On Thursday 01 November 2001 07:21, Carroll Grigsby wrote: > civileme wrote: > > I knew that extra phone listing might be handy someday. Fussing with a > > download that wouldn't md5sum and needing it very badly, I was only too > > happy for the break when the phone rang and I picked it up, saying > > "Mandrakesoft". > > > > "Errr, I have a REAL problem. " > > > > "Is it with one of our systems?" > > > > "No," he replied, "but I'll buy the most expensive boxed set if your > > system can help me." > > > > In the course of a few minutes I learned that this fellow hadf a Dell > > Dimension P-II 400 with STB Velocity card and Turtle Beach Montego II > > Sound card, and he had been running Win98 successfully. He had a > > Microsoft-badged optical mouse and Microsoft-badged USB keyboard. > > > > When WinXP came out, his father was the first person in line at CompUSA > > to buy it at 12:01 am October 25th. > > > > So he installed the update. > > > > Keyboard and mouse promptly stopped working. > > > > His plan was to install linux, copy his vital data over to it, then > > format the winpartition and reinstall XP cleanly as Microsoft Support > > (Two hours on hold long distance to Redmond ) assured him if he did that > > that his keyboard and mouse would work. > > > > I told him where to pick up the download edition of 8.1 and he took them. > > An hour later I had a call, "It won't resize Windows small enough." > > > > By now it was 7 pm. I went to his computer and brough along a spare 10G > > disk. I added it temporarily on the spare connector and let him install > > ML 8.1 to the second disk, making sure he chose GRUB to boot with. > > > > Everything worked, and his cable modem connected out of the box--only the > > advisory popped up to visit sourceforge about the sound card. > > Transferring his 2.2G of files was a snap, then diskdrake was called to > > clean up the messy hda, partitioning 3/4 of it for windows and leaving > > the rest for his "rescue system". > > > > WinXP balked and insisted on seeing the win98 CD, then it installed, > > taking out the boot record entry for linux (but we had a boot disk). The > > mouse and keyboard worked fine until the final reboot then communication > > ceased. > > > > Now out with the win98 disk but it refuses to install over XP. Back to > > Linux and diskdrake from a terminal su'ed too root to wipe clean again. > > > > Win98 now loads after an old installer trick of copying the win98 > > directory to the hard drive and installing from there. > > > > And linux restores the 2.2 G of files it had saved. Now the extra Hdd is > > removed and win98 is running using mouse and keyboard. > > > > Back to CompUSA goes the XP even though one mouse worked long enough to > > send Redmond the info for the activation Code. Into CompUSA is placed an > > Order for ProSuite. He already has the Aureal drivers from sourceforge. > > > > I know sometimes our system has trouble with a wheelmouse, and a lot of > > trouble if someone sets the wrong mouse type (3-button emulation kills > > wheelmice), but this is something I don't think we have ever done. > > Certified Hardware not running on a new system is a serious flaw, and > > even a billion dollar advertising campaiggn and midnight starting sales > > will not correct that sort of flaw. > > > > Civileme > > Civileme: > Exactly which support option covers house calls? > -- Carroll Well, you buy the new ProSuite coming out soon--the one with a long support option....
Then you move to Anchorage, Alaska... Civileme
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