Microsoft's Windows Vista Customer Service Website and Policy

I'll be the first to admit that this post is as much a personal vendetta as it is a review. I am frustrated about this topic, and I feel that this website is the most adequate way to both vent to and inform my readers about the dangers of buying a computer with Windows Vista installed on it-- or, more specifically, perhaps, the dangers of not carefully reading fine print.

First of all, let me clear something up. Aside from a few problems that probably wouldn't bother the average computer-user, I generally like Windows Vista. In particular, I think the redesigned user interface is both aesthetically pleasing and more efficient than that of Windows XP, or any prior Windows UI for that matter. (Dating back to Windows 95, that is; that was the first time I personally had used anything other than DOS.) As long as you plan on buying and using current, mass-marketed software, you'll be perfectly happy with Vista.

However, as you'll have noticed if you read the large, bold print above this review, it is not Windows Vista itself that I am crusading against. It is Microsoft's incredibly lacking and generally idiotic customer service policy concerning Vista.

The problems I've had that require customer service have generally dealt with compatibility. As I said earlier, this won't be a problem at all as long as the software you're using is fairly current (and, therefore, probably designed with Vista in mind). I, however, have several older programs that I rely on that haven't worked so well on Vista, and have, therefore, had to contact (or attempt to contact, but I'll get to that later) Microsoft's customer service department several times.

Before I continue, let me say that I consider myself a decent composer (of music, that is). However, I have fairly limited knowledge of musical theory, and I therefore rely on a certain program (Anvil Studio, which is an excellent little gem of a program that you can find easily enough by using a search engine) in order to write whatever songs may pop into my head. Before I owned the computer I am currently using, I ran Anvil Studio on Windows XP with great success. When I got my new computer, one of the first things I did was install Anvil.

Unfortunately, however, the program didn't run so well. I'd manage to keep it open for around twenty seconds or so before it would freeze and subsequently crash my computer. Frustrated, I went to the Vista customer service site and initiated a chatroom conversation with one of the representatives. While I do not have a record of what was said, I distinctly remember that it was immediately suggested that I downgrade to Windows XP if I wanted to run the program. No matter how many times I spoke to the person, I was repeatedly referred to another department where they could instruct me on how to remove Vista from my computer.

I, however, had just paid for Vista. I didn't want to remove it, I wanted it to work. Therefore, I instead contacted the support people over at the Anvil Studio website. They fixed my problem in a quick and expedient manner, and, while Anvil still doesn't run as well on Vista, it no longer crashes.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid that that was merely the first in a string of apparently unresolvable compatibility problems I've since encountered-- once again, all with rather dated software, mind you. It is, however, the most recent issue that has vexed me the most, and which was the catalyst that led to me writing what I write now.

I do not just write music for the sake of writing it. I also consider myself an amateur computer game designer, although I'm not nearly as skilled in that as I am in music composition. (Incidentally, it is worth noting here that all the songs I write are in midi format; that is, all the sound is generated from the computer's sound card.) I often use the songs I write in the games I create; I find it more convenient than having to obtain permission from someone else.

Ever since switching to Vista, I've noticed that my games have occasionally been plagued by severe slowdown that gradually fades away the more I play. Initially, I assumed that it was the software I used to create the games, but I eventually discovered a connection between the complexity of the midi I was using and the slowdown affecting the games. (In other words, the more complicated the song, the worse the game would perform.)

Figuring that the problem had to do with my computer's ability to play the songs rather than the game-making software, I decided to check and see whether or not other people were suffering from the same issue. It didn't take too much forum-scanning to realize that anyone who worked with midi music on Vista seemed to be having similar troubles; apparently, the technical lingo for it is 'clock drift', though I'm still not precisely sure what that means.

At any rate, with some additional searching, I managed to find the source of my woes. Apparently, "[t]his problem occurs because the Dmusic.sys file was removed in Windows Vista." (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943253; italics mine.) The webpage goes on to say, essentially, that Dmusic.sys is basically integral to properly playing back midis, and that when it was removed, they didn't add a replacement. Why they removed said file is beyond me.

Fortunately, however, the support site also provided a hotfix. Unfortunately, when I installed said hotfix, it didn't actually do anything, near as I can tell. So I decided to go back to the support page, intent on sending an e-mail requesting an explanation-- after all, I could've somehow installed it wrong.

I never did find out whether or not it was my fault.

Why, you might ask?

As it turns out, I only recieve "no-charge support" for the first ninety days after I've bought my computer. After that, any phone call, e-mail, or chat with a customer service rep I have costs me.

How much, you might also ask?

$59.00, "plus total applicable taxes per support request." (http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?ln=en-us&prid=10295&gprid=436647.)

Maybe you didn't quite let that sink in; I'll say it again:

It costs me $59 to ask Microsoft a question.

A question.

I found that to be a little absurd, personally.

So absurd, in fact, that I spent the next few hours researching different possible versions of Linux to install on this computer instead of Vista, just to see whether or not their support website was any better than Microsoft's.

Once again, let me reiterate: I still generally like Windows Vista as an OS. I think it has a lot of potential. That said, I would not reccomend tht you buy it unless you absolutely have to until they work out all the bugs. If you do wind up having to buy it, make sure you report even the smallest complaints to customer service.

If you don't, it'll come back to haunt you.

The Rundown
Ease of Use: 1/10. It took far too long to find the hotfix I'd been looking for. In fact, it took far too long to find just about everything I've ever looked for on Microsoft's support website.
Confidence: 0/10. If the support reps aren't confident enough to reccomend sticking with their own product, why should I?
Cost: 0/10. Simple support via e-mail should be free. I doubt Bill Gates is hard-up for money.
Effectiveness: 0/10. The one thing they sent me to fix my problem didn't even work.
Overall: .25/10. Congratulations! This support service has just become my lowest-scoring review so far!