3
300GigLoss
Guest
Today I had the pleasure to wiggle my mouse to bring my 3 month old PC alive,
only to see a blue screen: hive corrupted.
After three hours of trying to get the PC to repair, I finally settled on a
re-install of Windows Ultimate. During the re-install, I was prompted to load
my RAID drivers (so I could select the disk I want to install on). Once the
drivers were loaded, I selected my disk and was informed that Windows Setup
couldn't access the disk. Tried a few things, and finally - after a long sigh
- decided to hit the "new" link - which created a new partition on the drive.
Once that was done, Windows all of the sudden could access the disk, the
install began, and I lost over 300 gigs of personal data, software, photos,
and images (i.e. everything installed on the PC).
Smartly, I keep important things on a device that has its own operating
system (i.e. Network access drive system) - and luckly this OS is not windows
(haha). The point being, I just cannot believe that a corrupted registry
would cause sooo much damage and lost time.
So, here is my recomendataions:
1) The windows repair/restore features on the install disk are pretty much
useless when windows screws up its own database and files. So I would
recommend you put together a way of making sure windows can recover files
when it screws them up. First thought that comes to mind is a backup of the
registry and other such data files (a backup that is better than the one you
currently do, as that thing was corrupted as well...). Then provide QUICK
(your restore tools load like snails...) restore tools that will allow me to
browse my disks (ALL OF THEM), and grab that backup and restore it. Its
really a simple idea - wonder when you guys will get that.
2) Give me an option of getting these critical files backed up, automaticly,
to a location YOU host to protect your users from windows update screw ups.
Then build great tools that get on-line, pull down the backups, and restore
the system.
3) How about a way for me to snap shot the OS in one click? I want the
registry, settings, drivers, everything that makes WINDOWS run (don't care
about my applications, these I can fix easily). Then give me the option of
putting that in various places - network drives, webservice, DVD. It needs to
be small enough, packaged, and damnnit - you need a tool that launches from
your install CD that can easily restore this. You guys know what Windows
needs to run, so package it up, and put it on a disk. Give me the option to
do it when windows is validated for the first time, give me the option once a
month and after each application install. Remined me once a month.
In any event, you need to start thinking about system repair and restore in
a different way. Simply restoring the PC to its initial install state just
isn't going to cut it - ever. System restore is a somewhat good idea, but
hell, in my case that didn't even work (is it because the windows logic is so
un-intelligent that it can't find or do anythign wihtout the registry).
If you can't build a stable system, you should at least build something that
is easily recoverable. Your pushing me back to XP (of which I use 98% of the
time via virutal PC on my windows vista system because vista just can't
handle anything right...). I'm am seriously going to look at alternative
operating systems when I'm shopping for my next PC. Be it Apple, an open
source solution, or an older windows OS. My experence so far with Windows
Vista has been so poor it makes me think the OS was built by your entry-level
engineers. Did you base any of this on working code?
I assume Microsoft has heard all of this before, but Microsoft needs to move
about 1000X faster in getting fixes out, driver companies to move on their
drivers and fix the problems, and putting in features that actually help me
keep my PC running (instead of blue screen of useless information). Oh
another suggestion: Tell me what freakin' driver is causing the blue scree -
it would have saved my 2 days of trial-and-error before I figured out it was
Creative.
Finally I would just like to say I was almost ready to say to family (who
are waiting) that Vista is undercontrol now, I understand how it reacts, what
it does very poorly, what it has lots of trouble with, and what it does well
(not much btw). Then I could give them the "warm fuzzy" that will allow them
to upgrade their computers. But after my 300GB loss, I'll be recommending
they keep waiting. Only problem is, over half of my family (parents, brother)
have given up waiting and instead bought new Apply machines and making the
statements "screw windows... this is much better". Thanks for that...and
hey...what is the deal that Vista runs faster ona Mac than on any other
laptop? You guys really screwed up this time....
Hello memories of the Windows ME disaster. I hope you guys lose your jobs
over this.
----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/co...453&dg=microsoft.public.windows.vista.general
only to see a blue screen: hive corrupted.
After three hours of trying to get the PC to repair, I finally settled on a
re-install of Windows Ultimate. During the re-install, I was prompted to load
my RAID drivers (so I could select the disk I want to install on). Once the
drivers were loaded, I selected my disk and was informed that Windows Setup
couldn't access the disk. Tried a few things, and finally - after a long sigh
- decided to hit the "new" link - which created a new partition on the drive.
Once that was done, Windows all of the sudden could access the disk, the
install began, and I lost over 300 gigs of personal data, software, photos,
and images (i.e. everything installed on the PC).
Smartly, I keep important things on a device that has its own operating
system (i.e. Network access drive system) - and luckly this OS is not windows
(haha). The point being, I just cannot believe that a corrupted registry
would cause sooo much damage and lost time.
So, here is my recomendataions:
1) The windows repair/restore features on the install disk are pretty much
useless when windows screws up its own database and files. So I would
recommend you put together a way of making sure windows can recover files
when it screws them up. First thought that comes to mind is a backup of the
registry and other such data files (a backup that is better than the one you
currently do, as that thing was corrupted as well...). Then provide QUICK
(your restore tools load like snails...) restore tools that will allow me to
browse my disks (ALL OF THEM), and grab that backup and restore it. Its
really a simple idea - wonder when you guys will get that.
2) Give me an option of getting these critical files backed up, automaticly,
to a location YOU host to protect your users from windows update screw ups.
Then build great tools that get on-line, pull down the backups, and restore
the system.
3) How about a way for me to snap shot the OS in one click? I want the
registry, settings, drivers, everything that makes WINDOWS run (don't care
about my applications, these I can fix easily). Then give me the option of
putting that in various places - network drives, webservice, DVD. It needs to
be small enough, packaged, and damnnit - you need a tool that launches from
your install CD that can easily restore this. You guys know what Windows
needs to run, so package it up, and put it on a disk. Give me the option to
do it when windows is validated for the first time, give me the option once a
month and after each application install. Remined me once a month.
In any event, you need to start thinking about system repair and restore in
a different way. Simply restoring the PC to its initial install state just
isn't going to cut it - ever. System restore is a somewhat good idea, but
hell, in my case that didn't even work (is it because the windows logic is so
un-intelligent that it can't find or do anythign wihtout the registry).
If you can't build a stable system, you should at least build something that
is easily recoverable. Your pushing me back to XP (of which I use 98% of the
time via virutal PC on my windows vista system because vista just can't
handle anything right...). I'm am seriously going to look at alternative
operating systems when I'm shopping for my next PC. Be it Apple, an open
source solution, or an older windows OS. My experence so far with Windows
Vista has been so poor it makes me think the OS was built by your entry-level
engineers. Did you base any of this on working code?
I assume Microsoft has heard all of this before, but Microsoft needs to move
about 1000X faster in getting fixes out, driver companies to move on their
drivers and fix the problems, and putting in features that actually help me
keep my PC running (instead of blue screen of useless information). Oh
another suggestion: Tell me what freakin' driver is causing the blue scree -
it would have saved my 2 days of trial-and-error before I figured out it was
Creative.
Finally I would just like to say I was almost ready to say to family (who
are waiting) that Vista is undercontrol now, I understand how it reacts, what
it does very poorly, what it has lots of trouble with, and what it does well
(not much btw). Then I could give them the "warm fuzzy" that will allow them
to upgrade their computers. But after my 300GB loss, I'll be recommending
they keep waiting. Only problem is, over half of my family (parents, brother)
have given up waiting and instead bought new Apply machines and making the
statements "screw windows... this is much better". Thanks for that...and
hey...what is the deal that Vista runs faster ona Mac than on any other
laptop? You guys really screwed up this time....
Hello memories of the Windows ME disaster. I hope you guys lose your jobs
over this.
----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/co...453&dg=microsoft.public.windows.vista.general
