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Nobody does more for Apple than Microsoft

9 October 2009 · 2:17 pm · Filed under PEBKAC

The largest single group of Windows users today? XP users. Their upgrade path to the latest and greatest? Nonexistent:

They’ll have to wipe out their hard disks after backing up their files elsewhere, then install Windows 7, then restore their personal files, then re-install all their programs from the original CDs or downloaded installer files. Then, they have to install all the patches and upgrades to those programs from over the years.

Microsoft includes an Easy Transfer wizard to help with this, but it moves only personal files, not programs. This painful XP upgrade process is one of the worst things about Windows 7 and will likely drive many XP owners to either stick with what they’ve got or wait and buy a new one.

Steve Jobs, meanwhile, is laughing himself all the way to the grave.

(Via James Joyner, who is in no rush to upgrade.)

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3 comments

  1. canadienne »

    10 October 2009 · 9:35 pm

    Hugging my Mac as I read this-

    However, re: “Steve Jobs’ Grave” (actually a tad tasteless in light of Mr. Jobs recent serious illness) – isn’t “Fatal Error” a Windows thing? I have never seen that on Mac. Photoshop quits occasionally, but the OS puts up a message afterwards that “Photoshop unexpectedly quit” and wants to know if I want to report or relaunch.

    From what I have heard the Snow Leopard upgrade is pretty painless – haven’t upgraded mine et due to extreme busyness.

  2. CGHill »

    10 October 2009 · 10:39 pm

    Since the iGrave was intended to represent an iPod, I asked Trini about this; she said that you’d never see that particular wording on an iPod.

    At the James Joyner link, one commenter explained the process of upgrading a Macintosh:

    I found the upgrade to Snow Leopard exhausting as well. You know what I had to do? I had to push the “Upgrade Now” button. Then I had to drink a beer. And then my computer worked perfectly and all my stuff was right where I left it.

    Times are rough for some of us. :)

  3. canadienne »

    11 October 2009 · 3:52 pm

    Well, that’s pretty much how all my upgrades have gone (even from OS 9 to the first version of X) The beer is a great idea, though.

    Trini is right, “Fatal Error” is not a phrase I have ever heard in MacLand. The Spinning Pinwheel of Death is as close as it gets – much less scary, although no less annoying.

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