🚀 go-pugleaf

On Sun, 18 Nov 2001 21:09:53 GMT, "All Users" <mbh1@optonline.net>
wrote:

>Has anyone been able to successfully use the built-in serial interface
>support for Nikon cameras?  I have the 800 (which isn't on the list of stock
>MS drivers), but see there is support for other Nikon-discontinued models.
>
>By the way.... think twice before buying a Nikon digital.  They end support
>before the product has been off the market for a year; now I have a $500
>camera that is not supported in XP.

The XP problem may be bigger than you think. The following is from
today's issue of Woody's Windows Watch #4.19 (www.woodyswatch.com):

1. UPGRADING TO XP: THE HIDDEN COSTS
  We all know the up-front price for Windows XP (although you
  may be able to save yourself a buck or twenty by visiting
  CheaperWindows.com). Triple-Dub reader Charles raises an
  interesting point about the ultimate cost in a recent
  e-mail:

  "I have just upgraded, naturally after first reading your
  comments and reviews, from Windows Me to XP and it seems
  okay. However, as one who has followed Windows from numbers
  to years to letters, I have never seen such high hidden
  costs in upgrading.

  "Specifically, after the upgrade from Windows Me my virus
  protection program (VirusScan) no longer worked requiring a
  $30 upgrade... My HP Colorado backup tape drives were no
  longer useable because the software  wouldn't work,
  requiring a $50 software upgrade purchase... My WinFax Pro
  10 software no longer worked requiring a $50 upgrade. Last
  but not least my scanner was no longer useable because the
  driver wouldn't work. The manufacturer, Acer, has not
  released a new XP compatible driver for its parallel port
  scanners and "hopes" to do so by the end of November. (And
  I thought the XP preparation procedure was in all the
  papers. Apparently, Acer doesn't read the trade press.) Net
  result - I have no ability to scan unless I want to
  purchase a new scanner with an XP compatible driver either
  in the package or integrated into XP. Cost approximately
  $150."

  Charles' experience doesn't surprise me. That's because he
  upgraded to XP from Me, which is an entirely different
  experience from upgrading from NT or Win2k to XP. If you
  come from the latter platforms, you'll find XP's software
  and hardware compatibility is delightfully broad. All sorts
  of devices you previously couldn't use become available,
  and the same goes for software.

  Not so if you make the move from Win 98 or Win Me to XP. In
  this case, you're taking a step down in compatibility. And
  that's a story which perhaps hasn't been told loudly and
  clearly enough. I have no doubt many thousands of 9x/Me
  upgraders are going to be thoroughly shocked by the number
  of pieces of software and hardware which 'break' under
  Windows XP.

  Microsoft hasn't been hiding this fact, nor has it been
  trumpeting it, of course. XP is the result of
  cross-breeding two operating system philosophies: the
  solid, reliable 'corporate' NT/2k approach with the
  ultra-usable, ultra-compatible, legacy-friendly 9x/Me
  approach. The result is, however, not a balance between the
  two. Instead, it is much, much more Win2k with a smarter,
  prettier face than it is Win 9x/Me with a solid core. Think
  of it as 85% Win2k and 15% Win 9x/Me and you have about the
  right balance.

  Because of that balance, while the hardware and software
  support in XP is much better than that in Win2k, it's
  nowhere near as good as Win 98's or Win Me's.

  THE THINGS THAT BREAK UNDER XP
  What's going to break? All sorts of stuff. You can count on
  many system utilities (including some virus scanners)
  falling flat. Things like Norton SystemWorks and other
  programs which work deep down in the operating system will
  certainly need upgrading because of their very nature.

  Watch out for CD burning software, too, because XP's
  built-in CD burning capabilities can cause problems. Roxio
  - finally - has released its updated version of Easy CD
  Creator 5 (available at
  http://www.roxio.com/en/support/ecdc/ -- make sure you read
  the instructions before upgrading) so you'll now be able to
  get full use of your CD burner with ECDC. Amazing that a
  company which provided the CD burning technology built into
  XP took so long to provide an upgrade.

  You're likely to have all sorts of problems with USB
  equipment, too, unless it has specific XP drivers. Of my
  USB equipment - a hub, SmartCard reader, scanner and
  digital camera - not a single piece worked directly with
  XP. I managed to get the scanner and digital camera going
  using workarounds, but I'm still waiting for updated
  drivers for any of this stuff.

  But your mileage may vary. Editor of our Windows XP
  newsletter ( http://www.woodyswatch.com/winxp ), Peter
  Deegan, has had far fewer upgrade problems. That's partly
  because he's a lucky guy and partly because the peripherals
  on his system all appear to have gone through the testing
  wringer during the development of XP.


  Either Microsoft needs to support the process of writing
  updated drivers more actively, or the hardware makers need
  to pull their fingers out. Both, really. As Charles so
  rightly points out about Acer, it's not as if Microsoft has
  taken the hardware makers by surprise with the release of
  XP.

  In the meantime, before you upgrade, especially if you're
  coming from the 9x/Me world or if you have a piece of
  can't-live-without hardware or software, check out the
  Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List (
  http://www.microsoft.com/hcl/default.asp ) and, if you can
  handle a 30MB download, run the Windows XP Upgrade Advisor
  (

http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWSXP/home/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp
  ). Neither of these resources is a perfect guide to
  compatibility, but they're useful starting points. Also
  worth a visit is NT Compatible (
  http://www.ntcompatible.com ). Despite the name, this site
  provides info about Win2k and XP compatibility as well as
  NT. It's a good place to hear how others are faring with
  their XP upgrades.

  And one final note: Since we received Charles' e-mail, it
  appears Acer has come out with a crop of XP drivers for its
  imaging equipment. You'll find 'em at
  http://www.acercm.com/drivers/imaging_drivers.html


*****************************************
"If you wave even a small light in a dark 
 cave, it drives all the bats crazy."
		    - D. Ramon
*****************************************