Microsoft Quietly Previews PC Advisor Repair Tool 151
notthatwillsmith writes "On Friday, Microsoft invited members of the Windows Feedback Program to try out a preview of a new application, the Microsoft PC Advisor. The new tool promises to 'continuously monitor your PC for problems and give you the solutions to fix them, in real time.' After testing on several Vista machines with a variety of problems, Maximum PC has written a full report on the Microsoft PC Advisor. The short version? Like every other 'PC Repair' tool they've tested, the new apps signal-to-noise ratio is quite bad, and it misses the obvious and important problems, like out-of-date videocard drivers."
Error Reporting (Score:5, Interesting)
...is good at advising to upgrade out of date drivers if they cause problems.
I've had it diagnose a bunch of dodgy drivers with success before; I'm not quite sure what the angle on this tool is.
Pretty useful (Score:2, Interesting)
Firstly, this is a pretty useful utility for those that aren't very computer savvy. Everyone knows that most "slowness" can be resolved by simply maintaining the computer every now and again. Clearing temp files, defragmenting, cleaning off viruses, trojans, and other malware. So for the people that are prone to these types of problems, this is a pretty useful utility.
Their alternative is either "the friend" whom has now grown up and gotten a real IT job and doesn't want to be bothered by them, or Best Buy's GeekSquad who will try and tell you your ram is broken and your hard drive died, all the while copying your personal album off of the PC to their internal servers.
Now, the more "OMG anti M$" side of the argument is that Microsoft needs to do something to help improve its image with consumers. Right now, consumers just don't like Windows. In fact, quite the opposite is true. There is a growing movement of disdain for Windows. While every day normal Joe might not care either way, the people he or she asks for computer purchasing advice does care.
Microsoft, after years of keeping hands off on a lot of issues with Windows due to the whole "antitrust" thing, is finally taking charge and trying to improve their image with their software. A "We Care(tm)" approach to a person's computers. That not all Windows is good for is viruses and spyware and Microsoft is actively trying to help its users.
Doing the above, at least Microsoft hopes, may improve confidence and trust in the company.
Either of the above ways you wish to look at it, it's a free utility. It's useful, provides some recommendations about your computer, and provides some help to users who otherwise would just get frustrated.
It also has some sort of built in advertising tool that I'm not sure what exactly is there for since there are no "Offers" available yet.
Re:Pretty useful (Score:4, Interesting)
---Firstly, this is a pretty useful utility for those that aren't very computer savvy. Everyone knows that most "slowness" can be resolved by simply maintaining the computer every now and again. Clearing temp files, defragmenting, cleaning off viruses, trojans, and other malware. So for the people that are prone to these types of problems, this is a pretty useful utility.
More likely, its due to install-ism (where they install anything and everything), fragmenting, and garbage-ware either in the form of shovel from the OEM or malware. The install-ism is rather bad when they just click yes/ok/stfu button to get the windows to go away. This is a major state of mind issue and can be hard to break. Losing their files would be a rather wide wake-up from this. Fragmentation should be handled by the OS and should NOT be a standard user activity. What? The OS isnt smart enough to connect disjoined files? Linux does. OSX does. FreeBSD does. Why not Windows?
And we get to the garbageware. Even the box guys are charging for a "complementary garbage removal" on the crap they put on there. They evidently make a lot from this garbage. But the worst offenders are the trojans, spyware, adware and so on. Even multiple tools cant remove it properly. When the spyware gets in as local admin, they then set themselves firmly in the system and can usually only be completely removed via a reinstall. Wrong.
MS could have done this the Right Way. Chroot is your friend. Programs that whine about XYZ not being where it is, then throwing up a UAC prompt is not the right way to do things. Instead, they could have made a default CHROOT environment for each program, with access to the users home directory. The "Programs and Files" directory could have been symlinked back to the home directory. Programs that are aware (announce as such to OS) could be given a proper environment in which to interact. This is the right way, but MS botches it up again and again.
---Their alternative is either "the friend" whom has now grown up and gotten a real IT job and doesn't want to be bothered by them, or Best Buy's GeekSquad who will try and tell you your ram is broken and your hard drive died, all the while copying your personal album off of the PC to their internal servers.
The Box Stores lie. Just like the little guys. Big surprise.
---Now, the more "OMG anti M$" side of the argument is that Microsoft needs to do something to help improve its image with consumers. Right now, consumers just don't like Windows. In fact, quite the opposite is true. There is a growing movement of disdain for Windows. While every day normal Joe might not care either way, the people he or she asks for computer purchasing advice does care.
I like the Linux way of things, yet I still wonder about one very critical issue: executables.
My example: I wanted to install Rockbox 3.0 on my 5th gen iPod. Ok. I can do it the manual way, or I can use the automated installer. I elect to use the installer and go download it. Once I get it, I need to go into properties (or commandline) and go set the executable bit. If I dont do this, the OS refuses to run it. Now, is his a bad program? Nope. But it solves the "run_anything_from_email" and related issues in MS based systems.
Setting an exec bit lets ME know that I have the intention to run it.
Now, this relates to all those nasties on the net. Now, IE will open up and run whatever. Lookout Express (now, windows mail) will execute anything in the preview pane (or it use to, havent used it in years). In Windows, it runs from damn near everywhere. As a point of absurdity, I can open up Winamp, look at my MP3's, find an executable in program files, and right-click and run it. That's broken. Open file should mean open file, not run everything.
---Microsoft, after years of keeping hands off on a lot of issues with Windows due to the whole "antitrust" thing, is finally taking charge and trying to improve their image with their software. A "We Care(tm)" approach to a person's computers. Tha
Misleading Article, Product Not "Launched" Yet (Score:4, Interesting)
The thing that seems to not be addressed is that this tool is specifically targeted for a small number of people. The software itself is not "beta", however the issues and problems that it searches for and repairs should be considered beta. The whole point of releasing this to a small, specifically invited group of people is to fine tune and make the detection and repair database much more useful before it is ready for the general population. The following is taken directly from the invitation email:
"As part of this study, you would download and install the Microsoft PC Advisor application and provide feedback on the impact on your Windows Vista PC through 3 brief surveys over the next 6 months"
For a product that is at least 6 months away from being released to the general public, this article is no more than a misrepresentation of the goals of the software at this point in time. And as the "invited" users use the tool, they will have the chance to provide feedback to help improve the capabilities of the utility.
That being said, this tool will never be a useful tool for power users that already know how to tweak their systems and update software, and the final release database may not be much better in the end anyway. But if that is the case, write an article at that point Will Smith, not when a product has barely begun building a database and is on an invitation only basis. I like to bash Micro$oft as much as anyone else, but this article is FUD. I'm guessing that Will had this passed along to him from a third party with some missing information, at least I hope, it is the worst piece of "journalism" I have seen from the man.
Re:I wonder what they were expecting. (Score:3, Interesting)
Then why the "guerrilla" marketing campaign?
LOL, twitter failure! (Score:2, Interesting)
The global economy is undergoing a general meltdown, but you're actually sitting there rejoicing at the fall of MSFT (along with everything else) and using it as proof that they're finally dying?
GOOG is also down something fierce, should I start screaming to the four winds that they're a "stumbling zombie"? What about IBM, down to 4-year lows? Are they dying too?
Look to mirror MS (Score:4, Interesting)
They choose to spy user more (possibly asking for money later) instead of fixing their OS.
Even Apple with dedicated and trusting userbase can't dare to offer such thing. Apple has almost hidden from user "Send system information to Apple" in "System Profiler" (in Utilities). What it does is produce a XML file, bzip2 it and send that plain compressed file to Apple without and cryptic stuff. A complete opt-in thing promises nothing! That is the way to go. You can't promise user to "enhance".
If MS suspects third party stuff (devices) for Vista problems, they should travel to the building providing these:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/winlogo/default.mspx [microsoft.com]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHQL_Testing [wikipedia.org]
I have seen 20% CPU using WHQL certified network drivers, programs certified by MS developed by people who doesn't really know how MS Installer arch works etc.
While spending my time writing this, MS already knows a lot about the users computer. They just make it official now. Also they have stolen concept of http://www.pcpitstop.com/ [pcpitstop.com] (lame looking but clean). PC Pitstop _does_ suggest really meaningful things in return.