Since going Mac in October 2006 my encyclopedic knowledge of horrible Windows dialogs is getting rusty. Lucky me, almost every time I have to deal with a Windows XP machine I also see the worst dialog ever:
“ALERT: You just inserted a disk of some sort with files of some kind, would you like to… [annoying list of possible actions].”
In my long experience with Windows I don’t recall the “Always do the selected action” box ever remembering my preference. Note that this is the dialog when you insert a disk with “pictures”. If your disk has music, video, office documents, or a mix of file types, you get a different batch of possible actions, but the action you probably want (either “take no action” or “open folder”) is at the bottom of the list and usually requires some scrolling to see. Did I mention that this dialog NEVER remembers your preferences?
This dialog is the worst ever because it:
- shows up every time you do something routine (inserting a disk)
- never presents consistent options
- fails to honor the sacred trust of the “Remember preferences” checkbox
- is obviously supposed to “help” unsophisticated users, but will just confuse and annoy millions from now until the end of the universe
What’s your least favorite software dialog?
5 Comments ↓
I f’n hate that window!!! >:(
I pops up every time i plug in, or turn on my external HD.
Best way to kill that thing that I know of is with Tweak UI.
Just press Shift while inserting the CD! For me is kind of a reflex now. I just remember not to do it when I want to use one of those actions (namely, when all I want to do is write an ISO image to the CD, or when I want to get the pictures from my camera).
Cheers,
David
Oh David, bless you, may your offspring ever people the earth. This has deviled me for years, thanks for the easy fix — d
It’s funny that you say this. I’ve been seeing this dialog for years and never really considered it for even a second. It’s just one of those things I click through and never notice. I fear that now I’ll notice it (and get annoyed) every time it pops up…