The Pain of Windows Vista

As I type this entry, I am in the very painful process of trying to set up a new Dell computer for Kate's parents. I would think that the Dell Dimension C521 would work right out of the box. No such luck.

Vista is half-baked. Micosoft should have let it cook a little while longer. My biggest complaint is poor driver compatibility. It seems that some of the embedded devices that shipped with this computer (namely the audio) do not work with Vista.

I ding Dell for poor support. After downloading two dozen driver patches from their Web site, about a half-dozen of the supposed patches don't even install. What kind of support is that? Come on, Dell -- at least give me a fighting chance.

A $9.99 Mahjongg game from CompUSA wouldn't install. The installer insisted that DirectX9 be installed. According to Microsoft, Windows Vista ships with DirectX10, which they claim to have emulation for DirectX9. That's fine and dandy, but the Mahjongg game won't run -- even with Vista emulation of Windows XP SP2.

I'm at the point now where I'm VERY tempted to wipe the hard drive and install the OS that I really wanted in the first place: Windows XP SP2. At least then I would have support for the hardware and basic software I need to install. When we ordered this computer, XP Pro was not available on this line of Dimensions. I was tempted to buy an HP with comparable hardware specification, but Kate's parents said they preferred a Dell.

The other temptation would be to box the Dell C521 up and send it back to Dell. That would be a frustrating admission of defeat.