[ale] %#&!! Microsoft XP and eMachines

[James P. Kinney III]

<rant>

I swear. The more I use Microsoft stuff, the more I like it when the
power goes out!

I'm trying to get a VPN running between a Linux server and a remote M$
box. The first box was hosed (HP Pavilion got clobbered with a bunch of
viruses that trashed the boot sector. Linux runs fine. M$ (98, ME, 2K)
won't even install). So a new machine was acquired. An eMachines Celeron
running Windows XP Home. Can you say _cheap_junk_?

In order to run the client end of the VPN, it requires a binary called
ipseccmd.exe. M$ ships it with XP on the CD. It is not normally
installed. But the CD's that ship with the box are not XP CD's. They are
restore disks that have a ghost image of the installed drive!

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

rant. stomp. curse. tantrum. 

Microsoft cheerfully gives complete details on installing the file FROM
THE CD. It's not on the website. Or any website for that matter

No, I don't normally go digging on the warez sites, but I am considering
it.

It gets better!

The entire reason for this ridiculousness is the original CD for the
accounting software has been lost. Even with the repair/replacement of
the damaged hard drive, the application can't be reinstalled. Of course
there are no backups! That would make it too easy. So the upgrade
software was ordered. $900 for the upgrade. 5 client licenses. The sale
dweeb promised "it would run perfectly fine on a peer-to-peer network of
Windows 98 SE machines."

The software has a new database engine called Pervasive SQL. The front
end requires the that the database engine be installed. It is not
possible to use the old database engine with the new front end. The
previous version of the application is no longer available for sale (Oct
2002). The Pervasive-SQL REQUIRES F*****G MICROSOFT WINDOWS 2000 F*****G
SERVER!!! Can't be used on a peer-to-peer with Win2K professional due to
M$ clamping down on the network connection with a hard limit of 10. Each
client takes 2 connections. If any other network activity occurs, the
database goes down in flames. The server itself eats 2 connections
internally (they claim). They even had a big disclaimer about it (...not
liable..., ...we told you so..., ...go cry elsewhere...). The office has
9 PC's. Can't be used at all, even as a client, on XP Home. Highly not
recommended that Windows 98 or ME be used as clients (Duh!). 

The old version, 16 bit ugly, has worked like a champ. Runs from a PII
300 with 64M RAM under Win98. Would love to test it out under wine and
crossover office. 

The owner has stated "No more Microsoft purchases!" (Yay!!). I'm fine
with that.

</rant>
-- 
James P. Kinney III   \Changing the mobile computing world/
President and CEO      \          one Linux user         /
Local Net Solutions,LLC \           at a time.          /
770-493-8244             \.___________________________./

GPG ID: 829C6CA7 James P. Kinney III (M.S. Physics) <jkinney at localnetsolutions.com>
Fingerprint = 3C9E 6366 54FC A3FE BA4D 0659 6190 ADC3 829C 6CA7 



 This is a digitally signed message part