Re: Problems with MCE

FreeComputerConsultant.com wrote:

So, you don't think years of installing and uninstalling misbehaved
software, not to mention effects of malware, leaves behind garbage -
in the registry, on the drive, etc., that is best done without by way
of a clean install?


No, only rarely is any of that an issue. Again, because Windows XP replaces
almost everything.

However, since you mention malware, I'll add one other point--that the time
when an upgrade is least likely to work successfully is when you have a
problem-ridden system. Those people who contemplate doing an upgrade as a
means of solving problems (and there are unfortunately many) are likely to
find that the upgrade exacerbates the problems rather than solving them.


Certainly you know what happens to the size of the registry over the
course of a couple of years; and that a larger registry loads more
slowly? And that an upgrade doesn't fix that, but a clean install
does?
Come on, Ken.

I'd love to hear the other MVP's chime in. But google it and you'll
find I'm far from alone on this one.


I never suggested that you were alone. It's actually a common viewpoint.
It's one that I used to have myself, back in the days of Windows 9x, when it
was largely correct. But things have changed with Windows XP, and those many
people who still believe it just don't realize how significantly they have
changed.

And by the way, how many people believe something is completely irrelevant
to whether it's true or not. As a single Windows-related example, I'll point
out that that the great majority of Windows XP users mistakenly believe that
it's not possible to do a clean installation with an Upgrade version of
Windows XP.



Yes, vehemently. That's because there's nothing to prefer.<<

And BTW, as long as it's a free country (maybe not much longer) I can
prefer what I want, even though it's "essentially" the same as
something else, in your opinion.


You are absolutely correct. You may prefer whatever you want, and you may
even recommend to others what you prefer and believe, on any subject. I have
no quarrel with that; you are certainly free to express your opinions. Each
of us (you, I, and anyone else here with an opinion) may present different
opinions and recommendations. Others may assess each of our opinions and
choose who to believe.

However, just as you are free to advise and recommend, others are too. So
don't be surprised, when you recommend something that I (or anyone else)
disagree with, that a contrary opinion is expressed.

And for the record, this is not a free country, or any country at all. This
is an *international* newsgroup, where people who live in *many* different
countries participate.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup




To some people Coke and Pepsi are
"essentially" the same.



Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
FreeComputerConsultant.com wrote:

I personally prefer XP Pro over MCE anyway, but others on this
newsgroup vehemently disagree with me.


Yes, vehemently. That's because there's nothing to prefer. They are
essentially identical, except that MCE has some extra features, and
is missing one--the ability to join a domain. They are both the same
in reliability, stability, etc., and that's because they are the
same.
What I do think they agree with me on is that a clean install of an
operating system is always best.


Nope. I don't agree with you on that either, and I think you'll find
that most of the MVPs here will not agree either.

Unlike with previous versions of Windows, an upgrade to XP replaces
almost everything, and usually works very well.

My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's much
easier than a clean installation. You can always change your mind
and reinstall cleanly if problems develop.

However, in his case, an upgrade isn't an option. There is no
possible upgrade from MCE to Professional.



If you purchased a brand new machine with MCE and now need XP Pro
instead, I don't see what would be wrong with buying an OEM copy of
XP for $140 instead of a boxed version for much more.



I'm going to disagree with you a third time.

If you shop around on the internet, you can find a retail upgrade
package that costs only a few dollars more than that OEM copy. In my
view, it's well worth spending the few extra dollars for a retail
package, since it comes without the disadvantages of an OEM
version--the most severe of which is that its license permanently
ties it to the first computer it's installed on.

I think OEM versions represent poor value, and I always recommend
against them.


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