The Motions we Know.

posted by voh 19:30, 4 June, 08

We all have our own traditions, little things we do our own way. They're hardly ever unique, but they sure feel that way. This is with anything we do - we all hold a pen differently, we all hold a camera differently (and oftentimes will choose our subject matter and methods of portraying them differently as well) and we sure as hell use computers in a way that's gotten to become 'our' way.

I've found my ways around computers are fucking set in stone. Concrete lined with marble, with a titanium centre containing something really, really radioactive and bad.

Now, I've tried to 'switch'. I've played around with ubuntu on one of my extra systems, for quite a while. I tried Ubuntu (Gnome), Kubuntu (KDE) and Xubuntu (XFCE) to be specific. I preferred XFCE because it was easy to use and fairly minimalist. However, *nix just never really 'felt right' for me. I didn't know why, but I knew it wasn't 'it'.

I've tried Apple products too, first with the G3 imac and later with the macbook, but where the Imac was sent to the attic to die an undignified death, I installed Windows on my macbook not long after I'd gotten it. And I tried spending time in OSX, but every time push came to shove, I felt like windows would simply be better suited for the task I was trying to complete.

So I've stuck by Windows all the way.

And then I got a new laptop. A Compaq V6660ED link (I see what you did there, Satan) and so far the machine itself is pleasing. I'm pleased with everything about it - the sound quality is as good as I'd hoped, the keyboard types well, the trackpad is responsive.

But the most important thing, of course, is that it's absolutely gorgeous considering the low, low price I paid for it (650 EUR over 4 months ago).

However. I've got very specific wants and needs concerning my computer systems, and this involves one very specific demand: Windows.

And that does NOT include Vista, which is preloaded onto the system and HP/Compaq makes no secret of the fact that they don't want you to install XP on it.

They literally told me (their helpdesk, anyway) that Windows XP would not install on it, and even if it did, that it would be unable to recognize the hardware.

Pish. Don't tell me I can't do something unless you want me to do exactly that.

I'm assholish that way.

So, I made the recovery DVD backups today, so I can restore it to Vista if they turn out to be right (I doubt it, the cunts) and proceeded to slipstream the required SATA/AHCI drivers into my already heavily altered Windows XP SP2 Install CD and popped it into the DVD drive.

After all the issues concerning XP not finding the hard disk (hence the SATA/AHCI drivers being slipstreamed onto the install CD so it would), it was utter bliss when I saw the XP logo appear on the screen after the first round of the installation process.

It seems the thing's almost done with installation, and when it is, I'll spend my entire evening customizing it to the point where I want it to be, and then some more time spent doing stuff on it I couldn't do under Vista.

I'm a nerd, I know. This isn't a very interesting article, I know that too.

And I don't give a shit :D

I cackled loudly when I saw the XP logo on my little smackbook, and I enjoyed it far too much.

Realizing that, I'm going to go over to that thing and install some heavily illegal software on it with which I probably won't make weapons of mass destruction.

Then again, now that I'm running XP again, at least the possibility's there.

5 comments

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Zachary Lewis (mail/url) @ 04/06/2008 - 20:58

Windows XP Service Pack 3 is out. You throwing that on there, too?

voh (mail/url) @ 04/06/2008 - 23:02

Still busy with downloading all the updates leading up to SP3 - not entirely sure if I'm going to go for SP3 just yet - I've heard some terror stories and my Vista SP1 update wasn't exactly what I expected from it :D

voh (mail/url) @ 05/06/2008 - 14:32

Okay, after tinkering with the Smaqbook (which I've dubbed the laptop, Q for Compaq) for hours, I have found it to respond a whole lot faster than under Vista. Programs start faster, the thing boots in under 25 seconds, whereas Vista would take near 45 and programs didn't start faster, but noticably slower.

I've fixed all hardware issues - all the peripherals are working, there's only one yellow triangle in the device manager left - but I've found that it's for the quicklaunch buttons. I'm refusing to install the drivers for it since it's a 20 meg package and the three (of 4) important buttons already work (mute, volume up, volume down) and that one last button only serves to open up a program I never use (Compaq DVD player).

Pretty wallpaper, Rocketdock, Digsby, Luna 5 Vista theme, Winamp, Color Picker, Photoshop CS3, Office 2007, VLC.

And of all of that, the two things that took the most time were Photoshop, because I couldn't get the setup to work (and then I did, after 2 hours of tinkering) and the wallpaper. I sadly lost my previous laptop wallpaper, which was beautiful, but I've got a pretty svelte one now :)

So far the downgrade has been awesome. I feel like I can use it for many more things now than before, not just because everything's faster and 3 of the programs I need now actually run, but mostly because I CHOSE this OS rather than have it forced on me.

I'll switch to Vista when *I* choose to. Not before.

HP/Compaq: 0, Robin: 3

wolfy (mail/url) @ 06/06/2008 - 09:35

Heh, running Windows XP, with a Vista theme :P

voh (mail/url) @ 06/06/2008 - 13:14

Well duh, I also have Vista Solitaire on it ;)

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