Already pretty difficult
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| dtfinch Feb 19, 2006 12:19 AM EDT |
Since at least Windows 2000, it hasn't been easy to make Windows boot on a system other than the one it was installed on. There are thousands of forum threads out there of people trying to boot Windows on a new motherboard, and failing. The workarounds I've seen involve either preparation work that requires that the original system still be bootable, or using the recovery console from the install CD, which users tend to not receive then they buy a system with Windows OEM preinstalled. I guess instead of patching the problem, they've decided to just patch the license. Since the solution already often involves acquiring or borrowing an install CD, it helps their support staff to have the license on their side when they recommend that a customer just buy a new copy of Windows to solve their motherboard migration woes. I got my last Windows PC in '99. It's still running, though upgraded from Win98/64mb/10gb/4mb ATI Rage Pro to XP Pro/256mb/80gb/64mb ATI Radeon 7500. It'd still be running 98 if Visual Studio .NET didn't demand the upgrade. I suppose Microsoft might be worried that some systems installed today might still be in use a decade from now, and that Microsoft might see few sales from these users beyond their initial purchases, especially since hardware growth seems to have slowed down a bit. In the coming years we might hear of Microsoft giving discounts to OEM's who use motherboards that are built to fail like clockwork after so many years. Thankfully I've had positive results with Wine. Half of my newer (year 2000+) games work. All but one of my old games work. And DOSEMU runs my old old 3D DOS games better than even Windows 98 did. And half of the gaming I did on Windows involved emulation. Too bad I used Windows for a lot more than gaming. A lot of that stuff just has to be left behind and relearned. |
| Herschel_Cohen Feb 19, 2006 6:46 AM EDT |
dt - with a mind like yours: Quoting:... since hardware growth seems to have slowed down ... Microsoft giving discounts to OEM's who use motherboards that are built to fail ...There is a job with your name on it: call 1-800-MS&-You! I do not have the link, but check an earlier helios story about Dell and HP producing lowest end units with crap components that only can be replaced with the exact match and only from the OEM. [Dell too might be interested, a double honey feed. Think of it: it will be MS OSs Forever as long as the cash flows.] |
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