For some unknown reason, Windows Vista is reporting that it cannot authorize my copy of Windows Vista Ultimate, that my Product Key is already in use. I’m not sure what the root of this is. Regardless, here’s a little support site UX humor.

After clicking through a few screens to try to resolve the problem, Vista took me to the “Windows Vista Solution Center.” On this page, there are several links to articles.

Here’s the one that blew me away: Number four of nine under “Installing and upgrading > Before installing or upgrading” : Opening the Windows Vista box.” I think the new Vista and Office boxes are a pain to open and simply not user friendly. Akin to wrestling with arcane CD packaging. Apparently, I wasn’t alone. But, to have a specific article about it? I clicked on it to see what the support site had to say about opening the box. Sure enough, an article on how to open the box.

It’s a three step processed, outlined in the article complete with pictures. The funniest part: At the top of the article, under the heading “Opening the Windows Vista box”, there is a helpful tips section that readys “Applies to all editions of Windows Vista.” It also includes a handy link to “Which edition of Windows Vista am I using?” So lets back up a bit, set the stage, and play the part of some sorry person who can’t open the box (regardless of how good or bad the packaging is).

1. A purchaser of Windows Vista cannot open the Windows Vista box (not good). They go to Microsoft’s support center to get help.
2. The page lets them know that the article which they are about to read applies to all editions of Windows Vista.
3. Directly below that declaration, even though the article applies to all versions of Vista, is a link to determine which edition of Windows Vista they are using.
4. Clicking on that link takes the already confused user to the support article “Find which edition of Windows Vista you are using.”
5. This page declares that the article “Applies to : Ultimate” below the title and again includes the link to find out which version of Windows Vista you are running (which, as we’ve mentioned, is the page we’re already on). Let’s ignore that for now, and find out what version of Windows Vista we’re running.
6. The article instructs: Just “Open Welcome Center by clicking on the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System Maintenance, and then clicking Welcome Center. The edition of Windows Vista you are running is displayed with your computer details near the top of the window.”

That all sounds great, but our theoretical troubled user hasn’t even opened the box yet, never mind install the operating system. At least there is a “Was this helpful?” link at the bottom of the article.

 

Tags: Boot Camp, Microsoft, Operating Systems, Usability, User Experience, Vista, Windows

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