Windows Vista Update

Only the browser works

by Martyn Walker
(United Kingdom)

Microsoft Vista Sales Manager

I have a brand new Acer 3200 with 3GB RAM. After several hours of initial installation and reboots and patches applied I am left with a machine that runs a browser but practically nothing else.

When I start Windows Media Player I get the hourglass and have to restart it. It just won't play music files.

Oh, notepad works ok sometimes but often will just sit there with the hourglass again, except it's not an hourglass anymore is it, it's something that looks like a washing machine spinning around.

I applied for the so called free upgrade to Windows 7 because I am going to have to ditch this machine until then (fortunately I have another machine I can use).

But would you believe, after entering my credit card details (you have to pay £12.75 for this free upgrade) I got the spinning washing machine again.

Attempting to hold my breath while Vista 64 bit works at white knuckle speed to take my money, IE shutsdown with another message telling me "Something has gone wrong".

At last, something works, the error message was spot on. I bought Vista 64 bit.