Windows 7- Blech!

[Zilla]

I bought a new tower 2 weeks ago this coming Sunday. Last night I put the said tower back in the box and will accept nothing less than a full refund as either I got a bad tower ( this is nothing new. Every one I've ever bought has had something wrong with them if they work at all. I've bought 3 that gave me the "This system is unstable" message that were promptly returned) or Windows 7 isn't all that people say it is.

The graphics card in mine stunk. Right out of the box my sims looked like they had been burnt to a crisp and the more I played, the worse the graphics got.

I got a message last night from the recovery disks I was told to make that the disks are not compatible with the system. Seriously? How can that be seeing how they were made from the system I bought.

Print screen for screen captures doesn't work. It takes captures of whatever wallpaper ( or just a plain color) and not what is physically on the screen. I tried a different keyboard thinking that was the problem and it wasn't. I wouldn't know this right away as the system didn't want to accept the keyboard it came with.

Screen resolutions change on their own free will. If you let the system go to sleep, A) It doesn't like to wake up B) the nice screen you left will look like a gnome took over and all icons will be twice the size and fuzzy.

The dude at Best Buy wouldn't tell me why I was having issues with program folders. Instead of having one, Windows 7 likes to keep 2. I discovered this by accident and I was told that these things happen with 64 bit systems. My Vista tower is 64 bit and it has never done that. It has done lots of other things, but I've never had program folder issues. I don't know if this was contributing to the problems or not, but it was really annoying regardless.

Is it just me and Murphy's Law or are these common issues with Windoze 7?

[CharlieChomper]

What brand was this tower (or towers, I should say )? Also, what are the system specs?

As to the recovery disks versus the system, I can't say this may be the situation, but it could either have been a case of where you may have been sold a tower that was built and "imaged" at one point but the disks may have been created prior or after the image that was used or it could possibly be a different image altogether from what you need--it surprisingly happens more often than most people realize...

As to the print screen problem, you're actually not the first person I'm aware of who has had that problem with this operating system. When it comes out as a plain color, is it just black or does it come out in some other color(s)?

In some cases, there have been issues with Aero Glass which have been known to be causing that type of situation (usually caused by either an issue with the graphics/video card and/or driver or sometimes even a RAM issue).

In terms of the screen resolution problems and it going into sleep mode, my suspicion based upon the behaviors you describe is that it actually may be tied into the graphics card driver in some way (or even possibly the monitor driver) and/or even the card, itself. However, without knowing what hardware or driver you're using, it's difficult to say for certain what may be going on with it.

Also, with the 64-bit systems and the program folder duplicates, it actually does serve a purpose and was intentional on Microsoft's part. According to Microsoft, it's supposedly there to allow for "backwards compatibility" between 32-bit and 64-bit applications and software (one folder is for 32-bit and the other folder, for 64-bit) and to allow you to run 32-bit software (such as most of the Sims series for instance) in a 64-bit version of Windows. It's something fairly recent that was added by them and why they chose to go that route only seems to somehow make some sense to them as it's the only 64-bit operating system that has such a situation. However, do not remove either of those directories (folders) under any circumstances.

[Zilla]

It was one tower and here's the link for it www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway+-+Desktop+with+Intel%26%23174%3B+Pentium%26%23174%3B+Processor/9536415.p?id=1218120537563&skuId=9536415

Sorry for the confusion. I have never bought more than 1 tower at a time. I should have said in the history that I've bought or replaced towers there is always something wrong with them.

It was a Gateway which I've always purchased ( sans my Mac) however, I was told that Gateway sold to a company called Acer. (sp?) I don't know if the transistion is still in process or has been completed though. When I asked, I didn't get any more details than that.

I brought it back Sunday night. There was no re-stocking fee as it was a tower and I returned it within the first 30 days. Apparently they charge re-stocking fees on their laptops which they tried to sell me on and I said "No Thanks!"

[CharlieChomper]

Somehow, I think I must have misread your initial post as when I read it, I think I may have misread it as thinking that somehow you purchased one tower and then returned/exchanged it for the same type and then had the same problems or something.

I blame my tired eyes and a tired/overworked brain that are both in need of some rest and relaxation.

Gateway, as it currently is, is a very different "beast" or company compared to how it was before and in more ways than one--it's only partially correct that Acer actually owns them. When Gateway was acquired about two years ago, it was actually sold to two different companies with each company getting different "parts" of it.

Acer only bought out the consumer side of the company, the rest (unfortunately) went to another company (MPC) which most people here would probably not have had reason to have heard of before and which just filed for bankruptcy earlier this year (unluckily for those in the corporate market or government/public sector as the bankruptcy also effectively voided any warranties or service contracts or liability of support toward those sectors--however, the consumer market would not have reason to have been affected by it as support and warranties would be under Acer instead). That sale actually was completed about two years ago, as has the transition.

Just as the brand name can now only be found in retail as far as I'm aware (they discontinued the site as well as being able to even take orders directly sometime last year from what I remember). I suppose you can think of it almost in terms of being more a lower cost Acer (as that's mainly the market Acer has been targeting with Gateway and in how they're treating it) sold under the brand name of Gateway these days, if that makes any sense?

[Zilla]

Thanks for explaining the whole Gateway / Acer deal.

Hubby wants me to convert completely to MAC so I no longer have to deal with PC issues ( he's aware that MAC also has issues) but I begrudge having to spend all the money for Sims EP's and SP's all over again, so until I get over playing Sims, there will be a PC in the house.

[CharlieChomper]

I don't know what your budget for a new PC is (obviously, nor am I nor would I ask that--none of my business) or in whether you're preferring to stick to something "off the shelf"/from a shop as it were versus potentially going online, but it is still very possible to get a good PC (and without spending a small fortune on them).