Anti-Windows Catalog

Paying for things we get for free?

Written by Gordon Fecyk, 12/15/2012

IT'S BEEN SIX WEEKS since Windows 8's release, and we already have third parties claiming to do a better job of managing Windows 8 than Windows 8 does of itself.

This is an operating system that came with its own updating mechanism since 1998, and now its own after-the-fact anti-virus security blanket. I don't expect an automobile mechanic down the street to know all about a 2013 edition of some new automobile after only six weeks, instead I would go to the car dealership first for service. Why should I trust some third-party with the service of my new PC only six weeks in?

SHOULD I TRUST THEM because of their Microsoft Gold Partner membership? Let me show you how easy it is to become a "gold partner:"

• Step 1: Sign in with your Windows Live ID.
• Step 2: Tell them about you and your company.
• Step 3: Agree to their terms and conditions.
• Step 4: Profit!

OK, so I made that last step up. But why else would a company want to associate themselves with Microsoft if not for profit?

My worry is what else would you be getting into. I almost fell victim to at least one piece of "ransomware" from another supposed Microsoft Gold Partner: "Here's the files we can undelete for you, now pay us $29.95 to do it." I might have been able to uninstall their software, but I still get junk e-mail from them weekly... or at least I did before I put them in Messagelabs' bin.

REGARDLESS OF MOTIVATIONS, I would rather take my new PC to the place I bought it for support, which, by the way, is their responsibility under their OEM agreement with Microsoft. Or if I bought Windows 8 Pro, which I did, I'm entitled to at least some free support from Microsoft directly. I don't need to pay a third party money to find my hardware drivers for me.

OK, so what if I were a complete "n00b" and I was watching a YouTube video sponsored by some driver updating outfit, wondering if my video could play faster if I paid this completely-unknown entity some money? Well, if you're that person, I hope you found this site first because here's what I do:

• Run Windows Update (Control Panel, Windows Update or PC Settings, Windows Update) so it can find and install any drivers it knows.
• If that didn't work, check with the maker of the device with the missing driver. It's their job to support their device, not some third party's.
• If that didn't work, well, maybe it's time for a replacement device. And your $29.95 would be better spent on a new device than on the advice of a previously-unknown third party.
• (You) Profit! By saving money on support.

The support can cost you nothing because, most likely, you already paid for it. Don't pay again for it.

Related Links:

• NTFSUndelete Complaint -- HelloPeter
• Retrieve an end user agreement from Microsoft (Windows live ID required. Search for "Windows 8 OEM.")
• Driver Signing Requirements for Windows -- MSDN
  (A driver for a modern Windows edition must be vetted by the Windows Hardware Quality Labs and digitally signed by the WHQL)
• Windows Support Options -- Microsoft Technet

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