GoBack came with my new Gateway computer. I don't like either.
My comments should be discounted because I am not knowledgeable or savvy regarding computers. I spent several weeks trying to install a NIC card and getting it and the computer to work with a DSL line that I had the phone company put into my home.
My basic complaint is that boot up is slow and erratic - I can't be confident I can boot up to the point where my desktop appears. Sometimes the unit just stops - with the Windows '98 screen or a black screen with a flashing dash. Control-alt-delete is ineffective. So I have to power down. Occasionally, after a day on the computer, when I try to shut down, again the unit freezes and I have to power down.
So of course, what happens when I next power up, I get a msg from GoBack (sometimes from Windows) saying I didn't shut down properly and that GoBack will recheck my drives (not sure if this is the right terminology). And sometimes there's a GoBack bar on the screen (sometimes not) where I can see % progress; but sometimes there's no progress on the bar and the computer just sits and sits. So again I power down the computer (I've even left the computer on overnight to see if it will get past this stuck point, but no.) And when I power up- it's back I can go into that loop of being warned by GoBack/Windows. But sometimes it just goes ahead and boots up okay, sometimes in safe mode, mostly not
So here's my opinion about my Gateway system and GoBack: Compared to my P133(?) equivalent and 64K ram windows '95 machine a coworker built for me, my 650mhz Gateway 128 ram'98SE loads (gets me to my desktop) much more slowly, and unlike my older unit - I'm not even sure that the Gateway unit will get me there when I do power up. And unlike my older unit I can't just be sure I'm done when I hit the shutdown button.
I've tried to disable GoBack, but that just seems to make the boot up problem worse the next time - GoBack recognizes it's disabled and wants to be reenabled (and the computer freezes during the reenable). I will eventually have to build up my confidence to uninstall the thing.
Possibly I own this problem and am unwilling to confront my own inadequacies. Just seems easier to scapegoat Gateway and GoBack. (Not too thrilled with Lynksys - either their customer service or their NIC card which I eventually returned at Frys for a 3Com.) I am VERY happy with Earthlink DSL installation support people who worked with me several times (the last call taking 2 hours)to get me up and running. (Frustrating there for a while to be on the phone with them & have to shutdown the computer after making changes to network settings and then finding that I can't restart (boot up) to continue the process.)-- But I eventually worked through it all. - got sympathy and tranquilizers from the wife -g-. And learned a lot about my tolerance - lack of it- for this stuff. Trying to stay sane and see where I can at least feel somewhat good about what I've got-- one of the reasons I started to read this thread. Now that I've got two computers (the older one still is hooked up to the internet with a modem and separate phone line), I'm hoping I'll be somewhat more willing to experiment and learn.
Paul Senior |
