Things Microsoft probably won't fix in Vista

- Using the *.NFO format for their system information utility (instead of as a alias for WordPad).
- Leaving the *.PIF format in place on the system (executed like an *.EXE but noobs don't know that).
- Disappearing wallpaper bug when a image is selected from removable media.
- Windows time sync not working if the date is not set correctly.
- Windows activation/validation not working if the date/time is more than 24hours out.
- Windows Media Player causing Internet Explorer and or Explorer to stall or crash while attempting to play back content (or preview content).
- No way to add something to the default "Open With" field for all unknown file types.
- Stop copying from causing the system to get slow (even with a 2.8Ghz CPU and both drives not containing Windows/Page file).
- Missing - "No to all" - button on the copy dialog
- Stopping random applications from turning - "Stop applications from stealing focus" (Tweak UI) - off....
- No "Stop Applications From Stealing Focus" by default.
- No way to stop the language bar from appearing each boot (after use) without going into control panel
- No way to "Auto Sort" the Start Menu so it is always in alphabetical order.
- No CTRL-A on every single text box, including the Run box.

Manip wrote:

- Disappearing wallpaper bug when a image is selected from removable media.

How the hell are the two related to each other, anyway? This tells me that something's really wrong in Explorer.

- Leaving the *.PIF format in place on the system (executed like an *.EXE but noobs don't know that).
True

- Windows time sync not working if the date is not set correctly.
Ow yes, please fix it.

- Windows activation/validation not working if the date/time is more than 24hours out.
That's by design: the activation algorithm is dependant on the date/time.

- No way to stop the language bar from appearing each boot (after use) without going into control panel
Please remove the language bar (and it's office-like menu)

- No CTRL-A on every single text box, including the Run box.
There is CTRL-A on every textbox but not when the text is already selected.

- No way to "Auto Sort" the Start Menu so it is always in alphabetical order.
This is fixed in Vista

Tom Servo wrote:

Manip wrote: - Disappearing wallpaper bug when a image is selected from removable media.

How the hell are the two related to each other, anyway? This tells me that something's really wrong in Explorer.

Select an image from a floppy disk, click apply. Remove the disk. Reboot... And it will still be in place... Click on the tab "Desktop" and it will vanish with no explanation.

ZippyV wrote:

- No CTRL-A on every single text box, including the Run box.
There is CTRL-A on every textbox but not when the text is already selected.

I'm sure there isn't... I just selected nothing on the Run text box, hit CTRL-A and it gave me an error bleep ... Nothing was selected. The same is true with the address bar.

If I could pick one that I know Microsoft would fix it would have to be:
- Stopping random applications from turning - "Stop applications from stealing focus" - off....

I am a power user and I *HATE* it when an MSN Messenger window (or anything else) appears in focus while I'm typing... Luckily Microsoft thought of that and added the above option to Tweak UI; unluckily it gets "randomly" turned off for no good reason.

And before anyone suggests you lock the permissions on the registry key, that isn't an option, that key also has options controlling all desktop preferences.. If I set permissions I couldn't even change the wallpaper without turning off the read-only option with RegEdit.

(I accidentally created a  second post, and might have well use it for something. )

Manip wrote:

- No CTRL-A on every single text box, including the Run box.

That's because in some cases it's a combo box not a text box.  The address bar in (internet) explorer follows the same convention. 

In both (rather all three) cases it's used to show historical input which is why a combo box is used.  But I agree, select all should be an option in them as well.

But rather than saying this so late in the game, have you submited these to the windows team so that they can address them or are you just ranting here for the sake of ranting?

Manip wrote:

I'm sure there isn't... I just selected nothing on the Run text box, hit CTRL-A and it gave me an error bleep ... Nothing was selected. The same is true with the address bar.

That happens to me too, but when you right-click, the contextmenu has "Select All" enabled. You're right, should be fixed.

Blkbam wrote:

But rather than saying this so late in the game, have you submited these to the windows team so that they can address them or are you just ranting here for the sake of ranting?

How would I go about doing so? ...

Manip wrote:

Blkbam wrote:But rather than saying this so late in the game, have you submited these to the windows team so that they can address them or are you just ranting here for the sake of ranting?

How would I go about doing so? ...

Well first there's the newsgroup which the team frequents.  Especially good if you want to be a beta person.

Second there's the ever so useless feedback form.  I say useless because sometimes it's like throwing sand in the ocean.  Every once in a while I get back a response but there's no way of knowing that the feedback will reach the right person or that person that responds will understand what you're talking about.

Finally theres the wiki's on C9.  I personally don't look there but you never know who's watching.  Build a Vista Request Wiki and get the community here involved.  But don't just post a "this is broken now fix it" type of post.  Offering a solution will give it a better chance of getting fixed the way you want it.

Manip wrote:

- No CTRL-A on every single text box, including the Run box.

Isn't the "Run Box" a combo-box?

I do agree though, I would also like to see this in IE as currently, well in the version I'm using, Ctrl+A does not work in the address bar.

Angus Higgins

I've learned to use Home, Shift-End to select all in controls that don't support Ctrl-A.

ZippyV wrote:

- Windows time sync not working if the date is not set correctly.
Ow yes, please fix it.

By design?  See

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;884776

Registry Entry	MaxPosPhaseCorrection
Path	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config
Notes	This entry specifies the largest positive time correction in seconds that the service makes. If the service determines that a change larger than this is required, it logs an event. Special case: 0xFFFFFFFF means always make time correction. The default value for domain members is 0xFFFFFFFF. The default value for stand-alone clients and servers is 54,000 (15 hours).

By default it won't correct if your clock is more than 15 hours off.  The assumption being, if your clock is THAT much off, you have "issues."    But you can tweak the MaxPos and MaxNeg correction so that w32tm always corrects, even if your clock says 1/1/1980.

Manip wrote:

- Missing - "No to all" - button on the copy dialog

Isn't that what "Cancel" is for?

DCMonkey wrote:

Manip wrote: - Missing - "No to all" - button on the copy dialog

Isn't that what "Cancel" is for?

No.

Manip wrote:

No.

Badly needed.

Yes, you can hold down Shift and click "No", but it's a pain.

Not to mention, 99% of people using Windows don't know about that...

I want to huge, and I mean huge warnings whenever an application tries to change file associations.

Nothing pisses me off more than opening a file, having it open up in some damn media player I don't want it in. Then having to reset file associations again and again.

Quicktime, Winamp, Windows Media Player, you know I hate the way you steal the file associations, stop it!

DevilsRejection wrote:

I want to huge, and I mean huge warnings whenever an application tries to change file associations.

Nothing pisses me off more than opening a file, having it open up in some damn media player I don't want it in. Then having to reset file associations again and again.

Quicktime, Winamp, Windows Media Player, you know I hate the way you steal the file associations, stop it!

I'd like:

1). Very easy way to change file extension associations.

2). Good way to change context meny extensions.

Nothing pisses off quite as much as installing a program with a badly written context menu extension, and it then taking 3-4 seconds for the context menu to appear. Plus, the clutter bugs me.

Frankly, interfacing with the Registry sucks. regedit  works, but barely, and it's a huge pain to use.

Why can't we have some nice programs integrated into Windows to do common things with the registry?

Oh, and a registry cleaner would be nice. For the huge raft of programs that don't uninstall properly.

i posted this in a seperate thread, although it didn't get the attention i wanted:
- i find it annoying to not be able to set every window i want to stay in front of all others without using an extra tool
- i would like to have a control in the right click menu of a window in the taskbar to set its transparency...