I'm still going to say that I personally believe Windows 8 is better than XP and 7. I bought Windows 8 Pro within a couple months of launch, while it was still $40. I never had an issue with 8 Pro though I felt like 8.1 was a nice update, but only when I had to update my mom's new computer that came loaded with regular 8 and was touch screen. I then got my touchscreen laptop for college and have been using the standard version of 8.1 since then. My only gripes would be that the profile options like logout and the such are not on the desktop, but that is a minor issue. I also am not a huge fan of the color scheme with the tiles and find that the Windows Store app takes forvever to load but I rarely use it. Other apps work fine although the pictures app was annoying for importing pictures until I adjusted some of the settings.
As for stability, I have never had any issues, unlike XP or 7 machines I have dealt with. Too many BSODs on those.

__________________
Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

Install this. Dont look back.
Classic Shell - Start menu and other Windows enhancements

I have three or four 8.1 machines at home. Each of them has either classic shell or StarDock's solution.

__________________
Cruise Control not working? Send me PM or email ([email protected]). I might be able to help out.
Check here for compatibility, diagnostics, and availability!

(4/11/2020: Hi Everyone! I am still taking orders and replying to emails/PMs/etc, I appreciate your patience in these crazy times. Stay safe and healthy!)


82 300SD 145k
89 420SEL 210k
89 560SEL 118k
90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010
90 560SEL 154k
91 300D 2.5 Turbo. 241k
93 190E 3.0 235k
93 300E 195k

Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates Don't Talk Anymore, Report Says

Though Ballmer was the best man at Gates' wedding in 1994, the enmity between the two goes back at least to 2001. At their wives' request that year, the two had a "really awkward, terrible dinner," as Ballmer describes it, that resulted in a détente. At the time, Ballmer had been CEO of Microsoft for a year, but Gates was still a strong presence at the company. "I didn't feel completely in charge until Bill left [entirely in 2008]," Ballmer says in the profile.

Big day tomorrow for the folks from Redmond.

First Windows 10 mobile preview, due in February, key to Microsoft's OneCore vision | ZDNet

A faster IE . . . probably a bit late to win back users, no?

For the first year it will be a free upgrade for current Windows 7 and 8.1 users, incluidng mobile. The investors were not impressed and share price dropped after the announcement.

Well a slight correction . . .

Terry Myerson, executive vice president of the operating systems group, said that anyone running Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows Phone 8.1 will be able to upgrade for free to Windows 10 in the first year after the operating system launches. And he noted that it's not just a one-time upgrade -- Windows will continue to be upgraded for free for the life of the device.

Assuming it is an upgrade and doesn't (say) try to ram kloud-krap services down users' gullets with a sharp stick. Windows 8/8.1 was a downgrade over Windows 7. Let's hope that 10 will actually improve things.

FWIW, it does seem like an improvement and doesn't do anything horrible like disallowing local accounts. And the update/revision control is actually better than in Win 7 and 8.x.

Wonder if Win7 users will be able to jump over Win8/Win8.x and go directly to Win9 or Win10. That capability may be limited to "professional" series users.

I haven't bothered to look as I'm typing this on a new Win7 laptop that arrived yesterday.

Says a lot about my desire to move beyond Win7....huh.

__________________
Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"

Once you remove the metroUI bs, I prefer Windows 8 over Windows 7.

-They finally put native windows taskbars on multiple monitors.
-Once you get used to it the ribbon Windows Explorer is actually nice.
-I do like the new file transfer dialog as it shows you a graph of the transfer speed
-Boot times are pretty quick
-New task manager is an improvement over Windows 7's.

I don't use any of the cloud crap. Just a local account. No metro stuff, I put on Classic Start.

For a long time I did not see a need/reason to move from Windows 7, but some time ago I installed it one a freshly built computer and gave it a shot. Metro got in the way so I gave Stardock's Start8 a try and haven't look back. I only have 2 Windows 7 machines left out of the 8-10 that I have running. I do have one linux machine, used to have two, moved the second over to Windows 8 around xmas

__________________
Cruise Control not working? Send me PM or email ([email protected]). I might be able to help out.
Check here for compatibility, diagnostics, and availability!

(4/11/2020: Hi Everyone! I am still taking orders and replying to emails/PMs/etc, I appreciate your patience in these crazy times. Stay safe and healthy!)


82 300SD 145k
89 420SEL 210k
89 560SEL 118k
90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010
90 560SEL 154k
91 300D 2.5 Turbo. 241k
93 190E 3.0 235k
93 300E 195k

Microsoft's Windows 10: How the SKUs will skew | ZDNet

Yes, there will be multiple "flavors" of Win X

Wonder if they'll try and market it as Win X?

__________________
You're a daisy if you do.
__________________________________
84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

A bit more "fine print" about the free Win 10 offer from MS. It's free for all 7 and 8 users, except Enterprise versions. Presumably those users will get it from their "Enterprise." This appears to be more of an upgrade rather than a complete system trashing, since it will require that the Windows Upgrade feature be turned on and MS warns of possible "ISP charges" resulting from what is likely to be a massive download.

Fine Print:

*It is our intent that most of these devices will qualify, but some hardware/software requirements apply and feature availability may vary by device. Devices must be connected to the internet and have Windows Update enabled. ISP fees may apply. Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 Update required. Some editions are excluded: Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise, and Windows RT/RT 8.1. Active Software Assurance customers in volume licensing have the benefit to upgrade to Windows 10 enterprise offerings outside of this offer. We will be sharing more information and additional offer terms in coming months.

Does that imply that RT is dead? Good riddance.

I hope that it will be polite and ASK Win 7 users before updating to Windows 10 once the final release is out. Forced upgrades would be a nightmare to anyone who actually cares about software compatibility and who doesn't want to burn 5 GB of bandwidth over (say) an aircard.

Microsoft is no longer building the RT tablets. They are on clearance at different sites along with the Acer, Lenovo and other brands.

From that press conference meeting thing they had a few weeks ago they said RT would get an update. They didn't say it would get Windows 10 update but just an update.

__________________
Cruise Control not working? Send me PM or email ([email protected]). I might be able to help out.
Check here for compatibility, diagnostics, and availability!

(4/11/2020: Hi Everyone! I am still taking orders and replying to emails/PMs/etc, I appreciate your patience in these crazy times. Stay safe and healthy!)


82 300SD 145k
89 420SEL 210k
89 560SEL 118k
90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010
90 560SEL 154k
91 300D 2.5 Turbo. 241k
93 190E 3.0 235k
93 300E 195k

Based on a ARM processor, the RT tablets are not getting Win 10, just an update to port some features. I guess it will make a nice booked to anyone's Zune player and Pocket PC.