apple customers had to trek to Augusta or even Portland for their in-warranty computer repairs. Now Mac owners who need service can benefit from a conveniently-located service center where the sidewalk sign reads, “We will fix it because we care.”
Apple doesn’t let just anyone repair in-warranty computer products for them. A strict set of guidelines and prerequisites must be met before a business may boast the title of Apple Authorized Service Provider. “It’s been several years since the area has had an Authorized Service Provider for Apple Computers,” says Gustafson. “We’re truly excited to be able to provide our Apple customers with a trusted local source for in-warranty computer repairs.” Gustafson is one of a select group of computer technicians who is a CompTIA A+ Certified for PC repair and an Apple Certified Macintosh Technician. 

Apple Authorization gives Computer Solutions access to Apple’s comprehensive technical support system, allowing Computer Solutions the ability to provide warranty repair service for all Apple computers covered under the initial year of warranty, or the 3-year extended “Apple Care” warranty period.  While the team at Computer Solutions has been able to service Apple Computers in the past, the new tools allow this warranty service, as well as the ability to train future Apple Certified Technicians within the organization.