Suyts Updates And MS Open Source?

Son-of-a-……….!!!!!!!!!

So, I got my newer PC back up and running!  It was trick!  I pulled an old 160 gig hd from a Win XP SP3 PC, slapped it in my recently deceased PC and …… no joy.  Nothing happened!  I wondered if more damage other than my HD happened when my cat killed it.  Everything looked fine ….. tried it again …….. It didn’t recognize my HD as being “bootable”, it asked about the DVD drive and even though it had a Win 7 disk in it, it said it wasn’t bootable, either.  It occurred to me that the BIOS maybe were a bit scewed, so, it was to the randomly hitting the function keys.    Eventually I did get an option to boot from the SATA HD!!!!! ……. no joy, it simply would not!  It would see the old Windows, but, then, reboot and go back to telling me my DVD drive had no bootable media.      But, I persevered!!!!!  If I hit the F9-F12 buttons I would get my option to boot from the actual HD (but it doesn’t save that option) and when I did boot from the HD, if I hit the F5 button, I could get the boot in “Safe Mode” option, which it did!!!  From there I was able to install Win 7!!!!!!!  Yea!!!!!   …. Sort of …….

Yes, I had my drivers for my Mother Board, processor, etc ….. And, Win 7 did an admirable job of identifying them and installing them!   I’ve got a working newish PC!!!!!  Sort of ……  every darned thing “needed” updated.  Especially the Win 7 SP1 I installed.  Every time I turned around, I needed to reboot, and Windows would tell me not to turn off my PC and let my life pass by while they installed updates!  This went on for 3 days!!!!!! 

One of the few pleasures in my life is conquering the world with a game called “Empire Total War”.  It’s actually a very good game with great historical context albeit with a left bent to some of the comentary on the historical context.  It’s no big deal, because I have the install discs handy!!!! ………….   ….. Yeh, well, the “online community” garbage (Steam) needed to update ….. &%&&$%^@%%*%  I couldn’t install the rest of my game until Steam updated.  Why?  Because %%$&*%^#%#@&& , that’s why.  It was only a few GIGS!!!!!!!!!  ……..  Then, once it finally and wonderfully got done, …….. it asked me for my User Name and PW ………    …..   I had no idea what they were!!!!  No prob, it has this cool button to push if I forgot my stuff……..It opened a fantastic page (I’m sure) which didn’t render!  It was blank!!!!  It’s still blank!!!    Okay, NBD, I can just open my web browser and copy the link to the browser and it will render in a real browser!!! …… Well, not the IE 8 that came with Win 7 it wouldn’t.  Of course, I have to update my browser.  Sigh ……

Well, I had good luck with the latest MS browser that came with the Win 10, so …. okay, I’ll go to MS.  But, I can’t find the latest non-IE browser.  MS directs me to EI11!!!!!  Fine, I don’t care at this point.  Just get me a browser I can use!!!!!  I did, but, now, it was just updating the browser, it’s giving me all sorts of stuff!!!!  We’re downloading crap again!!!!!! 

At the end, I’m informed I need to reboot again.  …… Sigh … the “don’t turn off your PC” message appears again.  We’re at 5 of 120 updates ………. 

The next morning I’m turning on the PC …….. “don’t turn off your PC” .. We’re installing the updates!!!!  Son-of-a $%%&%&*@%@!!!!! 

Okay, fine!!!!!  I come home from work, I fire up the PC.  We’re good!!!!!  But, I still can’t get into Steam so I can play my game, which is all loaded on my PC!  Wait!!!! What’s my UN and PW for my …. well, which e-mail address did I use when I set up this damned account, years ago?   “Mother of all whores!!!!!!”

Yes, I finally worked through that problem….. but, there were more updates to be had, so, I went to my daughters house to have a few beers and celebrate my victory and my soon to be conquered world!  As expected, I got home, the updates were done, and I was going to play my game!!!!  I opened the app and ….. and…… and, son … mother ….. bastages …. I, they …. OMG!!!!!! ….. the game itself needed to update!!!!!  But, it was only 10 gigs so, well, there’s  that.  Oddly, the game seems exactly like it used to be, except it now takes up twice the space of my HD.    But, by then, I had already had a few posts in mind to post.  …… NBD on that one!!!!  I’ve used Windows Live Writer ever since I started this blog!  I’ll just go download it and go!!!!  And, yep!!!!  MS still has the download, and so, I did!  Got done with the quick down load and clicked the install button, it started … then, promptly failed.  What the fresh hell is this?  Well, it was IE, so, maybe a different browser?  Sigh, I downloaded Chrome, got that done, went back to the Live Writer install and downloaded it …… it died on install, too.  Maybe if I just delete the old install and reload a new one? …. Nope, it’s still dies!!!

Now, mind you, I can still blog using Word Press, but, it’s a very … well, crappy blogging tool.  If I have to use the WP blog writer, I’ll write a tearful goodbye and call it.  So, I search for an acceptable alternative, there’s this thing called “Open Live Writer”, the first thing that comes to my mind is “Open Office”, which is the open source answer to MS Office, and it’s exactly what one would expect, it suffices, but, you get what you pay for.  MS Office is the bomb, if you have a few hundred dollars to get it.  Open Office is not. 

Upon reading though, I find out why I can’t install Windows Live Writer ………. MS stopped supporting it at the first of the year.  Upon further investigation, I find that MS does offer an alternative, themselves.  It’s called Open Live Writer.  ……….

So, I haven’t played with all the button and dials of this “new” writer, but, from what I can tell, it’s functions, looks, feels, exactly like the old Windows Live Writer.  So, why didn’t MS remove the download for Win Live Writer?  I can only assume to screw with me.  Why did they call it “open” without letting people know it came from MS?  I can only assume to screw with me. 

No matter, I’m done with the bitterness, all I have to do now it to install my printer drivers and I’ll be good to go!  I’m informed it is only a 10 Mb download …. we’ll be done in a minute!!!!  But, there was another 15 meg load, and then a 35 one, and then another 20 one and then, and then, and then …….. f’n Kodak!!!!!!!

BTW, with my game, which is at least 5 years old, my printer, my web browsers, OS, and MS’s security stuff, I’ve got 66 Gigs being used on my HD. 

I’ve seen progress before, this is not it.