Tonight, I put in the latest XP install disk into an old PIII machine from my latest (Jan 2007) Microsoft Action Pack Subscription (MAPS) to build a thin client (RDP) for my ever-expanding 2003 Terminal Services empire. After a few minutes, I get to the place where XP tells me that in 24 minutes, I will be on my way on a clean install. Several bloody HOURS later(!) I’m still downloading update-after-update and later.. Service Pack 2! Why-oh-why wasn’t SP2 already on the build for the latest MAPS XP install disk? Good Lord – I’m hanging around in the middle of the night just to get a clean install up and running!
Worse though is when you select from the Microsoft Update site to install the latest update.. you hang around and answer a few YES and NEXT buttons and wander off, looking over your shoulder watching that the update is being downloaded. After 40 minutes, you come back expecting the update to have been applied to see yet another bloody dialogue box to have you agree some bloody licence agreement and 40 minutes of your total life has been wasted! I already committed to the frigging MS agreement when I installed XP didn’t I?
Some day I WILL be out of MS. In the meantime, my advice is to shout “Grrr”.