As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been wrestling with the Windows XP installer for the last couple days.
And, I am happy to report, the rituals worked. Now, not only does my wife’s laptop sport Windows XP, but the neighborhood is mysteriously free of stray cats.
There are some things I learned through this experience. First is that it takes a lot of Glade to cover the scent of burning hair. Next is that there is a method to the madness that is Microsoft software.
My first hint came doing an Access project for my IS class. I would be on the brink of giving up all hope that my database query would work at all, and then I would run it and it would work, without explanation.
Not only was this mysterious effect evident in every problem of my Access homework, but also became the key to my XP install. You see, Microsoft software thrives on desperation.
Last night I was able to deduce though my Mac troubleshooting skills that the installer script was screwing up my installation and failing to restart the computer. So, brave and a little stupid, I edited the script several times in WordPad. No dice, until desperation set in…
It may have had something to do with my watching “Survivor“. About to give up and call tech support, I decided to randomly delete half the installer script. And it worked. Interesting…
So, where are we now? We know that such software is not bound by the laws of reason, it in fact laughs in the face of logic. It, not unlike Survivor, rewards thoughtless, random acts of desperation. And now I have XP on my laptop. If I could only get the singed cat hair out of the keyboard, I’d be set.
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