Skip to main content
To Customer Support To Customer Support
By John C. Dvorak, 26 June, 2013 ITProPortal.com

 

Microsoft thinks Windows 8.1 will fix everything. Ha! What it fails to recognize is that Windows 8 was never the problem. I’m more and more convinced that PC sales continue to plummet because people have learned from Windows 7 that Microsoft has given up on backward compatibility.



My Olympus PEN camera will not connect to my Windows 7 machine for whatever reason and I’m getting tired of the incompatibilities. It all began with my Epson RX700 printer, a perfectly good all-in-one printer. Too bad I had to scrap it because it will not work with Windows 7. I don’t like my new printer, an Epson Artisan 810, nearly as much. In fact, it’s so clunky that I’m looking to replace it as soon as possible. But this is not a review of printers. Suffice it to say, Windows’ backward compatibility has taken a back seat at the company.



After the printer fiasco and with no new drivers on the horizon, the reliable RX700 is an orphan. Then comes my trusty Cisco NAS. I don’t know how old it is but it works fine with XP and Vista. Windows 7? No way.



I did some research on the NAS problems with Windows 7 and — surprise surprise — the web is full of complaints. Windows 7 has all sorts of problems with devices on the network. This seems to stem from security concerns. Yes, the best security is to make it so nothing works. Genius!



Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/2013/06/26/microsoft-waves-goodbye-to-backward-compatibility/#ixzz2XLsPgSvC



That will be the day with the Vista release fiasco Nvidia video drivers I know for one was the worst and I had many BSOD's. :@

 

Daniel

 

 
Question regarding this: How much of this is the fault of Microsoft and how much is the fault of the device makers.  In many cases, though not all by any means, if the device manufacturer creates new drivers for the device it is possible to maintain compatibility.  I have seen several devices in which the maker has simply decided to discontinue support as the model has not been sold for 18+ months.  (No new sales for a device that had a 1 year warrantee = no devices left that are under warrantee so the manufacturers sometimes simply quit supporting in order to force new sales.)
Well in the Security Community the Vendors are having issues because of the security features in Windows 8 such as Third Party Firewalls as in WSA. :@

 

Daniel
The problem stems from Microsoft not caring about you not being able to use your 3 year old printer or not being able to install any Third Party Firewalls. The only thing they care about is selling their product. If people stop buying it then those issues will be fixed, but unfortunately people are still buying Microsoft products even when they have issues with it.

 

Only in exceptional cases will Microsoft listen to it's customers and change something, but in the end it's a simple money game.
But Microsoft dont sell printers so why would they do that? Its up to the manufacturers to make sure they they are complaint and to provide device drivers.
The bottom line is its all about money. As jgouverneur said in a nutshell Microsoft does not care about the consumer, money talks and that is what they are focusing on.

Reply


Terms & Conditions