"Lowered Expectations" <LoweredExpectations@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
[color=blue]
> --The Problem: I (and how many others?) was on the Vista beta and RC1/2
> program.
>[/color]
.. . .[color=blue]
> Microsoft told me/us here:
> [url]http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/preview.mspx[/url]
> and elsewhere, that all that we need do was MAKE the backup while RC1 was
> still viable (I did that), and then buy and install one's own preferred
> Vista.
>
> ALL I was told to do was make a total back up, choose and buy a Vista
> version.
> I opted for Home Basic.
>
> I cannot put my old settings, files or folders into the new OS. Period.
>
> This is wrong of Microsoft. You have locked me out from my data.
> Microsoft told us to make backup before installing the clean, paid-for
> Vista.
> They NEVER told me that my backup would be completely useless.
> And furthermore, even though I'd now just like to get back to XP (which is
> not so evil as this Vista-Thing), I cannot put my RC1 backup of data into
> an
> XP install.
>
> So I'm screwed. I paid for Vista. I can't have my data back unless I get
> (am told elswhere here) Ultimate or something near that.[/color]
.. . .[color=blue]
> I don't have two computers, anyway. I don't even have the one computer
> that I had before the RC1 timeout. I have nothing. I've lost all my
> data---until, it seems, I knuckle under and pay for Ultimate (or will Home
> Premium do the "trick").[/color]
.. . .[color=blue]
> I have been a Windows user since 1995. You'd think I'd have learned
> something about it by now. Finally I have learned. Very sorry here.
>
> That's a boondoggle lie of gargantuan proportions.
> Microsoft has ruined me by locking me out of my own computer.[/color]


Please read this story carefully, because there's going to be a test
afterwards.

"The Tale of Two Expectations"

Once upon a time, twins were born in the Expectations family. One twin
brother was named Realistic, and the other twin brother was named
Unrealistic. They grew up together and started a business. They bought
computers to help them run the business. One day they had an opportunity to
download and install Windows Vista RC1, as long as they would help test the
new operating system and provide feedback to the software company.

Brother 1: "Since this is a test operating system and I have both a desktop
and a laptop, I'm going to install Windows Vista RC1 on my desktop after I
back it up with our backup software, and keep the laptop as-is for my
important business matters."

Brother 2: "Since I don't have an extra computer, I'll just backup my only
computer and install Windows Vista RC1 and use that for important business
matters."

Brother 1: "But what if Windows Vista RC1 messes up your files or loses
them? What if some of your software applications don't run on Vista?"

Brother 2: "Nonsense. What could possibly go wrong with a test version of
an operating system? I backed up my Windows XP, didn't I? I'll just
restore from backup if Vista RC1 doesn't work."

Brother 1: "But what if the files that have been saved with Windows Vista
RC1 are incompatible with Windows XP when you try to restore them after the
test phase is over?"

Brother 2: "Nonsense. What could possibly go wrong with a test version of
an operating system? And who says I'm going back to Windows XP?"

So they both carried out their plans, and both were happy working with the
new operating system once they figured out how to use it, although some
things didn't work as designed, in which case, they reported the bugs as
feedback so that they could be fixed in the retail version. Then came a day
when they were warned that the testing phase was about to expire, and they'd
either have to upgrade to the retail version or their Windows Vista RC1
version would no longer work.

Brother 1: "I like it, but I don't have the money to pay for the retail
version of Vista right now, so I'll restore my Windows XP system from our
backup software."

Brother 2: "I'm going to upgrade. Because I have irreplaceable files on my
hard drive, I'll back up Windows Vista RC1 using the its backup software,
install the new Vista OS from scratch and get it activated, and then restore
the earlier Vista system, my irreplaceable files, and my settings from the
backup disks."

Brother 1: "Why would you put important, irreplaceable files on a test
operating system?"

Brother 2: "I had no choice. I didn't have an extra computer to save those
files on."

Brother 1: "You had a choice. No one forced you to install a test
operating system on your only computer that you rely on to pay the bills.
Why would you jeopardize your computer and your files you absolutely can't
do without with test software?"

Brother 2: "It was free. I couldn't pass that up."

Brother 1: "Why would you want to use Windows Vista RC1 to make a backup?
We already have a reliable backup system. What if the Windows Vista RC1
backup doesn't work and can't be used to restore your system, let alone the
irreplaceable files and settings? What if the backup you make in Windows
Vista RC1 isn't compatible with our backup system or with Windows XP?
Without Windows Vista available, how are you going to restore from a
proprietary file type, if that's what it uses? Do you even know the file
type? How are you going to retrieve those irreplaceable files if something
goes wrong?"

Brother 2: "Nonsense. What could possibly go wrong with a test version of
an operating system's backup application? I'll just backup the
irreplaceable files to CD after I backup the system, if that will make you
happy."

Both carried out their plans, only something went wrong with the second
brother's plan. The individual irreplaceable files couldn't be backed up
with the Windows Vista RC1 backup application, and the files were too big to
copy to floppies. The computer wasn't networked, so he couldn't copy the
files to his brother's computer. He didn't even have a USB drive to save
the files to. They tried desperately to get his computer networked in order
to copy the files over minutes before time ran out, but they were
unsuccessful. Brother 2 upgraded to the new Vista operating system, and
then found that he couldn't restore his files from his Vista RC1 backup
disks.

Brother 2: "This is all Microsoft's fault! They should have told me these
backup disks made from a test operating system weren't going to work!"

Brother 1: "Now, let me get this straight. You installed a test operating
system that you knew might not work correctly on your computer, saved
irreplaceable files on that test operating system, backed up the system with
the untested backup software which is included with that test operating
system, and found that this backup software didn't work as you expected.
You had data you valued, yet you never made daily backups, giving you
previous days' versions of those important, irreplaceable files. You also
realized that the Vista RC1 system backup was incompatible with a
restoration of Windows XP way too late to do anything about it. You relied
on what was inherently unreliable without covering your six o'clock in any
prudent way, yet you think your predicament is Microsoft's fault?"

Brother 2: "Yes! Exactly! I'm glad you agree with me!"


Now for the test. Given this scenario, which brother was Realistic
Expectations and which brother was Unrealistic Expectations?

HTH.
Gunny

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