Windows Blocked Files

This one comes with a story.  I downloaded a file from the US Census Bureau at work.  I tried a few ways to unzip the file, but kept getting the error below:



However, when following the instructions to unblock the file, it doesn't work.  I ultimately copied the file over to my trusty MacBook Pro and tried (by double-clicking on it), to no avail.  Then, I opened up Terminal (which has its own space on the dock on my Mac), and unzipped it with a minor complaint.  After this, I talked to our IT consultant, who also tried to unblock the file, and while he could get the instructions, he did not have an unblock button (which wouldn't have worked).

Vista...

Network ACCESS Interrupted?

This one was new to me with Access 2007...

IE 7 isn't later than IE 5?

I tried to get updates from Windows Update after upgrading to IE 7.  Just as much of a mistake as using FireFox.

This was made a while back, I just haven't got around to uploading it until now.

Windows 7 Launch Parties?

I have really been trying to resist ripping on Microsoft latest attempt at lameness: the launch parties.  After reading "Windows 7 Launch Parties Fizzle - Business Center - PC World", I could resist no more.  That article was correct in all accounts, I think, except the parodies (I found only one that was total crap).

First off, the fact that Microsoft is putting up videos on how to run a party suggest that they expect everyone is socially inept.

Then, they seemed to have missed the boat when it comes to doing a real launch party.  I've seen a lot of launch parties (never been to one) that were put on by either bookstores promoting Harry Potter books or Apple promoting their latest OS.  Both had strong corporate backing.  Neither fit into my social schedule (the permanent scar on my forehead is the closest I'll get to dressing up like Harry Potter, and I really don't care for the local mall where the Apple Store is here in Cincinnati).

You would think that Microsoft could have taken those 4 people and made them look like an actual party, maybe at least a beer or two, but let's face it, they took 4 people that would not likely be partying together and made them "party" together.  Microsoft meets a Spongebob-style party.

Hopefully, Microsoft has made a better OS than the last one, but I think they successfully shot themselves in the foot already with Vista and the outpouring of people recommending to NOT upgrade a computer to 7, but rather, buy a new one.  Me?  I'll consider buying it, and it seems like it runs fine on my MacBook Pro.  However, it is not a priority.

IE Sucks

It should be illegal to have a site that is intentionally crippled from using another browser.  It should be even more illegal from having a site that is crippled from your own company's browser.

Scary Warning...

As a former IT Manager, I understand when sometimes stuff isn't as complex as it could be.  In fact, I am totally happy about the strides that Microsoft, Apple, and the Linux groups have made from DOS to Windows XP, OS X, and Ubuntu and other Linux Distros that have been trying to make computers easy while still maintaining security and the like.  It isn't easy at all, and there has been a lot of progress made.  If that progress wasn't made, then the would would be so different, and probably not for the better.

Then you find something like this.



That 3.8 GB USB 2.0 FD is my "Jump Drive".  Why would I EVER want to allow Windows Media Player to mess with that?  In fact, why does it need to touch the drive at all?  I just happened to plug it in when WMP was running.

Serious Disk Error?

I work on a travel demand model.  The model I use starts at 300 MB and throughout the run process, the size balloons to 2.5 GB from all the data that is created and calculated.

And I can make it go larger by producing some *REALLY* big reports.  There was one I produced that was 800 MB of plain text.  When opening it in Notepad, it would take forever as Notepad read the entire file.  I thought that maybe Word would read it progressively and allow me to look at the the file while it was loading.  I was wrong.  Word instead of telling me that the file was too big, it told me:

Uninstall Crap

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Custom Software Error

I worked for the company that programmed this software, and we had a known error with one of the components that was used in the software.  This error came up every time I closed the software.  The programmer tried and tried to fix the component, but after seemingly hundreds of tries, he never could.

Nonetheless, I always got this stupid thing that said "report this error to Microsoft", which is either a direct connection to a cyber trashcan or Microsoft's big-brother database of software errors that users are getting.  Just what I like to know - Microsoft is spying on us, and not sending these error messages to the programmer and company that produced the software.

Note that the inclusion of this is an example, and I tended to poke fun at the programmer of this software - the inclusion here is against Microsoft, not vTIMAS.

CD Recording Generic Error

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