New Computer - Windows 7

I didn't get as much posted last week as I would have liked because I spent almost all of yesterday working on setting up my new desktop computer, which my girlfriend gave to me as an early Christmas and birthday present. (Love you, DS.) This is something that I had simultaneously been looking forward to and dreading. It was something to look forward to because the desktop that it's replacing is more than ten years old (!), although I've refurbished "the old girl" with new hardware, updated software, and an upgrade to the operating system during the decade that I've had it. It still works, but, man, is it slow, and it doesn't particularly like having my external hard drive attached to it. The new computer is nice. It looks more sleek and modern, the components are considerably less bulky, and the thing runs so quietly that if it's in hibernation mode, I don't even know that it's on. The best thing is that the new computer does a much better job with vinyl rips, probably due in large part to its more advanced sound card. The analog hiss that was sometimes apparent on previous posts of LPs from my collection doesn't seem to be as much of an issue with this new setup. So, I think that you'll find that future vinyl rips have better sound quality.

But the change was also something I was dreading because I knew there would probably be compatibility issues transferring files and applications from my old computer to the new one. I was right. Windows 7 is not as bad as Vista, but it's still a bitch. For example, Office 2002 is not compatible with the new operating system. I probably sound stupid for even trying to get this admittedly antiquated software suite to work with Windows 7, but I'll be damned if I have to go out and purchase Office 2007 or 2010. See, it's stuff like this that makes people not feel the least bit guilty for pirating software from Microsoft and other imperialist companies in the technology industry. Oh, you no longer support Office 2002 and won't make a compatibility patch for Windows 7? Well then, fuck you! I don't need all the bells and whistles that come with newer versions of Office. As you can tell, I'm someone who can be pretty resistant to change in certain areas of my life. I mean, hell, I still own a turntable so I can listen to LPs and 45s. If something still works fine for my purposes, then I see no need to change. So, Microsoft, if you're going to make me update, I'll just have to get one of my techie friends to set me up with a pirated version of Office 2007 or 2010. The other thing that really sucks is my Canon multifunction printer (it's also a scanner and fax machine) is not fully compatible with my 64-bit version of Windows 7. Canon has released a patch that allows my model to be used as a printer, which I downloaded and installed. However, they have yet to release a patch that will allow me to make the necessary updates needed for using the device's scanning functions. The real aggravating thing is that Canon has created patches specific to the 32-bit version of Windows 7 that resolve the compatibility issues for printing and scanning. But for poor sods like me who have the 64-bit version of Microsoft's new operating system and the same Canon printer model, we're stuck with a $400 piece of equipment that prints but won't scan. I'm hopeful that their software developers will eventually make the right patch available. Until then, I can't retire my old desktop because I still need it in order to scan documents and pictures. Stupid shit like this makes my blood boil.

OK, end of rant.

P.S. As long as I'm on a roll, check out my response to the comments a visitor left regarding the Chambers Brothers' People Get Ready post. To all you veteran music bloggers out there, should I be worried by comments like this guy's? Are they a harbinger of worse things to come?