Pffft. Snrrf! Grrrnk!!! (suppressed choking laughter).
Ok. So I have a Windows NT server running our proxy software over DSL. Yesterday, Pac-Bell's DSL is down, so I decide to install a good old analog modem on the system to act as its backup for future outages. I haul over to frys, and purchase a Zoom FaxModem. I then spent the next twelve hours (count them) trying to install and configure the modem. The intermediate result was that after applying service-pack 4 to try and correct crashes in the RAS service THE MACHINE WOULD NOT BOOT. Eventually, I was able to track down some Windows NT boot disks, and rebuild, but I could only install Windows NT workstation. At 1 am this morning, I finally had the machine working again.
Microsoft server technology is a JOKE. Their error recovery is NON EXISTENT. Their easy-to-use user-interface makes it simple to get the machine into a NON BOOTABLE STATE. And I know what I'm doing (I was able to fix the system). One more interesting wrinkle, the ATDISK.SYS driver on the NT install disk #3 had got some bad sectors on it, which caused the NT boot loader to fail, and as I tried it on other NT machines they too blue-screened. A BAD FLOPPY DISK CAN BRING DOWN NT WORKSTATION, WITH A BSOD, WITH NO EFFORT.
They day they take serious money away from Sun in the server market place will be the DAY I EAT MY CAR.
By the end of 2000, there will be no MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY IN MY COMPANY. I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE IT!
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