Windows XP forum: TIME TO STOP WINDOWS XP UPDATES?

Seth's post, above ("Agree 100%. Tip off for me was claimed decades of experience coupled with swapping DVD drives as an attempt to correct/diagnose.") is interesting, because it indicates there's some way to go back and modify/revise a post.

His initial post, last night, was along the lines of, "I don't believe you're an attorney, because you're to immature. You're just a windbag troll." Apparently he realized people might find his argument, that I'm immature, rather peculiar, if he just resorted to name-calling.
So, Seth, can you please just give us a straight answer? How does one modify a post, on this board? I'd like to know. Seriously.

As for Jimmy's comment, "things appear to be devolving more into character assassination and ad hominem attacks than actually discussing the question asked,"
it seems more than mildly ironic for HIM to be saying THAT, about me, when I'm recommending Pulitzer-Prize-winning books that could help him gain more maturity and insight into why people do what they do, while he is posting stuff like (this is a verbatim quote; one o fhis complete and entire posts above), "And what about the grassy knoll? We can't forget about the grassy knoll or the terrorists win!

What the hell was that supposed to be, other than open and even vicious mockery, and derision, of someone for daring to ask a question?

I'll stand behind everything I've said. And, I'm exactly who I've said I am. I'm 59, and have been a patent attorney for 31 years. My specialty isn't computers; it's pharmacology. But I do all my work on computers, I've got at least 8 of them (that includes my kids' and wife's computers, which I have to keep running, and I've spent a lot of time with them. I've also worked with at least 8 or 10 top-level consultants/service experts, and I work with them like I work with an inventor (i.e., I diligently try to learn what I can from them, so I can turn around and use it intelligently, later, when they're gone).

Seth, if you think there is some sort of "tip-off" that I'm lying about who I am, because I tried swapping various cables and components between two different computers, you've somehow convinced yourself of something that just isn't true, because it somehow supports your claim to some type of higher-than-normal insight, wisdom, maturity, etc. In complete sincerity, I simple do not know (or at least have no DETAILED understanding) of how the various clusters of software are divided and allocated, among the various subassemblies in a computer. I grew up working on cars in the 60's, a MIDI/ADAT home recording studio in the 80's, and stuff like that. All logical stuff. And if ONE component or cable seems to be not working, and you've got a second copy of it, then it just plain makes sense, to a guy of my generation,t o swap them out, and see if that might fix the problem. So, whatever you think is some sort of keen insight, on your part, is just total and pure bullpoop. For you to attack me for trying something as logical as swapping out parts that aren't working properly, to see if that will somehow fix a problem, is just . . . well . . . bizarre. And stupid. And immature.

So please do me a favor, and just answer a simple question. How does someone modify a post, on this board?
Or did the mods delete it, for you? That's another possibility I hadn't considered, until just now. Could have happened, I guess, now that I think of it. If the mods here are looking in and doing anything, that would have been a really good one to delete.

And, finally -- back to the subject -- I have no problem at all, with comments such as, "MS should completely kill XP", or "MS must keep updating XP until WE decide to quit." The problem is, suggestions/proposals like that don't and won't help XP users decide whether they should -- or should not -- turn off all automatic updates, or some category or class of updates. That was the original question, and it remains the real and serious question of this thread.

I don't claim, and have never claimed, to know "the answer" (or whether there is some type fo "flow chart" or "decision tree", to help people decide, based on their own personal situation and computer status).

And that's is exactly why I raised the question.
Jimmy and Seth, you both have been most UN-helpful. Seriously. I tried to ask a serious and intelligent question. Go back and look at everything you've written, and ask yourselves, "Why did I write that? Why did I attack someone, for asking a question? Did I do any actual GOOD here?"

Obviously, Seth is saying stuff that's total and absolute crap.
Congrats. Seth. You proved it, better than anything I could say about you.

I'm going to ask Mark Flax to close this thread, and start a new one, which he will need to monitor, to keep on topic.
Along with that request, I'll also ask him to send me a Skype address, and if he does, I'll contact him while I carry my iPad around the house in video mode, showing him proof (live, while he can ask questions and see who I am) that everything I've said in this thread, about myself and three computers I mentioned, is entirely true.

By the way - Mark, when I saw your initial comment, about "I couldn't disagree more!", I didn't realize that you're the moderator of the XP section, on all of CNET. Obviously, you've invested a lot of time, effort, and energy, to become a genuine expert on the XP system. Now that I know that, I think I can more easily understand why you would take a position of wanting to defend and protect the area that has become your specialty.

Of course, I can already hear Jimmy-boy and Seth-nuts saying that that is CONCLUSIVE proof that I'm a wild-eyed conspiracy theorist. I mean, seriusly -- why would I suggest something along the lines of, "The level of commitment and involvement that someone has, in some particular system, just might tend to color and steer his opinion of that particular system."

So let's talk about that, Mark, while we're on skype. I'll help you reach an informed assessment as to whether I'm: (i) some kind of delusional wingnut, or (ii) an engineer and attorney with more than 30 years experience practicing law, and doing design engineering.

Mark, I look forward to it. Hope to hear from you.

. . . adequately express the level of DIS-respect that someone like seth:
(1) brings to the table, as his only contribution; and,
(2) deserves, from others, in return.

Obviously, there is NO form of electronic communication -- none whatsoever -- between a CPU (or the IC's and bus) on a mainboard, and the inert rubber feet on a computer case.

Just as obviously, there is ACTIVE communication, between a CPU and mainboard, and ANY other IC-containing component, in a computer.

So, just in case there might have been SOME sort of process that triggered what we used to call a "do-loop" (when I took computer courses back in engineering college, in the 70's), or some other type of interacting error between the CPU and some other component that is inserted into the system as an intact and modular subassembly, I just plain tried swapping components between machines (since I had two identical machines going, with identical hardware). And that includes cables, hard drives, RAM modules, DVD drives, and anything else that could be swapped, just to try to identify and isolate a problem in case it arose from a malfunctioning cable or component.

Whether you can understand that or not, that was (and is, and always will be) an entirely logical, reasonable, common-sense approach. And it only takes a few seconds to try it. A DVD drive doesn't even need to be mounted in the computer, to do a simple SATA cable swap; it can be resting on some books next to the machine.

The bottom line is, I showed up here, as a person with a lot of scientific, engineering, and technical skill and experience, trying to raise a serious question and do some genuine good. Why? Because I grew up and learned a useful set of skills when kids my age worked on cars, and learned to use tools, so they could build things, and fix things. And now, I live in a wonderful home, with a pool, hot tub, ping-pong/pool table, 65 inch TV, and pretty much everything I want in ife, with a deck and a backyard that looks out over a wooded ravine, where we only see trees, instead of neighbors' houses, when the leaves are out, during the summer. To make life even nicer, I've got a beautiful, exceptionally intelligent, and remarkably successful wife, and two great kids (one a college graduate who has a professional career, and one still in high school, making straight A's). So, life is good, to a guy like me. I try hard, and I work hard. I can figure things out, and get 'em to work the way I want.

As for you? You really do come across as the kind of loser who lives in a basement and plays way too many violent video games, where the only goal is to keep shooting more and more imaginary things. The kind of loser who spews snide, sarcastic, and snarky comments on boards like these (and in every other place where he thinks he can get away with it), to try to vent some of his frustration and anger which grows out of the fact that no one will pay any serious attention to him in real life (and with good reason).

Instead of contributing anything with any value, or utility, or benefit, of any sort, in this thread, you have done your level best to abuse it, damage it, and drag it down to a lower level.

And, on top of that, pretty much every "diagnosis" you have ever made has been just plain, flat wrong. In complete seriousness, you really do seem to have a serious problem, with cognition and reasoning, which just makes your snarkiness even worse. You're just not coming up with any accurate analyses, or correct answers. And, the kind of combination you're showing, where incompetence get smixed with arrogance, really is a toxic combination. Working with a lot of people over the years, I've learned to deal with incompetence, and I've learned to deal with arrogance. But the kind of peole who combine incompetence, with arrogance, really do end up causing nothing but trouble, and problems, and the only way to deal with them is to get away from them.

Dude, I've got better things to do, than to deal with a snide, snot-faced snark like you. You're not going to change. So, just go fsnark yourself.

This thread isn't getting any better. I'm gone. Bye.

And, BTW, genuine thanks to anyone who contributed anything of any actual value.

Instead of a entire DVD component swap as claimed before, now it's "a simple SATA cable swap."

Mr. "Attorney" with "35 years of computer experience," let me explain just how much dumber this premise you hold so dear and defend so insistently has just become:

If one had the slightest clue and actually, for whatever bizarre reason, thought that a DVD ROM/Writer/Etc. had something to do with their Windows Update hosing their XP O/S machine, they would JUST PULL *ONE END* OF THE CABLE OFF of either the component or the motherboard.

See, it's obvious you don't know that awful much about computers, so no one can help you because you have all the answers. Go back and count up how many lines of text you have thrown up here, all repetitive junk and mostly utter nonsense.

Moderator if you could give patenter123 the last word and then please, please, kill this thread.

To Patenter123 and others.

I've had to delete a post from this thread by http://www.cnet.com/profile/jackkevin1990/

He included a link which I had missed before to a suspect web site. He's posted this before elsewhere and so all his posts, including this one, are now deleted.

There were a number of replies under this post from various posters but they all were deleted as child posts to the one I have just removed.

Sorry.

This discussion has run its course so I am locking it.

I see no reason for this same topic to be discussed any time soon.

Mark