Originally Posted by
OverThereTooMuch
So to summarize, this problem was caused by LOGITECH registry keys installed on your machine (and their uninstaller didn't do the job).
And that's Microsoft's fault?? Or the fault of this poor first level tech?
The problem was caused by the Intellipoint software being written so poorly that it crashed when it couldn't find uninstaller data.
To be fair, you did let them know that you were returning the device if you didn't get a call Saturday or Sunday, so they may have noted that in your call log. I agree that waiting up to 72 hours to get something fixed sucks, but it was a weekend, and narrowing it down to a 2 hour window is better service than you get from the cable guy
What more would you want them to do here?
Perhaps have someone who knew something more about Microsoft software, as well as computers in general, than what he read off a script, like the two "technicians" and the "supervisor" that I spoke with. I'd hazard a guess that Logitech mice are probably the most common branded mice that are out there. I find it impossible to believe that the problem I encountered is unique. I'd say that 3+ hours on the phone, only to be told that someone who actually might now something would call me within 72 hours is pretty poor technical support.
Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention. The mouse came with a note saying that, if it was to be used on a Vista machine, it was necessary to download and install a patch from Microsoft. I downloaded the patch, ran it, and got an error message saying, "This patch is not required for this operating system." I should add that I haven't done any hacks or anything like that, I'm not running any beta software, and I keep both the O/S and all drivers current and up-to-date.
That's what really gets me: this is Microsoft hardware that comes with Microsoft software intended to run on a Microsoft O/S.
Bluetooth devices will often install a complete driver stack as a part of the software load.
In the case of this Microsoft mouse, it did not require the Intellipoint software, only a driver. The O/S is perfectly capable of installing any device if the correct driver is provided. However, Microsoft doesn't supply a driver -- it's hard-coded into CAB files that contain the Intellipoint software. Apparently, Microsoft believes that anyone using their mouse wants to be able to swap buttons around, set "hot points" at the edges of the screen, and a whole lot of gimmicky garbage that 99.9% of people have no interest in using, and it won't let you install the mouse unless you take all the junk.
All that was needed was the drivers. They're on my computer now -- all MS had to do was include them on the accompanying CD like every other device manufacturer in the world and there would have been no problem.
Incidentally, my Logitech mouse works just fine with the generic USB Wheel Mouse driver that comes with the Vista OS -- the Logitech-supplied drivers are not needed, either.
OEM preloads often come with a driver stack (might be the MS stack, might belong to someone else). If the uninstall of the Logitech software didn't work correctly, it wouldn't surprise me that this caused issues for the other software.
My computer is a Sony Vaio laptop. It is unlikely that the driver stack was non-standard. As for whether the Logitech software did or did not uninstall correctly, that's really irrelevant. The Microsoft software didn't work correctly because (1) it didn't identify the software that it was trying to install, which would have saved me at least an hour talking to India, and (2) it crashed when it couldn't find it or, more correctly, mis-parsed parameters that it handed to the uninstall software, and (3) when it crashed, it incorrectly identified the problem -- it referenced a dll that is installed on my computer -- the problem wasn't the dll, but the parameters that were passed to it, i.e. none because the Logitech software no longer existed.
Every popup I've seen from the MS installers gives me info on the process/application that's causing my problem.
It did not identify the process. It did identify the application, ctor.dll, as being the problem. As I said, it wasn't ctor.dll that was the problem, but incorrect parsing of the parameters that were passed to it. And it did not identify those parameters, which would have been an immediate clue for me.
I guess the guys in MS hardware use something different from the software guys (like live messenger). Not really a shock that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
Not a shock at all, but also typical of the Microsoft philosophy -- bloatware that obscures what is actually going on, poorly written and implemented by an enormous committee.
I agree with you. I think if you have a machine running Windows Vista, you don't really need to install the Intellipoint/Intellitype software to get your bth devices to work.
I finally have, but I bet that the average computer user won't be able to. Note, too, that I'm not an IT person, just a computer geek who has just enough knowledge to be dangerous. I can't imagine what someone who just expects plug-and-play hardware to plug-and-play would have done.