From: "danceswithcarp" <dcombs-AT-bloomington.in.us>
Subject: Re: Why buygood stuff when there's crap like this....
Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 14:55:23 -0500



From: "Ali Kazmi" <alikazmi-AT-cyber.net.pk>

> The "no uninstall option" in Win2000 is basically applies to reverting
back
> to the previous version, by removing the changes that Win 2000 has done by
> clicking on an unistall button. That is because w2000 uses file systems
> uncompatible with previous versions. However, if you boot with a DOS disk
> and use FDisk to repartition the drives - you should then be able to
install
> whatever your heart desires.(backup first!)

You have to partition the drive *before* you intall.  Once you install there
simply is no DOS unless you have it in the separate partition.   And the
beta's that were passed out to people on the gamer's net and the wargamer's
net will not uninstall period.  Some were installed over 95-98 and some were
installed on new disks.   Everybody that took the beta is now stuck with
2000; period.   Some of the people even reformatted their disks but
evidently ms claims their design is crash-proof, and it was made crash-proof
by being made so indestructible it is unreformattable; you keep some portion
of the os no matter what you do.  I am by no means an os expert, but some of
these people that it happened to have been monkeying around with computers
since computers used tubes and they are PISSED.

Think about it, ali, and it makes perfect sense.  You want to maintain a
monopoly on operating systems, make the system uninstallable.  That means
that from that point on every hard drive that gets the os must use
monopoly-lisenced products only.

$$$$$$$$

I passed on the wird that Linux fdsk ought to uninstall it and a couple of
people said they'd try.  So far I haven't heard back from them.

> The tentative date for release of the Win2000 final bug free version is
> December 31, 2999.

Which, according to the schedule for releasing a stable '98 version might
have to be pushed back a bit, say a .1 millennium, give or take a
millennium.


carpo