I am getting a new desktop soon, and wondering about the operating system. Are there any disadvantages to Windows 8? Windows 7? My old one is XP, but I am feared it will die soon. thanks in advance.
if you are used to XP go for Win7
win8 is absolutely horrible if you dont have a touchscreen - and even then its only marginal
I had a hard time finding a desktop with 7 in my price range. So, I went with 8.
Very fast boot time!
As said, the Start Screen is horrid. I don't know why anyone (not running it on a tablet)would want to use it. It makes my head hurt.
I downloaded Classic Shell. It bypasses the start screen and gives you your start button back. All is well with me and 8.
Go with XP unless you like heartburn and frustation.
John Harmon
I agree, but XP will no longer be supported by MS after June 2014 I think is the time frame. XP as far as I'm concerned was and is the best Windows OS. A lot easier to do things in XP than in Windows 7. Win 7 has too many quirks to get used to.
If you get stuck with a Windows 8 computer, I have read that Microsoft will let you downgrade back to Windows 7 Professional (as long as you have Windows 8 Professional). Once you have Win7 Pro, you can download (free) the Virtual XP computer that installs an XP icon on your Win7 desktop. If you have old software that will not run in a 64-bit environment, you can load it into the Virtual XP computer - it's the best of both worlds. Read more here: http://www.howtogeek.com/133168/how-to-downgrade-windows-8-pro-to-windows-7/
You can get windows 8 and download free app that let it feel like Windows 7. Then you will be working in a desktop type environment. Pretty slick.
Hard to find one without windows 8.
> Hard to find one without windows 8.
Dell's business line of computers and workstations still offer Win7.