Microsoft

GPS_fan · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 8:47 am Post subject: Microsoft

Whilst I might not be Microsoft's number 1 fan, I feel that I have reason to give them a pat on the back.

With a teenager in the house who spends many hours playing on his X-Box 360, it was a fate worse than death when it failed a couple of weeks ago (and a couple of months outside the 12 month warranty).

Anyway, a quick call to Microsoft (on an 0800 number) and:

1) they arranged to collect it FOC

2) they agreed to repair it FOC

3) they agreed to return it FOC

Having been told that collection could take up to 5 working days and then the repair & return could take up to 21 days, it was great to see the X-Box being picked up by day 2 and it was returned about 10 days after collection....although we'd resigned ourselves to not seeing it before Christmas.

In addition to this, there was a fault/repair report and a 1 month free X-Box Live credit in the box.

If only everything could run as smoothly as this - nice work Microsoft.

According to the fault/repair report, the motherboard and DVD drive were replaced.

....the only problem we had was connecting it back up to the wireless network because the MAC address isn't taken from the wireless adapter (as is usually the case), it's on the ROM on the motherboard, and it took a little detective work to a) find the MAC address and b) determine that it was different to the original address. Having a secure wireless network, the MAC address has to be included in the list of accepted users

My only criticism of Microsoft was that they didn't include a note advising that the MAC address had changed. However, I guess that people not using a secure wireless network wouldn't experience this problem.

now that it's all working again, he's like a pig in muck Laughing

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mostdom · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:06 am Post subject:

Considering the huge hole they've dug for themselves with everything else they do, a small step in the right direction seems a bit insignificant, but all the same, I'm glad you got the xbox back in working order.
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PaulB2005 · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:33 am Post subject:

Regarding the MAC address problem only some (more) secure networks need the MAC address assigned to the router before access is granted. Most secure networks don't require this unless the network is specifically set up that way, so it's more a problem caused by your network settings than by MS or the changed MAC code. Probably would have been an idea for MS to mention it but most people don't use the MAC address list settings.

Personally I've found MS customers services to be very good. The problem lies when dealing with Windows PCs. With an XBox the user usually hasn't changed anything so a faulty unit can be easily diagnosed and fixed / replaced.

However with a PC the minute a new PC is switched on all sorts of changes occur. Anti virus is (or isn't installed), programs are added, settings are changed, drivers upgraded, plug ins installed etc... This means the PC and the Operating System are no longer a "known entity". In other words that are a multitude of things the user may have done (inadvertently) to cause a problem with Windows and it can be difficult to rectify those problems. This is where MS gets it's (i feel, somewhat un-deserved) bad name.

Don't get me wrong. I'm NOT a MS fan-boy. There are quite a few things i don't like about MS but i have always found their Customer Services to be very good and supportive.

mostdom · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 12:48 pm Post subject:

GPS_fan · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 2:55 pm Post subject:

M8TJT · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 3:19 pm Post subject:

GPSFan
I agree with you about the MAC warning, however and you have probably already realised this, the MAC address is unique to each individual piece of hardware on your network. The hardware does not get the MAC address from the wireless network (router) as you indicated in your first post. (It is the IP address for the device that can be obtained from the router). Whoever set up your wireless network router has applied MAC filtering to it which means that only devices with the specified MAC addresses can access the wireless network. This may be in addition to any encryption etc. that was applied, and is an 'extra' form of security which should prevent other people casually piggy backing your network.
About your original reason for posting: Good show Microsoft. All they say is not true then. Very Happy

DennisN · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 4:08 pm Post subject:

I have two problems with Microsoft.

1. They think they know best, so they set up Windows as they see fit for me. In the good old days, when you installed Windows you could then tweak it to behave to your own liking. They've moved on so far now, that I haven't the faintest idea what's going on inside my PC and I don't like that. I've just pressed Ctrl/Alt/Del to find that I have 54 processes running. Surely I don't need all those things gobbling processor resources? But I don't know.

2. MS have for far too long treated us all as Beta testers of apparently completed software - all these updates?? I hate to think how I'd get on if I were to FDisk my PC and reinstall from scratch - I'd spend the next six months waiting for all the updates to download and install!!
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MaFt · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 5:11 pm Post subject:

i'm not keen on microsoft's monopoly BUT you do have to remember that there are literally billions of combinations of hardware and software that they need to make ONE piece of software, windows, work with...

it's hard enough creating a website that looks and operates as it should on, say, 5 different browsers let alone billions!!

MaFt

PaulB2005 · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 5:30 pm Post subject:

GPS_fan · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 8:20 pm Post subject:

GPS_fan · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 8:29 pm Post subject:

GPS_fan · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 8:32 pm Post subject:

PaulB2005 · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:03 pm Post subject:

GPS_fan · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:30 pm Post subject:

A chain is only as strong as the weakest link Crying or Very sad

There is apparently software around which can crack WPA and WEP passwords - but no software can make a hidden network visible...you just have to be looking at exactly the right time when

At the end of the day, it's what you're used to and this is just the way I've always done it....you've obviously done it a different way, which has worked perfectly well for you

Belt and braces....and firewall Laughing

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DennisN · Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 12:31 am Post subject:

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