What You Should Know If You Buy A Windows Phone

Earlier today, I did a brief write-up about the Lumia 550. I probably should have included some verbiage about how a Windows 10 Phone isn't for a newbie.

Windows Phones don't come out of the box with the latest software. After setting up two Lumia 550s, (one for me and one for my stepson), I have the process you should follow down. I hit a few roadblocks and spent hours watching update status sit at 0%.

Here is a process I found after some trial, error, and Google.

First, take the phone out of the box and turn it on. Log in with your Microsoft account, or create one if you don't have one.

Next, launch the Store app. Go into Downloads and Updates. Pause everything BUT the Store update.

Once the Store app updates, reboot the phone. Now, relaunch Store and download the rest of the application updates.

Reboot again to be safe (this is Windows we're talking about).

Now you can go into settings and check for a System Update.

Let that install. Reboot.

Now, you can start using the phone.

Don't know why, but this is the process that works. Unlike iOS, you're not going to get a Windows Phone out of the box with even the newest update to the Store.

Outstanding Cheap Windows Phone: Lumia 550

In early 2014, I bought a Lumia 920. It was a really good phone. It came with Windows Phone 8, and I upgraded it to Windows Phone 8.1 when that became available. Even by the end of the year, the phone never slowed down. Sure, it was Windows, so it crashes and has to reboot occasionally, but it worked well.

As I've written on this blog during that time, the biggest problem is the app support. Sure, you can get Evernote and Waze. There is a Kindle app, but it STILL SUCKS. You can't highlight or make notes. To me, that's a deal breaker. I'm a heavy Kindle user.

Recently, I read about a really cheap, consumer grade phone Microsoft started selling right before killing off the Lumia line: the Lumia 550. The specs are sparse: 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, 5MP camera. But it will take up to a 200GB uSD card. It was selling for around $150 initially, then Microsoft marked it down to $99. One day, on a Windows blog I follow, I saw a special for $69. Then I got an email from my wife that her son's iPhone 5s fell out of his pocket while riding his bike and got run over by a car before he could retrieve it.

For $69, I ordered 2 of them, since my stepson needed a replacement. I'm a tech guy, and I like to have experience with the different platforms so I know what I'm talking about. At one point in my 12 years of blogging, I'd hoped to gain enough notoriety to start getting tech review units shipped to me. Alas, that never happened. But in 12 years, I've never been able to keep up with the blog or a theme consistently. Seems like every time I start to average 100 views per post, I run out of ideas and stop writing for a few months.

Factoring into my decision to buy the Lumia 550 was a problem with my Note 5: the battery life tanked. If I were away from a charger for more than about 2 hours, it would be completely dead. I finally got a warranty replacement, but if it happens again I'm out of luck, so having a cheap replacement around could be useful. I haven't switched my SIM card over to the 550 yet, so I keep it in my office and play around with it.

Even with cheap and limited hardware, the 550 with Windows 10 is fast. I've had several apps open while using it, and haven't experienced a slowdown or crash.

Most apps will install to the SD card, but some are written to only work in main memory. At this point, I have about 3GB left in main memory, so if I made this a daily driver, I'd have to start watching it.

I've thought about going back to a Windows Phone next time I switch. This gave me a cheap way to keep up with the platform.

One drawback is that although iOS and Android both have "switch to" apps, no such thing exists for Windows. You can't get your text messages switched over, although any settings tied to Outlook.com, Google, iCloud, Yahoo!, etc will sync once you log into your account. And unlike Windows Phone 8.1, Google Calendar will sync to Windows 10.

If you're looking for a cheap phone that works, you can still snatch a 550 for about $100. Unlocked.

A Feature Windows Needs

Here's something I'd love to see in Windows: a default setting for programs that are preventing Windows from shutting down.

It never fails, Windows starts running like crap, and you go to reboot it. Or, Windows Update tells you you have to reboot to finish installing updates. You relent, and tell Windows to go ahead and reboot like it's still Windows ME and can't stay up for 2 hours.

Then you walk away, and come back to find that some programs are preventing Windows from rebooting. Would you like to force them down? Are you sure? Are you really sure? Yes, yes, and yes.

But it's almost always the same programs that are keeping Windows from rebooting: Sticky Notes, Windows Explorer, and Windows Update. Every time.

So why can't we just tell Windows "Look, if Sticky Notes is stopping Windows from a reboot so I can get back to work, just kill it without asking me. Likewise for Windows Explorer and Windows Update."

Come on, Microsoft, work with us. What are the odds that killing Sticky Notes without a user's prompt will cause harm? Most of us just run it the first time and forget about it anyway. We're like "Hey! Apple had that more than a decade ago! Welcome to the party, Windows"

Ooh, A New Linux Is Out, And Its Selling Point is "It Doesn't Have Metro!"

This post will probably be snarky. Just a warning. Nothing personal. Just my opinion.

So, Ubuntu Linux 12.10 is out, otherwise known as <I'm not going to try to pronounce those Q words>. And what is Ubuntu 12.10's greatest claim?

It's not Windows 8. Come on, seriously? OK, lest I be accused of setting up a logical fallacy, from the article I linked:

Above the download button, a slogan appears urging the users to install Ubuntu 12.10 instead of Microsoft Windows 8, not because of Ubuntu’s superiority but just to avoid the drama of Metro UI.

It just doesn't have Metro. That's a selling point. That's like saying buy a Chevy because it doesn't have a Ford emblem.

I don't care what OS people use. It doesn't matter to me. I just wish I heard a better reason NOT to use Windows 8 than "It's different! It has a Metro UI. It doesn't look anything like the Windows I grew up with!"

I usually have Linux installed. I have dual boots between Linux and Windows on my laptop and desktop. And I don't really notice anything advantageous about Linux. Remember how much people bitched and whined over the User Account Control in Windows Vista? Linux needs you to type your password for damn near everything. If you go to the app store to install apps, you have to input your password for EACH INSTALL (at least, I do). Even iOS isn't that annoying.

I'll step up my efforts. If I find a single complaint about Windows 8 that is more substantial than "It looks different!" I'll post it here.

In my personal opinion, I'm not entirely impressed with Metro. The only real experience I have with it is to find that the Metro Internet Exploder is apparently different than the Internet Exploder I'd launch from my taskbar. This is a problem on my netbook, because the Metro IE won't work on the tiny screen resolution. But I only use Internet Exploder to install Firefox or Chrome anyway.

I'll probably upgrade my Linux installations to 12.10. I'll report back if it's any good.

Microsoft Actually p0wns Apple!

I never thought I'd live to see Apple p0wned by Microsoft, but IF Surface is anything like they say, I think we just witnessed it.

I've had little excitement for Microsoft products since the Vista let down. Sure, Microsoft works hard, but something always screws it up for them.

I have a reason to be hopeful about Surface though:

• Microsoft made the hardware.

That's always been a weakness of Microsoft's. Sure, they can produce an operating system, but unless it's a mouse or an Xbox, somebody else makes the hardware. That means they also have to write the drivers and produce middleware, then they load it up with crapware.

I'm sure Windows Mobile could have worked if Microsoft didn't leave it up to the OEMs and telcos to screw everything up.

But in the case of Surface, Microsoft made the hardware itself. That means if there's a Blue Screen of Death due to a driver conflict, it's their own fault!

I'm looking forward to it. If Surface is available somewhere in the $400 range, I might try to squeeze another year out of my iPhone 4 rather than replacing it.

Desktop Virtualization Is Here (And For Now, It's Free)

I could cry. I had a brilliant idea last week. But I lack the resources (money and staff, mostly) to pull it off. Then I learn it's already been done. At least I was on the right track.

One of the managers of an organization that supports mine has an iPad 2, and works through a virtualized desktop. I've seen him using Windows on his iPad. Last summer, our CTO asked him and some of his people to demonstrate desktop virtualization during a "brown bag". We were supposed to have CTO brown bag lunches every month, but so far that's been the only one.

I love the idea of desktop virtualization. I've already started to migrate to web apps as much as possible. I don't miss the bad old days when Windows crashed and I had to reinstall, then spend days installing all the software I needed. Now I reformat, install a few programs I need (iTunes, VLC Media Player, Chrome, and Diablo II) and pick up where I left off. I'm tempted to not install MS Office next time Windows crashes. I only use Word and Excel on my home computer. Outlook has gotten to be about useless.

In desktop virtualization, Windows is running on a server somewhere. You log in through a client (could even be your browser) and it loads Windows. The solution described at the brown bag I attended involved a clean installation of Windows every day, so any worms or malware you've picked up are gone. It then migrates your profile in. Most users will never notice. They'll get the same desktop every day. I like this idea because it's platform agnostic. You can buy any device you like, or go anywhere. No more lugging a 15" laptop around.

I wrote a paper for a class I took proposing the use of desktop virtualization to reduce printing costs and enable telework. I've been meaning to post it here since last week.

Recently, a friend commented that he was having trouble with malware corrupting a profile on his laptop. He's my IT Jedi Master, so I know he knows what he's doing. That's when I got the idea to offer virtual desktops to consumers. I thought it would be a brilliant idea. But I lack the staff or money to pull it off.

It turns out, I don't have to. TUAW has a post about such a service. It also mentions a few others. This technology has been around for quite a while, but hasn't been able to gain traction. Back in 1999 and 2000, when I was an Intelligence Specialist in the Navy Reserve, I had access to a Windows NT 4 Citrix desktop. Of course, it was slow and painful and only had 5 MB of storage, so I never used it. Somewhere between 2005 and 2007, I found another virtual desktop service. I created an account, but it must not have impressed me because I forgot about it.

So now there's OnLive. And DAAS. And many others. According to TUAW, this stuff is about to get real in 2012. I'm looking forward to it. I will be reporting on developments here on my blog. I also plan to redact specifics from my paper and post it here as well. I've thought about trying to get it published so I can get paid for it. I'm not quite sure how to do that though.

How To Import Netscape Communicator 4 Messages Into Outlook

This is sort of a silly post. I was reading a book on John Newton, which was heavily based off his letters and journal entries. While nobody will ever care about my personal correspondence, I got an urge to look at some of the emails I was sending and receiving in my early days on the Internet.

I’ve carried an archive of my old Netscape messages for years. I wondered if I had a way to read them.

It turns out, there is. And that way is Outlook Express.

Did Microsoft Actually Do Something Right?

After years of reading Lifehacker posts about tweaks to make Windows more like Mac OS X, here’s a post about a way to add some Windows functionality to Mac’s OS. Apparently, Windows 7’s Aero Peek is a coveted feature.

I like Aero Peek. If I ever get a Mac, I’ll install this program on it.

Another Great Quip From Fake Steve Jobs

Apparently, somebody at Microsoft who had nothing to actually do with Windows 7 made some comment that they tried to copy the Mac OS. He apparently got some retaliation. OK, whatever. That barely made me look up. But, Fake Steve Jobs (Dan Lyons) took this one on, and cracked me up:

And then the Borg rolls out this old chestnut: “Over nine out of ten computer users choose Windows.”

Now, come on. Windows is like herpes. Or genital warts. Nobody chooses Windows. People get Windows. It comes preloaded on their crap machine, and they’re stuck with it.

Are You Going To Host A Windows 7 Launch Party?

Seriously, this is cheesy. Really, was Vista THAT bad that even Microsoft is encouraging people to celebrate the launch of Windows 7?

That also begs the question: Is Windows 7 that great, that Microsoft is encouraging people to celebrate the launch of Windows 7?

I don't know. I'm happy to see a new version of Windows, especially since my computers that run it are running better than under XP or Vista, but I'm not quite happy enough to invite all my friends over. I think he's busy that day anyway...

I'm Bringing Back My BS Filter Outlook Rules

I'm starting to spend way more time than I think necessary dealing with what I coined as "Corporate Spam". I get way too many announcements at work about network outages in other states, pretzels available for sale, what time sodas will stop being sold, and other pointless topics that don't pertain to me. There are also tons of newsletters, announcements for obscure "heritage months", and other things.

I decided to resurrect a strategy that I used on my last job for dealing with "corporate spam". I've already created my first rules.

Like the Look of Windows 7 But Don’t Want to Pay for it?

Windows 7 is due to come out next month. Are you going to upgrade to it right away? Honestly, I’m not sure if I will or not. I don’t have anything against it. I used Windows 7 on my netbook for a while, and I was impressed with it, but a few unforgiveable bugs in the release candidate led me to wipe that partition and go back to using XP.

Every time a new version of Windows comes out, paid journalists with no shortage of review copies start writing articles about why “you” don’t need to upgrade. Now in the age of blogs, people come up with guides to help you make the old version of Windows look like the new one. This time is no different.

Here’s a link to CNET’s Download.com with a guide to make Windows Vista (and probably XP) look like Windows 7. If you don’t want to upgrade, try this out.

As for me, I’m still not sure if I’m going to upgrade right away or not. We’ll see. I’m at the point where I’d rather have a Mac anyway, rather than yet another Windows PC.

I’m sure my wife would still be running Windows 98 if she could get away with it. She was furious at me in 2002 when I thought I was being helpful and upgraded her computer to XP for her. She was not happy with me at all.

The Most Useless Windows Notification

I know the title of this blog entry is not unique. I've seen several variations. I'd like to submit my vote for the Windows dialogue that needs to be yanked from Windows IMMEDIATELY. When did I start using Windows Vista as a beta? 2006? Let's say it was 2006. For three years, programs on Windows computers that I've used have been crashing, and I get this dialogue that is absolutely useless. Note: programs on Windows computers I've used have been crashing all along, but this "feature" wasn't introduced until Vista. I can't remember (OK, one exception, which I'll get to later) this dialogue window ever doing anything. Here it is:



Figure 1. Pointless Windows Dialogue

I have no idea what VSCore announcer is. This is from one of my work laptops. For all I know it's some domain policy BS. Though I have administrative rights on this laptop, there are some funky policies running on the domain. Maybe I'll Google VSCore Announcer when I post this. It doesn't matter what VSCore is. I was working on my laptop this afternoon, and this window popped up, which is what Windows Vista and Windows 7 give you when a program crashes. Now, I do applaud that Windows Vista is more stable than previous Windows versions. Remember Windows ME (Malfunction Edition)? That's two years of my life I'd like to get back.

So I'm working, and this window pops up as it always does when a program crashes. The only difference is this time, I'm in the mood to rant about it on my blog. When I started using Windows Vista, I'd go for the "Check online for a solution (recommended)", and I'd get a Microsoft page that basically says

"We don't know what the heck the problem is. Did you find this information useful?"

I've gotten into the habit of just clicking "Close" and wondering why Microsoft built this useless functionality into Windows in the first place, unless it's part of some mind-conditioning program to prepare us for future versions of Windows, or to make us all convert to Apple so we can buy Office for Mac. I honestly don't think Microsoft cares if we use PCs or Macs. They're a SOFTWARE company. Many people who use Macs still run Windows and Office and other Microsoft software. SIDE RANT: I get annoyed when I see a headline stating something like "Another business switches to Mac!" Then I read the article, and find that yes, they did buy a bunch of Macs, but they use custom software that requires Windows. They're still running Windows either through Boot Camp or Parallels. That's not "switching to Mac". You're still a Windows user. You just switched your hardware OEM. Instead of buying your physical computer from Dell or HP, you're buying it from Apple, but you're still a Windows user. Yes, when I finally get my MacBook Pro, I'll probably still run Windows on it for certain purposes. Why buy another Office license, for instance? Why get a new license for Mind Manager?

I promised I'd tell you what happened the one time "Check online for a solution (recommended)" actually returned some potentially useful information. I got a page saying "This problem was caused by Windows Vista. Did you find this information useful?" Being one of the few people who actually LIKES Windows Vista, I sort of wish the results had been as useless as usual.

This time, since I planned to write a blog post ranting about this feature, I clicked "Check online for a solution (recommended)". Guess what happened? Nothing. Seriously, nothing happened. I was expecting Internet Exploder, the slowest, most annoying web browser ever, to launch and slowly connect to a site that then tells me "we have no idea what the problem is. Did you find this information useful?"

Microsoft, seriously, ditch this useless prompt.

Wow, a Samsung Epix Update! If Only I Hadn't Switched to the iPhone...

If you're a Samsung Epix owner who can still tolerate the buggy and non-reliable behavior of the device, there is a new update available for it. You can learn details at My Samsung Epix, a great site. It looks like among the software fixes, the Epix will now notify you of new email when asleep (like it was supposed to, and like my iPhone does properly), it will sync Outlook notes (like it was supposed to), and the ascending ring is gone. Honestly, the ascending ring didn't bother me that much, but I guess a lot of users had problems with it.

If you're a Samsung Epix owner, follow the directions to call AT&T and ask for the update. Then be prepared to hard reset. I don't miss that at all. I could wipe my iPhone just for fun and restore it through the default iTunes to how it is now, unlike Windows Mobile which needs special 3rd party backup software. Seriously, after 6 years and 8 devices and I don't know how much money, I now hate Windows Mobile.

My Epix now sits in the kitchen drawer waiting for the next time my wife's BlackJack II craps out. She's on her third unit. Actually, that's my 3rd Epix. It's my wife's "Battle Spare" now.

Windows XP: The Operating System That Can’t Die

If you went back in time to 2001-2003, you would read computer magazines that sound almost exactly like they do today. The only difference would be one word. “I don’t recommend Windows Vista. Stick with Windows XP” would read “I don’t recommend Windows XP. Stick with Windows 98”.

Now, in 2009, it would appear that Windows XP is the ultimate, most bestest version of Windows EVAR, and there is no way it should be allowed to die.

Lifehacker today wrote about a rumor that once computers begin shipping with Windows 7, you’ll still be able to downgrade to Windows XP.

http://lifehacker.com/5201786/pc-makers-can-offers-downgrades-from-windows-7-to-xp

Seriously, Windows XP has been around since 2001. I think it’s run it’s course. Windows XP is good, but it’s time to move on. I’ve always seen IT as a field that should be moving forward, not clinging to the past. Maybe that’s the big difference between Mac and Windows users. Mac users, at least those I’ve come into contact with, are always excited when Apple does something new. Windows users generally seem to have to be dragged kicking and screaming to the next version.

I'm Going to Become a Windows Mobile "Hater"

I’ve decided that I'm going to become a Windows Mobile “Hater”. That will probably seem unreasonable and illogical to many, but so be it.

That does not mean I am going to become a Microsoft “Hater”. I won’t become a mobile device “hater". I won’t become a Windows “Hater”. My “hating” is going to be specifically directed at Windows Mobile. That includes Microsoft’s Windows Mobile team, their “partners”, and the telcos, at least in regards to Windows Mobile.

I am going to become overly critical of the platform to the point where I do NOT recommend it. If you’re considering a Windows Mobile device, please, to preserve your sanity, don’t get one. Get a BlackBerry or an iPhone instead, or just get a plain old dumbphone.

I’ve had several Windows Mobile devices over the years. I’m tired of the same annoyances and performance issues that are common to every device I’ve had. Here is my device history:

Why Didn't I Just Get An iPhone?

I do like my Samsung Epix, but I am starting to wish I'd just gotten an iPhone instead.I ended up hard resetting my Epix a couple days ago, after barely 3 weeks of operation. Then I started the process of syncing with my laptop at work. The next day, for whatever reason, my organization decided to ban the use of all removable media and demand we scan our computers, and leave them connected and turned on. Even if we take them home with us, we were told to leave them for the rest of the week unless a mission critical reason exists. I'm not sure what the big deal is, but apparently it's organization wide (this is a very, very large organization). OK, I'd gotten tired of all the hassles with synchronizing a Windows Mobile device with 2 computers, but even though I had a good sync at work, I had to delete that relationship and sync at home. Of course, in the process, a whole buttload of appointments duplicated, but to top it all off, a bunch of my tasks deleted themselves.

I'm going to work on decentralizing my workflow away from Windows Mobile and Microsoft Outlook so that the next time I get a phone, I don't have to talk myself into a Windows Mobile device again. I've used every version of Windows Mobile from 2002 to 6.1, and the amount of progress on this platform is not impressive at all. Yeah, I know, the iPhone got a non-recessed headset jack, 3G, and GPS along with a Stalinistic app store, but at least you don't have to hard reset the darn thing every 3 weeks.

When Open Source Sucks

I was real quick to jump on the "Hate Microsoft" bandwagon back in the Windows 95 days. Everybody hated Windows. I used to read PC Magazine and PC World magazines, and I read article after article and editorial after editorial about how horrible Windows is and how much better Linux is than Windows. I actually bought it for a while, although my experiences with Linux usually ran into some show-stopping limitation that drives me back to Windows.

I "hated" Microsoft until about 2006 when I was trying to get through my IT degree and some attempts to "switch" to Linux stopped me dead in my tracks. I couldn't get Linux to work with my wireless chipset, for instance.

I read and recited all of the reasons why Open Source is better than closed source software, but I finally reached the point of wondering if I really care anymore. There's very little that I need to do with a computer that I can't do on Windows. I have easy access to Microsoft Office 2007, leaving the need for OpenOffice and Google Documents out of my concern.

Windows Vista Won’t Unset Read-Only Attribute (Fix)

I took my work laptop to a meeting this morning to run into a very strange problem. I recently upgraded to Windows Vista Ultimate from XP Pro. My laptop came with Vista Home Premium, but as we may know, Home Premium can’t work with domains, so I had to install XP Pro (and dig very hard for drivers) until I could get Vista Ultimate ordered. Vista finally came in on Friday, so I took my laptop home and upgraded over the weekend. I installed Service Pack 1 and brought myself current on updates.

I was having a minor problem trying to get OneNote to sync with OneNote Mobile on my Pocket PC. It turns out that problem is what led me to find the major problem.

While I was sitting in the meeting this morning, I opened up a spreadsheet that we created at a previous meeting that I needed for reference. I was immediately asked if I wanted to save. I clicked “yes” only to be told that the document was read-only and I would have to save a copy of it somewhere else. That was when I discovered that all of my documents were marked “read-only.” I right-clicked on some folders and tried to take the “read-only” attribute off, only to find that when I went back into folder properties, the flag was set once again. Using the 3 inch screen on my Pocket PC, I searched Google. I found some instructions to change the attributes through the attrib command at an administrator command prompt, but nothing worked. I found other solutions to change the owner. I changed ownership of my folders to admin, then back to myself (I am admin anyway.)

After searching high and low for a solution, I found it myself.

I copied my folders onto a flash drive. Then I deleted the original, then copied it back. Viola, I had access to my files and folders again. I could even get OneNote to sync with OneNote Mobile on my Pocket PC once more.

So, if you upgrade from XP to Vista, and find your documents set to read-only (some were even inaccessible to me), just copy them to a flash drive. This works because flash drives are apparently FAT32, which doesn’t support permission (according to a source I checked.) Copying to a flash drive resets all of the permissions when the files are copied back to the main drive.

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