The steep learning curve
Nov. 19th, 2009 11:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
muck_a_luckMy new computer is running Vista.
Since I got the new computer, my printer has had an odd problem. It prints fine, but if I request two copies, it ignores the request and simply prints one.
So yesterday, I went hunting the answer (which turned out to be that I needed a new printer driver).
HP's site wanted to run a diagnostic. IE would not allow me to run the diagnostic, because it required an active x control that IE could not validate. No button to acknowledge and give it permission. It just said, this active x control is not OK, bye. So. I spent about 10 minutes clicking random places in settings and IE and after checking three likely looking menus, I found the button to click to tell the computer that when I say I want an active x control to run, I really DO want the active x control to run. One problem fixed. Not really related to my printing problem.
Active x control is USELESS, but before it even finished I had already located the necessary driver and downloaded it.
Then, I needed to tell my printer to use that driver. Clicked on printer, pulled up it's properties, found the advanced settings tab to change the driver, and the tab is greyed out.
I click, knowing I'm being an idiot, and it tells me that I have to be an administrator to do anything in this tab.
This was a problem I used to run into on Boss' Vista machine. Boss was an adminsitrator on his machine. I am the administrator on this machine. And yet, both computers tell me I do not have administrator priviledges.
I figured out how to fix that problem. Apparently, just being an administrator doesn't give you administrator privildeges. You have to go into the user screen, click on a button that takes you to the screen where you uncheck a box so that you actually HAVE administrator priviledges. Then, in the system tray, Vista proceeds to pout about it. Forever. And complain at least once a day that your computer settings are unsafe. *rolls eyes*
I find this to be a big problem with Norton, too. You take actions so that your computer will WORK, but these actions, apparently, make your computer unsafe, and Norton perpetually warns you about these settings FOREVER. THere is no way to acknowledge and get Norton to reset to normal, so that when a REAL problem arises, like a worm or a virus or something, the Norton warning thing will actually mean something. Basically, my Norton's default setting is FIX PROBLEM NOW, and it always will be because the "problem" is exactly what I want it to be.
Anyway, fixing my printer, I learned two or three really interesting things about Vista.
Meanwhile, Boss has moved to Mac, of all things. And I am considering just leapfrogging over Vista and seeing if I have a free upgrade to Windows 7, as I just bought this stupid computer a couple of months ago.
Vista learning curve. Do. Not. Want.
Since I got the new computer, my printer has had an odd problem. It prints fine, but if I request two copies, it ignores the request and simply prints one.
So yesterday, I went hunting the answer (which turned out to be that I needed a new printer driver).
HP's site wanted to run a diagnostic. IE would not allow me to run the diagnostic, because it required an active x control that IE could not validate. No button to acknowledge and give it permission. It just said, this active x control is not OK, bye. So. I spent about 10 minutes clicking random places in settings and IE and after checking three likely looking menus, I found the button to click to tell the computer that when I say I want an active x control to run, I really DO want the active x control to run. One problem fixed. Not really related to my printing problem.
Active x control is USELESS, but before it even finished I had already located the necessary driver and downloaded it.
Then, I needed to tell my printer to use that driver. Clicked on printer, pulled up it's properties, found the advanced settings tab to change the driver, and the tab is greyed out.
I click, knowing I'm being an idiot, and it tells me that I have to be an administrator to do anything in this tab.
This was a problem I used to run into on Boss' Vista machine. Boss was an adminsitrator on his machine. I am the administrator on this machine. And yet, both computers tell me I do not have administrator priviledges.
I figured out how to fix that problem. Apparently, just being an administrator doesn't give you administrator privildeges. You have to go into the user screen, click on a button that takes you to the screen where you uncheck a box so that you actually HAVE administrator priviledges. Then, in the system tray, Vista proceeds to pout about it. Forever. And complain at least once a day that your computer settings are unsafe. *rolls eyes*
I find this to be a big problem with Norton, too. You take actions so that your computer will WORK, but these actions, apparently, make your computer unsafe, and Norton perpetually warns you about these settings FOREVER. THere is no way to acknowledge and get Norton to reset to normal, so that when a REAL problem arises, like a worm or a virus or something, the Norton warning thing will actually mean something. Basically, my Norton's default setting is FIX PROBLEM NOW, and it always will be because the "problem" is exactly what I want it to be.
Anyway, fixing my printer, I learned two or three really interesting things about Vista.
Meanwhile, Boss has moved to Mac, of all things. And I am considering just leapfrogging over Vista and seeing if I have a free upgrade to Windows 7, as I just bought this stupid computer a couple of months ago.
Vista learning curve. Do. Not. Want.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-19 06:54 pm (UTC)*is so sorry*
*Daniel is looking into a solution for you*
no subject
Date: 2009-11-19 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-20 03:18 am (UTC)