Hardware drivers installation rant....

[jagwriter78]

My mom's comp needed a new wireless card cause the old was causing nothing but problems. We returned it to the store and exchanged the D-Link USB dongle for a Netgear USB dongle. Hopefully Netgear will be better. The first impression I got was a big *headdesk*

I reinstalled Xp on my mom's computer last night because it was down to a crawl. Wow, now it's really speedy. So we got the Netgear stick, I ran the installation software and am prompted to do this:

"You need to install Microsoft Hotfix blablalbla in order to continue installation. To go online and download this hotfix, hit OK."

Well... daaaah, if I could get online with this comp, I wouldn't need to install your wireless card. But in order to install it, I first need online to install the hotfix. WTF! Does this sound kinda redundant? I mean, really. In order to do one thing, I first need to do another thing but in order to do that, I need to do the first thing first which I can't do until I have done the other thing..... *swoon*

So I ended up going online with my dad's laptop and downloading the hotfix to a USB stick just to plug that one into my mom's computer and install the hotfix from there. Honestly - if you have no means of going online other than the wireless card - how could you possible install the card if they require you to be online to begin with? *headdesk*

Comments

[larissa-j.livejournal.com]

"You need to install Microsoft Hotfix blablalbla in order to continue installation. To go online and download this hotfix, hit OK."

Was this the Netgear installer?

The message is thrown because it's an installer and technically the logic is sound. It doesn't know that in this case you're installing a driver for a wirless card. ;) Had you been installing a program or another type of driver, this wouldn't have seemed so stupid and I'm really trying not to point the finger at the IHV here but it's sooo hard.

I know it's frustrating. The only thing more frustrating is when vendors refuse to support NIC cards inbox and you have to run WU to get them. That makes absolutely no sense. Try explaining that to a customer.

I wish IHVs (manufacturers) wouldn't bury their drivers in installer packages. It's much easier when you can just point to the inf and install the driver that way. Next time, you might try cracking open the .cab and searching for the inf. If you don't need the software, your system will run much smoother.

And yah, rant away. I'm not defending MS. I scream at the decisions all the time. It's part of my job. I'm just explaining to you how the logic works.

[jagwriter78.livejournal.com]

Nah, for once I wasn't bitching about Microsoft, I was actually bitching about Netgear LOL And yeah, it was the installer that gave me that message. The hotfix was some kind of USB thing, KB 822603 in case you wanna look it up ;) I think the fix was included in SP2, but my mom's computer is way older than SP2. And I was at the mercy of the recovery CD.... which actually quite surprised me that it didn't format the HD before it replaced the OS like so many recovery discs do nowadays. My mom spent 2 hours backing up her data and after I had re-installed XP, all the personal data was *still* there. For once, yup, I was pleasantly surprised :)

And I actually did try to install the stick manually but like you said, the drivers were burried in an installer and since the computer is really bare bones right now (just XP and nothing else), the XP internal zip program wouldn't open the cab to allow me to get the inf out of it. I can understand that for the average person (read: my parents), an installer is a nice thing. Plug in the CD and you are good to go. But if they give you errors like that - not so good. But what really aggrevates me the most is if they give you no kind of install instructions in print whatsover. Not that I really need them, but thinking about my mom..... plug in the CD, read the instructions *online*. Yeah, riiiiiiight, I am trying to install a card so I can *get* online, but you are telling me the instructions to do so are *online* *shakes head*

[larissa-j.livejournal.com]

And I was at the mercy of the recovery CD.... which actually quite surprised me that it didn't format the HD before it replaced the OS like so many recovery discs do nowadays.

Recovery disk and OEM installs are the work of the devil. I hate them. Usually I build my own systems but you can't really do that with a laptop. When I got my laptop the first thing I did with the OEM install was flatten it and reinstall a clean OS (no OEM craplets). I think I've got the recovery disk sitting around here somewhere. I may put it in the microwave just for fun.

And I actually did try to install the stick manually but like you said, the drivers were burried in an installer and since the computer is really bare bones right now (just XP and nothing else), the XP internal zip program wouldn't open the cab to allow me to get the inf out of it.

I know :( Someone has probably asked MS to change it but there's probably some legal reason why they can't. Think about the whole EU mess. I know that you can crack .cabs with WinRAR but as you said, this was a bare bones install.

Yeah, riiiiiiight, I am trying to install a card so I can *get* online, but you are telling me the instructions to do so are *online* *shakes head*

Oh I know. We've moved to a system where everyone automatically assumes that you've got internet access. Believe me, I've had this discussion.

[birgitm.livejournal.com]

XP is joy and love and cuddly fluffy bunnies.

NOT.

I'm glad you got it working in the end. I've had to do the same kind of thing before.