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Vista Upgrade Trap
I wanted to make everyone aware of a major trap in upgrading to Vista.
I purchased an XPS in December with Media Center Edition that included an Express Upgrade to Vista. I figured I would run MCE for awhile, order the upgrade to Vista before the deadline then install the upgrade to Vista after the initial bugs had been worked out.
As it turns out, the operating system alone will end up costing me an additional $375 over the cost of the original system - a staggering 27% increase in cost. Let me explain how.
When I got the computer I performed extensive testing and contacted Dell technical support. As it turns out, MCE runs processes that conflict with many applications including those I use. This wasn't disclosed by Dell or Microsoft - they placed blame on me. Dell technical support suggested I "try" XP Home or XP Pro saying it "should" fix my problem. Dell and Microsoft both refused to provide the alternate operating system at no cost so I was out an additional $165. I ordered a copy of XP Home from Dell, installed it and it appears to have fixed my technical problem.
At this point, I swallowed the fact that I was shafted for the additional $165 but figured I had a system that worked. Today, insult was added to injury. I carefully reviewed the versions of Vista and came to the conclusion that Vista Business is the only version that I should upgrade to because it does not contain the malicious Media Center processes. I figured I was in luck because Microsoft shows that XP Home can be upgraded to Vista Business. Well, I went to try to order my Express Upgrade from XP Home to Vista Business and found there was no such upgrade! Technically, the upgrade is possible but the cost is $200 plus shipping and tax! So, to continue using the computer I purchased from Dell and get the upgrade to Vista I was promised will cost me about $375 over the original cost of the computer - an increase of over 27%! For this $375 I get no additional function - the computer simply performs as it should have!
I have sent an email to Dell customer service but I am doubtful they will provide any relief. As usual, Dell and Microsoft only commit to sell you "something" but you have no idea of what you're getting.
I post this here so others can approach this situation with open eyes. I hope my expense will benefit others.
- Your email is a tad odd as I, as well, purchased an XPS in December with MCE..not a problem with a single program. I then decided to upgrade to Vista Ultimate, which has these so called malicious processes, and actually enjoyed working out the bugs for the most part.There are programs that arent yet compatible with Vista; this is a well known fact.Can I ask why, if you had such problems, you didnt immediately return your system under the warranty program or 'Total Satisfaction Program" which allows you 30 days to check out the system and return for a full refund if not happy.I guess Im just a bit hesitant to lay full confidence in what you say as you seem to skate around the issue and then you buy different operating systems rather than have Dell repair the system.
- Can I ask why, if you had such problems, you didnt immediately return your system under the warranty program or 'Total Satisfaction Program" which allows you 30 days to check out the system and return for a full refund if not happy. Sure - my system didn't come with this offer. It came with a 21-day return policy. The 21 days commence from the day the computer leaves Dell. I'm not a business user - I'm a consumer user - so I don't have eight hours per day to dedicate to system testing. By the time I loaded the hardware and software, attempted to make things work and contacted technical support the 21 days had passed. At this point my option was to pay a 15% restocking fee plus shipping. This cost would have been over $300. Since the problem seemed rooted in the operating system, I chose replacement of the operating system as the less expensive option.I guess Im just a bit hesitant to lay full confidence in what you say as you seem to skate around the issue and then you buy different operating systems rather than have Dell repair the system. I'm not sure what you're trying to say here. I never said Dell was responsible for repairing the system. I didn't say the system was "broken" either.I'm glad you're enjoying your system as well as Vista. As a side note, I have found that my system runs with much higher performance with an OS that doesn't include the Media Center functions. I use the word "malicious" as a matter of my own opinion. If you're a user of these functions then I'm sure they're quite nice. I have no use for these functions so, for me, IMHO they only serve to rob system resources.
- What application conflict with what processes? Cakewalk Sonar.Are the applications Windows XP certified? Yes, however, the Media Center functions conflict with the operation of virtually all professional audio software applications and hardware. This is clearly me fault. I misread the information on Media Center Edition. When I read that it was XP I thought it would run XP applications. I didn't understand that the details. My bad.Did you ever contact the application developer to see if they had a fix for the problem? I tried a number of things including disabling the MCE processes but, in the end, I simply could not run the application or a professional sound card on this operating system. Dell technical support verified this. To be clear, Dell is not to blame here. It was clearly my fault. I didn't read the warranty in detail prior to purchasing the system.
- Is it that Dell will not honour your warranty because of the software you are using? This isn't a warranty issue. Dell's warranty only covers Dell-branded hardware. Dell doesn't warrant that software applications will perform in any way. A Dell technician did verify that the hardware was performing as it should and suggested that using a different version of XP should resolve the issue. Also, Dell's warranty excludes the operating system.
msgale
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Posted March 3rd, 2007 12:00