10 Helpful Vista Beta Tips

Being a newbie of admittedly severely limited mental capacity, but always
wanting the latest things, I love any beta release of anything. Here are
some tips that will help some people with their struggles to enjoy Vista Beta
2.

1. It is a Beta. If it worked perfectly, had all the drivers you need, and
so on and so forth, it wouldn’t be a Beta. The whole purpose of a Beta is so
that a group of people can TEST the software and find the problems. So when
you find a problem, that’s the whole point!

2. Search the forum and the internet for an answer or at least an existing
dialogue of your particular issue BEFORE posting a question. Andre and Zack
are extremely busy, answering redundant, redundant questions and commenting
on our inability to read. If they only have to deal with the same issue 300
times instead of 400 times, they will have more time to deal with your issue,
the one that is more important than any other.

3. If your hardware, the “Unobtanium Does Everything� thing won’t work, that
usually means that the Unobtanium Corporation hasn’t done their job to help
you. First see item 2. Then go to Unobtanium’s support sites. Microsoft
didn’t build the thing, and if they had the drivers, they would have included
them in the Beta to start with. Either that, or Microsoft is out to get you,
personally, and is doing this to you on purpose.

4. Will “Whizbang’s� software be compatible? Will it rain next Friday at
2:46pm? Who knows? Try it, and if it works, great, if it doesn’t, complain
to Whizbang. I never expected my Atari 2600 to run Coleco games, after all…

5. For this Beta, Windows Vista, do yourself a favour and do a clean
install. Empty partitions are great for this. Don’t have one? See item 2.
Don’t know what a partition is? See item 2. Don’t know how to make a new
partition? See item 2. Need software to make a partition? See item 2. Too
inept or scared to try to make a new partition? Well, the world needs
grocery baggers too, I suppose. You’ll be so much farther ahead without old
drivers and .dll’s cluttering up the install you will make your goofy
brother-in-law very jealous. The one with his dishwasher networked in to his
toaster-oven with Wi-Fi.

6. Back-up everything. Twice. Then back that up. Then install. Don’t
upgrade.

7. Don’t like Vista? “C:\ FORMAT�. It’s the only way. You did back up all
you stuff, right?

8. Buy the DVD instead of downloading. It’s less than $20.00. You have
enough in change between the couch and your car ashtray. First of all, you
then have somebody to blame besides yourself if it doesn’t work. Second of
all, there’s a rumour that it has “bloopers� at the end for your enjoyment.

9. Just a thought, but if you lack the technical expertise to burn an .iso
to a DVD successfully, what makes you think you can load SATA drivers during
a botched install from a floppy you don’t have? And now you’ve overwritten
some of your existing operating system because you tried to upgrade instead
of doing a clean install. You did back up all your stuff, right?

10. If you find a bug, meaning something that doesn’t work, see item 1.
Then see item 2. Then report it to Microsoft. How? See item 2. Why? So
that Microsoft can address the issue, and so that you feel empowered, instead
of like a thirty-something social miss-fit who still lives with his mother.

Hope this helps!

Awesome tips.


"Mark D. VandenBerg" wrote:

> Being a newbie of admittedly severely limited mental capacity, but always
> wanting the latest things, I love any beta release of anything. Here are
> some tips that will help some people with their struggles to enjoy Vista Beta
> 2.
>
> 1. It is a Beta. If it worked perfectly, had all the drivers you need, and
> so on and so forth, it wouldn’t be a Beta. The whole purpose of a Beta is so
> that a group of people can TEST the software and find the problems. So when
> you find a problem, that’s the whole point!
>
> 2. Search the forum and the internet for an answer or at least an existing
> dialogue of your particular issue BEFORE posting a question. Andre and Zack
> are extremely busy, answering redundant, redundant questions and commenting
> on our inability to read. If they only have to deal with the same issue 300
> times instead of 400 times, they will have more time to deal with your issue,
> the one that is more important than any other.
>
> 3. If your hardware, the “Unobtanium Does Everything� thing won’t work, that
> usually means that the Unobtanium Corporation hasn’t done their job to help
> you. First see item 2. Then go to Unobtanium’s support sites. Microsoft
> didn’t build the thing, and if they had the drivers, they would have included
> them in the Beta to start with. Either that, or Microsoft is out to get you,
> personally, and is doing this to you on purpose.
>
> 4. Will “Whizbang’s� software be compatible? Will it rain next Friday at
> 2:46pm? Who knows? Try it, and if it works, great, if it doesn’t, complain
> to Whizbang. I never expected my Atari 2600 to run Coleco games, after all…
>
> 5. For this Beta, Windows Vista, do yourself a favour and do a clean
> install. Empty partitions are great for this. Don’t have one? See item 2.
> Don’t know what a partition is? See item 2. Don’t know how to make a new
> partition? See item 2. Need software to make a partition? See item 2. Too
> inept or scared to try to make a new partition? Well, the world needs
> grocery baggers too, I suppose. You’ll be so much farther ahead without old
> drivers and .dll’s cluttering up the install you will make your goofy
> brother-in-law very jealous. The one with his dishwasher networked in to his
> toaster-oven with Wi-Fi.
>
> 6. Back-up everything. Twice. Then back that up. Then install. Don’t
> upgrade.
>
> 7. Don’t like Vista? “C:\ FORMAT�. It’s the only way. You did back up all
> you stuff, right?
>
> 8. Buy the DVD instead of downloading. It’s less than $20.00. You have
> enough in change between the couch and your car ashtray. First of all, you
> then have somebody to blame besides yourself if it doesn’t work. Second of
> all, there’s a rumour that it has “bloopers� at the end for your enjoyment.
>
> 9. Just a thought, but if you lack the technical expertise to burn an .iso
> to a DVD successfully, what makes you think you can load SATA drivers during
> a botched install from a floppy you don’t have? And now you’ve overwritten
> some of your existing operating system because you tried to upgrade instead
> of doing a clean install. You did back up all your stuff, right?
>
> 10. If you find a bug, meaning something that doesn’t work, see item 1.
> Then see item 2. Then report it to Microsoft. How? See item 2. Why? So
> that Microsoft can address the issue, and so that you feel empowered, instead
> of like a thirty-something social miss-fit who still lives with his mother.
>
> Hope this helps!

Duh !

What did Mark say?

I know, wait until a Viste PC turns up in the second hand shop, then buy it.

Right on Mark, Good one !


"troma" wrote:

> Awesome tips.
>
>
> "Mark D. VandenBerg" wrote:
>

Well done Mark needed saying, keep posting it every other day and
maybe the people who really should not be messing with Betas may read
it before upgrading it their XP machines.

8-)

Jonah


On Sun, 11 Jun 2006 05:59:01 -0700, Mark D. VandenBerg
<MarkDVandenBerg@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>Being a newbie of admittedly severely limited mental capacity, but always
>wanting the latest things, I love any beta release of anything. Here are
>some tips that will help some people with their struggles to enjoy Vista Beta
>2.
>
>1. It is a Beta. If it worked perfectly, had all the drivers you need, and
>so on and so forth, it wouldn’t be a Beta. The whole purpose of a Beta is so
>that a group of people can TEST the software and find the problems. So when
>you find a problem, that’s the whole point!
>
>2. Search the forum and the internet for an answer or at least an existing
>dialogue of your particular issue BEFORE posting a question. Andre and Zack
>are extremely busy, answering redundant, redundant questions and commenting
>on our inability to read. If they only have to deal with the same issue 300
>times instead of 400 times, they will have more time to deal with your issue,
>the one that is more important than any other.
>
>3. If your hardware, the “Unobtanium Does Everything” thing won’t work, that
>usually means that the Unobtanium Corporation hasn’t done their job to help
>you. First see item 2. Then go to Unobtanium’s support sites. Microsoft
>didn’t build the thing, and if they had the drivers, they would have included
>them in the Beta to start with. Either that, or Microsoft is out to get you,
>personally, and is doing this to you on purpose.
>
>4. Will “Whizbang’s” software be compatible? Will it rain next Friday at
>2:46pm? Who knows? Try it, and if it works, great, if it doesn’t, complain
>to Whizbang. I never expected my Atari 2600 to run Coleco games, after all…
>
>5. For this Beta, Windows Vista, do yourself a favour and do a clean
>install. Empty partitions are great for this. Don’t have one? See item 2.
>Don’t know what a partition is? See item 2. Don’t know how to make a new
>partition? See item 2. Need software to make a partition? See item 2. Too
>inept or scared to try to make a new partition? Well, the world needs
>grocery baggers too, I suppose. You’ll be so much farther ahead without old
>drivers and .dll’s cluttering up the install you will make your goofy
>brother-in-law very jealous. The one with his dishwasher networked in to his
>toaster-oven with Wi-Fi.
>
>6. Back-up everything. Twice. Then back that up. Then install. Don’t
>upgrade.
>
>7. Don’t like Vista? “C:\ FORMAT”. It’s the only way. You did back up all
>you stuff, right?
>
>8. Buy the DVD instead of downloading. It’s less than $20.00. You have
>enough in change between the couch and your car ashtray. First of all, you
>then have somebody to blame besides yourself if it doesn’t work. Second of
>all, there’s a rumour that it has “bloopers” at the end for your enjoyment.
>
>9. Just a thought, but if you lack the technical expertise to burn an .iso
>to a DVD successfully, what makes you think you can load SATA drivers during
>a botched install from a floppy you don’t have? And now you’ve overwritten
>some of your existing operating system because you tried to upgrade instead
>of doing a clean install. You did back up all your stuff, right?
>
>10. If you find a bug, meaning something that doesn’t work, see item 1.
>Then see item 2. Then report it to Microsoft. How? See item 2. Why? So
>that Microsoft can address the issue, and so that you feel empowered, instead
>of like a thirty-something social miss-fit who still lives with his mother.
>
>Hope this helps!

BRAVO
"jonah" <jonah123@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:uqbo8217eqlu7mg63spc4mvacg97hskenm@4ax.com...

>
>
> Well done Mark needed saying, keep posting it every other day and
> maybe the people who really should not be messing with Betas may read
> it before upgrading it their XP machines.
>
> 8-)
>
> Jonah
>
>
> On Sun, 11 Jun 2006 05:59:01 -0700, Mark D. VandenBerg
> <MarkDVandenBerg@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>

>

I need to blog this. Awesome Mark.
--
--
Andre
Windows Connected | http://www.windowsconnected.com
Extended64 | http://www.extended64.com
Blog | http://www.extended64.com/blogs/andre
http://spaces.msn.com/members/adacosta

"Mark D. VandenBerg" <MarkDVandenBerg@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message news:85BAAEE2-ADB8-455E-B81E-17DE55B4B4F0@microsoft.com...

> Being a newbie of admittedly severely limited mental capacity, but always
> wanting the latest things, I love any beta release of anything. Here are
> some tips that will help some people with their struggles to enjoy Vista
> Beta
> 2.
>
> 1. It is a Beta. If it worked perfectly, had all the drivers you need,
> and
> so on and so forth, it wouldn't be a Beta. The whole purpose of a Beta is
> so
> that a group of people can TEST the software and find the problems. So
> when
> you find a problem, that's the whole point!
>
> 2. Search the forum and the internet for an answer or at least an existing
> dialogue of your particular issue BEFORE posting a question. Andre and
> Zack
> are extremely busy, answering redundant, redundant questions and
> commenting
> on our inability to read. If they only have to deal with the same issue
> 300
> times instead of 400 times, they will have more time to deal with your
> issue,
> the one that is more important than any other.
>
> 3. If your hardware, the "Unobtanium Does Everything" thing won't work,
> that
> usually means that the Unobtanium Corporation hasn't done their job to
> help
> you. First see item 2. Then go to Unobtanium's support sites. Microsoft
> didn't build the thing, and if they had the drivers, they would have
> included
> them in the Beta to start with. Either that, or Microsoft is out to get
> you,
> personally, and is doing this to you on purpose.
>
> 4. Will "Whizbang's" software be compatible? Will it rain next Friday at
> 2:46pm? Who knows? Try it, and if it works, great, if it doesn't,
> complain
> to Whizbang. I never expected my Atari 2600 to run Coleco games, after
> all.
>
> 5. For this Beta, Windows Vista, do yourself a favour and do a clean
> install. Empty partitions are great for this. Don't have one? See item
> 2.
> Don't know what a partition is? See item 2. Don't know how to make a new
> partition? See item 2. Need software to make a partition? See item 2.
> Too
> inept or scared to try to make a new partition? Well, the world needs
> grocery baggers too, I suppose. You'll be so much farther ahead without
> old
> drivers and .dll's cluttering up the install you will make your goofy
> brother-in-law very jealous. The one with his dishwasher networked in to
> his
> toaster-oven with Wi-Fi.
>
> 6. Back-up everything. Twice. Then back that up. Then install. Don't
> upgrade.
>
> 7. Don't like Vista? "C:\ FORMAT". It's the only way. You did back up
> all
> you stuff, right?
>
> 8. Buy the DVD instead of downloading. It's less than $20.00. You have
> enough in change between the couch and your car ashtray. First of all,
> you
> then have somebody to blame besides yourself if it doesn't work. Second
> of
> all, there's a rumour that it has "bloopers" at the end for your
> enjoyment.
>
> 9. Just a thought, but if you lack the technical expertise to burn an .iso
> to a DVD successfully, what makes you think you can load SATA drivers
> during
> a botched install from a floppy you don't have? And now you've
> overwritten
> some of your existing operating system because you tried to upgrade
> instead
> of doing a clean install. You did back up all your stuff, right?
>
> 10. If you find a bug, meaning something that doesn't work, see item 1.
> Then see item 2. Then report it to Microsoft. How? See item 2. Why?
> So
> that Microsoft can address the issue, and so that you feel empowered,
> instead
> of like a thirty-something social miss-fit who still lives with his
> mother.
>
> Hope this helps!

Andre;

Feel free to blog it, digg it, edit it, and most importantly, direct people
to it as a reference.

Mark


"Andre Da Costa [Extended64]" wrote:

> I need to blog this. Awesome Mark.
> --
> --
> Andre
> Windows Connected | http://www.windowsconnected.com
> Extended64 | http://www.extended64.com
> Blog | http://www.extended64.com/blogs/andre
> http://spaces.msn.com/members/adacosta

Entertaining but useful too...if anyone takes any notice.

"Mark D. VandenBerg" wrote:

> Andre;
>
> Feel free to blog it, digg it, edit it, and most importantly, direct people
> to it as a reference.
>
> Mark
>
>
> "Andre Da Costa [Extended64]" wrote:
>

You should name it "Common Sense Rules for running Anything in BETA
stage!"...

As a beta tester for a lot of software, most of these are just common
sense by now. A lot of people that are new to beta testing, and all the hype
of Vista, is making them do stupid things. They are bashing the software and
the little bugs they find (uh, it's beta! Report it!); they are upgrading XP
like it's a final version (without backing up, no less); they can't burn an
ISO (uh... if you can't use Google or Usenet to find out the answer:
probably shouldn't try a beta!).

Great bit of tips!

---------------------------------------------------------------
Dustin Harper
http://www.overclockersrip.net


"Mark D. VandenBerg" <MarkDVandenBerg@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message news:88AD3A06-CBA0-43F2-8896-4BB33AAB3D5E@microsoft.com...

> Andre;
>
> Feel free to blog it, digg it, edit it, and most importantly, direct
> people
> to it as a reference.
>
> Mark
>
>
> "Andre Da Costa [Extended64]" wrote:
>

"ChrisW (MCP)" <ChrisWMCP@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:648E8113-BDB1-4922-A0EE-7B134D374574@microsoft.com...

> Entertaining but useful too...if anyone takes any notice.

The OP has some very good advice for people who are not doing ...

> 2. Search the forum and the internet for an answer or at least an
> existing dialogue of your particular issue BEFORE posting a question.

and ...

> 3. If your hardware, the "Unobtanium Does Everything" thing won't
> work, that usually means that the Unobtanium Corporation hasn't
> done their job to help you. First see item 2. Then go to Unobtanium's
> support sites

but for those who are not doing two and three there is very little chance
that they will see this.

Todd