Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Windows & Its Useless Help System

I know this isn't Linux related but I figured I would rant about it because of the current Windows to UNIX DNS migration I am performing for one of our clients.

It never ceases to amaze me how 100% accurate Windows Help is but 100% useless it is.

For instance, I have around 2,000 domains to delete from the Windows primary and secondary DNS servers. I figured it would be easier to filter by TLD or ccTLD and delete all the domains for those TLDs that have been migrated over to the UNIX DNS server.

I brought up the filter dialog, which has limited filtering capabilities but usable, and tried to filter by names containing the TLD or ccTLD in the same manner as performing a find files in Windows Explorer, however, once I clicked OK it just refreshed the display and showed all domains on the server.

I figured I would pull up the help to see if there is a special syntax that has to be used for filtering but I didn't find any (no surprise). The only thing I found in the help is basic knowledge that all sys admins or experienced computer users should know. For instance, how to click on a menu and select the item you want.

The sad thing is Windows Help has been 100% useless since I used my first PC in 1993.

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