Part of my job as an IT Manager is testing all new technologies as they hit the market, including BETA versions (which means clunky bug-filled not-ready-for-primetime versions). I love getting to play with all these toys. I feel like the Tom Hanks character in the movie BIG, remember that one? Anyway, the downside to this is that sometimes I come across a real beast of a product that can hose my system. Yes, I do have a test lab and I usually install new products on those computers, but I like to take risks sometimes and this time I got burned by Microsoft’s next version of Windows that they are calling Windows XP (for experience, and what an experience it was!).
First of all, it’s still months away from being completed, so I shouldn’t have expected much from it. Second, there is hardly anything available right now that can run on this new platform. This includes hardware products like CD burners and scanners, etc.
Anyway, I got it installed and could run Microsoft software ok, but nothing else. Also, there were certain Microsoft packages that wouldn’t even run on WinXP! The most shocking one was MSN Messenger! Sheesh.
So what did Paisano do? I reformatted and installed Windows 2000 Professional on my computer right away! It was time for a major cleanup anyway. I had too many dead and useless programs installed anyway. Even after you uninstall programs, they leave remnants behind. My system is kicking and screaming now. It is sweet, indeed.
So hold off on Windows XP until the year 2002. They should have MOST of the bugs out of it by then. 🙂