* Posts by Steve

4 publicly visible posts • joined 10 May 2008

PC World, Currys staff to be dumped in DSGi rescue plan?

Steve
Pirate

Oh how sweet doesth tasteth revenge

Having worked very briefly for DSG in the distant(ish) past I can tell you what a horrible company they were and probably still are to work for.

DSG makes more money selling spare remote controls, hoover bags and extended warranties than anything else. I remember when they introduced the store line number where you could ring up and speak to someone in a call centre instead of speaking directly to your local store.

They used to treat their call centre and retail staff like shite and the store line was just a way of getting rid of people from Freeserve tech support, putting them on lower payscales and employing loads of students from Sheffield part time on crap pay.

Heaven forbid if you wanted to take something back to a local store if you'd bought it online - no store would take ownership of the issue.

DSG deserve all they get for treating their staff terribly over the years. Their staff, though, deserve better opportunities with better organisations.

Windows XP SP3 blame game begins

Steve
Paris Hilton

I av zee anser.....

After many hours of secret research by my cat and aging incontinent dog I am pleased to confirm the following:

A PC that has never had an Intel CPU near it had not even a sniff of "Intelppm" in the registry pre SP3 install.

After installing SP3 and getting the bsod, we proceeded to paw in a top secret registry change after finding that the evil boffins at Micro-I-want-to-shag-your-mother-soft(ly) had added "Intelppm" into the registry during the SP3 process.

After following the top secret (you can find it anywhere) registry tweak the system has booted up into SP3.

Questions need answering as to why Micro-I-want-you-vista-longtime-soft have seen it upon themselves to contaminate perfectly happy AMD powered systems with Intelppm.

I think this is one of many possible fixes to many different problems.

If I never write again it is because the cursed thing died after the first reboot and I will be taking an axe to my research team!

(Paris - because she thinks I look good in y-fronts)

Steve
Paris Hilton

Don't start worshipping at the feet of the ISO file...

I tried the update, then I downloaded the ISO and burned to disc and got a nice shiny welcome screen and a help document about SP2 (!)

At first I though I'd wasted a disc downloading the wrong file, but Micro-pull-a-fast-one-soft just couldn't be arsed to update the "read me first" file.

Anyway, after installing, same result with both the download via Windows Update and the ISO version. I am running XP Pro SP2 on an AMD powered crate with Asus MB.

XP Pro installed off a proper XP CD and update to SP2 via another proper CD , bla de bla.

(Paris - cos' she wants me)

Windows XP SP3 sends PCs into endless reboot

Steve
Black Helicopters

Going back to Windows 98 SE

If I could find the CD that is.

There were problems with the beta and I think people are confusing those with what is happening now - the fixes and issues aren't necessarily going to be the same.

I know we're all fast becoming one big blue screen of death family but the reasons for joining are different.

It isn't just an OEM install problem and it isn't just an AMD problem and the damage being caused is ranging from an annoying bsod cycle, cured by system restore and a mug of coffee, to completely shagged Windows.

I'm off now to drool over Windows Vista Home Basic.....