>So I tried to decompress the VStudio ServicePak 1 today. I had it on a Novell 4.1 server, trying to decompress to the same server.
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>The message the installer gave me was: "The cluster size in this system is not supported" -- yet it works on C:
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>THIS IS INSANE! There is NO REASON that ANY user-level software should care what the cluster size is, unless it directly deals with the disk (scandisk, etc). NONE. Microsoft recognizes this as a Novell disk, and refuses to decompress there.

Tim, by chance is your Netware volume compressed? If so, LOTS of things (not just Microsoft's) will refuse to work, in that Novell incorrectly reports the target system's disk characteristics to some Win32 API calls that almost EVERYONE uses when determining if there's sufficient room to install their app on the target system. IOW, Novell screwed the pooch not Microsoft.

BTW, even Novell admits that they screwed up badly implementing volume compression under NW 4.1; it behaves worse under the Novell Client32 than under Microsoft's client becuase of the type of NCP packets used by Client32.

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>I am once more DISGUSTED by Microsoft's tactics and operations. The last straw is expecting that I'd be dumb-enough to accept that it was a disk error and go on with my life. I tried it on multiple Novell servers. same result.
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>I'm sorry, but this REALLY riles me up. Especially when the majority of MS stuff is CRAP anyway. Especially their server software. When I try to excercise a choice, and use a better product, I get an error that can ONLY have been put there intentionally. I know this because I just copied it back to the Novell Server and installed it - it went without hitches.
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>People need to stand up to Microsoft and let them know that we won't stand for their ridiculous games, and petty quarrels with other companies. They can either make a competitive product, or die like the other makers of crappy software.

I think that -maybe- you're mad at the wrong people. FWIW, VS installs fine to a NetWare volume under 3.12 or 4.1 in bindery emulation mode, and the Service Pack runs just fine.

Ed (I hate Novell with a passion exceeding your hatred of M$)

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>Tim