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What is the verdict on Windows 8?

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For the benefit of others reading this, there are several factual inaccuracies in Neostarwcc's post. Windows XP updates have not stopped and will not stop for another year, so until second half of 2014 for Windows XP. As for Windows 7 updates, they will be available until 2020 as opposed to 2023 for Windows 8.

Windows 98 was not "one of the most stable operating systems of all time." If anyone has a personal preference for Windows 98, they will be limited to a much smaller percentage of programs running on it, in comparison to Windows XP and the way to have Windows 98 run stable is similar to pretty much the only way to have Windows Me run stable and that is to install those OS's as part of a multi boot on relatively small partitions. Then after setting things the way you like them to be, immediately image the OS partition. That way you can nuke and reimage, which is what I used to do all the time to have Windows 98 and even Windows Me run as stable as the still supported Windows XP.



So back to the real solution:

Since Windows 8.1's Start Button is *not* a real start button and was designed to sling you right back into Metro Tiles you tried to escape from, installing Classic Shell using this link
http://www.classicshell.net/ is a must.
Beware of other imposter links that have popped up to scam people out of $, real Classic Shell does not charge money, only fake Classic Shell versions do.

You can then spend time modifying things to look like any of the previous OS. It can be done.

One of the things that cannot be modified under Windows 7/8 without breaking other parts is you can't disable auto-arrange under them. In their wisdom, Microsoft developers made Auto-arrange mandatory and so you cannot move and group files or folders on different parts of the screen anywhere except on Desktop.

So if you need to do this for work, dual booting with Windows XP is the only real solution.

[Scroll Down and use any Name & Email to Download this freeware] http://neosmart.net/download.php?id=1 to help you get into another OS in a couple of minutes. Simply checking the default OS, makes it the default OS, you don't even have to click on Save Settings after that:
 

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All that and you forgot to mention Winders 2000 ?? :facepalm:


ME =2000. It was called windows ME silly :p Not responding to the inaccuracies as I thought they stopped making updates for Windows XP a while ago. You proved me wrong so nothing to say really on that front.

Don't we not have direct X updates for windows XP though? I'm pretty sure 9.0 is the latest Direct X available for XP. SP3 was the last service pack and that came out in 06 that's mostly what I was talking about when I said that they stopped making updates. And isn't most of today's hardware (sata hard drives ...etc) not compatible with it? And isn't most of the updates that are currently being made for Windows XP just security updates? I also never claimed that they stopped making updates for windows 7 so I don't know where that came from we're getting a new service pack soon. Times may have changed I never claimed to be 100% accurate.
 
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• Windows Me is a Windows 98-based OS notorious for its instability.
• Windows 2000 is a Windows NT-based and much more stable OS.

Windows Me and Windows 2000 are two very different operating systems.


• There will be no Service Pack for Windows 7.


• Windows XP should really be part of a Windows 8/Windows XP dual boot, rather than a single OS used because not all software today can run on Windows XP and the latest DirectX versions tend to be only available for newest OS only.

There are ways to get around various incompatibilities. Just like you can make Windows 8 look like Windows 98 if you want, it takes time and your willingness to spend that time to run a modified system. Start a thread and ask specific questions how it can be done.


I am running a quadruple boot, Windows XP is part of it and has access to all my SATA drives, from my small SSD on which Windows XP is installed to my extrnal 4TB drive for which Seagate made an adapter making it compatible with Windows XP.

Having Windows XP as part of your multi-boot EXPANDS your compatibility because I can reboot into Windows XP and run older hardware not compatible with Windows 7/8.


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ME =2000. It was called windows ME silly :p Not responding to the inaccuracies as I thought they stopped making updates for Windows XP a while ago. You proved me wrong so nothing to say really on that front.

Don't we not have direct X updates for windows XP though? I'm pretty sure 9.0 is the latest Direct X available for XP. SP3 was the last service pack and that came out in 06 that's mostly what I was talking about when I said that they stopped making updates. And isn't most of today's hardware (sata hard drives ...etc) not compatible with it? And isn't most of the updates that are currently being made for Windows XP just security updates? I also never claimed that they stopped making updates for windows 7 so I don't know where that came from we're getting a new service pack soon. Times may have changed I never claimed to be 100% accurate.
Windows ME /= Windows 2K.

ME - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_ME
2K - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000

W2K was more business than home though, but they are different. People liked W2K is one huge difference! :rofl:

WXP does not support DX10+ API without a hack (and even that I am not sure worked. I am not sure why, but I thought it was some kind of OS incompatibility.

You said said W7 isn't having any more updates...:shrug:
They've even stopped making updates for Windows 7 and it hasn't even been a year yet...
Perhaps you meant Windows 8? I don't know, but both W7 and W8 are still updating. :)

Understand Neo, when you post without disclaimers as you did in the previous post, you are posting it as fact. While you 'never claim to be 100% accurate', your post was written as if it were a fact. If you are not certain, just say so (I think, I believe, IIRC, etc). Otherwise, if there is misinformation, the users here will tend to correct it...We all want to make sure that anyone reading these posts are well informed. :thup: :grouphug:
 
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Windows ME /= Windows 2K.


W2K was more business than home though, but they are different. People liked W2K is one huge difference! :rofl:

W2K was a gimme on a MS beta rollout which is how I ran into NT for the first time and after all the headaches of 98 & ME it was a blessing.....whew ! I thought W3.1 & 95 were better than those two....:cool: And it networked much easier too.....yeehawww!:attn:
 
Will do I'll take that into consideration in the future.

So, ignoring windows 8's horrible features now like the start menu and inability to organize things, what are the pluses to windows 8? Besides the disks making good bb-gun practice. Those AOL Trial CDs we got in the mail were way better for shooting practice (and coasters) anyway.

This performance increase I keep hearing about, is it really that significant over Windows 7? I didn't really notice a difference when I bought Windows 8 on launch. Is there anyway we can get rid of having to make 100,000 shortcuts to have basic functionality in our computers? Any security updates over windows 7? Anything I didn't think of asking?

Sell me into the like $150 upgrade again.
 
You should not spend any money on upgrading to Windows 8 today.

You should choose Windows 8 IF you are installing from scratch and can choose between what to install, everything being equal.

1. Classic Shell makes Metro available with a single click - not forced on you by default - there goes the only reason I know of for most people NOT TO GO with Windows 8.

2. Whoever inherits your system gets extra three years of Windows updates. Win8 end of life will be longer than Win7. 2023 vs 2020.

3. Mostly small stuff such as ability to pause/continue copy-paste operations. Somewhat snappier performance. If we can demonstrate that Windows 8 does boot faster (even if it is only a couple of seconds faster than Windows 7), and we can demonstrate that on a completely equal dual-boot system, if people then say "well what's a few seconds, I don't care." Well then install Windows 7 from scratch and wait an extra second or two for your system to load and be happy like that. The rational question should be "what do I loose by installing Windows 8?"

That gets us into what RAM and CPU usage advantages are, multi-monitor advantages, future touch screen application advantages, lost of other stuff people say they "don't really need' but why would I go and install Windows 7 from scratch when maybe in the future I may want to check out a Metro App? Classic Shell makes Windows 8 look like Windows 7 and with a simple SHIFT+CLICK on the Start Menu, I get the OPTION (just the option) of Metro. Why give that up, why not have the option if there is no downside?

The downside would be if you abandoned a perfectly-working Windows 7 to UPGRADE, do not do that, but from scratch? Go with Windows 8 and if not, then why not?


So some things you probably don't need but get anyway are:

Better Task Manager
Improved Task Bar management
Better file transfer management
Better multi-monitor and projector support (recognizes multiple configurations automatically)
Starts/shuts down faster
Recovers from sleep faster
Recovers from hibernation faster
Better battery life
Better biometrics integration
Better touch integration
Installs faster
HYPER-V
Better printer recognition during installation
People mostly agree that it seems more stable overall on average
 
Here's a reason not to go with 8:

There are mandatory-to-watch video ads in Freecell and Minesweeper. :p
 
... was wondering what people think about IE 11.
A lot of us judge a browser by the add-ons available for them. Sometimes we are not happy with Firefox but it still has the most and best add-ons to customize the browsing experience.

I am not sure that version of IE should influence your decision but it is a bonus.
 
A lot of us judge a browser by the add-ons available for them. Sometimes we are not happy with Firefox but it still has the most and best add-ons to customize the browsing experience.

I am not sure that version of IE should influence your decision but it is a bonus.
c627627 thanks, I had used Firefox some time ago & I really can't remember why I quit using it.
 
c627627 thanks, I had used Firefox some time ago & I really can't remember why I quit using it.

I quit using it on my Android phone because damn it, Firefox, you have no business running at startup and drain my battery while I'm not even using Firefox, or recording things from the microphone and camera, or using GPS. I am very impatiently awaiting an Android release where I can pick and choose which specific permissions (in an officially supported manner) I would like to grant any app.

IE11 is quite nice, for those sites that force you to use IE (like the training site for the company I'm starting work for in a month). I would never use it for daily use, as I like my AdBlock and NoScript and RequestPolicy :)
 
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