Microsoft Windows

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rob
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Joined: Sat 06 Sep, 2003 12.01
Location: Overton, Hampshire
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I like Windows XP - because I find it easy to use and the interface is very good. It is simple to navigate around and it is easy to do basic tasks. Also, you do not get 'This program has performed an illegal operation' messages and I find mine does not crash very often at all.

I used to use Windows 95 - it became very slow - probably because I had a lot of stuff on there - but I did find it a nice operating system and I do prefer it to Windows 95. The only real advantage for switching from 95 to 98 is if you are going to go on the internet becuase 98 is better for that. As I didn't need the internet I stuck with 95 until I got XP about a year and a half ago.
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cwathen
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Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 17.28

system and I do prefer it to Windows 95. The only real advantage for switching from 95 to 98 is if you are going to go on the internet becuase 98 is better for that.
98 also had FAT32 and USB support, which were only supported on the OSR2 release of 95, which was never available in the shops. 98SE also supports WDM drivers, which a lot of new hardware drivers are written in.

As for internet support, there wasn't really much difference, it was just that 98 was better equipped to connected to the internet out of the box. The original Windows 95 didn't install the TCP/IP stack by default, and didn't come with a decent web browser (either nothing or IE1 or 2 - both virtually identical). The dialler had a couple of cosmetic differences (different icon in the system tray etc) but was functionally identical.

The OSR2 release did have the dialler which would eventually be used in 98 (although the '2 computers' system tray icon was a slightly more embryonic version) and did come with IE3 (the first version of IE that was actually useful).

Of course today the IE that comes with Windows 95 and 98 is outdated (except possibly 98SE where IE5 is still perfectly useable) anyway so you'd need to upgrade, and IE4 and above automatically installs the TCP/IP stack if it hasn't allready been done and adds the internet setup wizard to Windows 95, so the contemporary experience of getting an internet connection up on both operating systems would be identical.

There is however quite a huge divide between ease of internet configuration on NT4 and 2000, with 2000 being just as simple as a home version of Windows, but NT4 being a nightmare to configure for the internet.
MarkN
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Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 19.39
Location: South Wales

Badger Badger wrote:Also, you do not get 'This program has performed an illegal operation' messages
No... I'd heard that they had changed the wording of the message especially for Windoze XP.

:roll: ;-)
DJGM
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Location: Manchester
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MarkN wrote:
Badger Badger wrote: Also, you do not get 'This program has performed an illegal operation' messages
No... I'd heard that they had changed the wording of the message especially for Windoze XP.

:roll: ;-)
Indeed. IF IE6 crashes on Windows XP, you'll get an error dialog whicch says . . .
Whoever created the error messages for Windows XP wrote: iexplore.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close.
We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Please tell Microsoft about this problem.
James Martin
Posts: 1011
Joined: Sun 15 Feb, 2004 19.26

lol thats always amused me - lets make it friendly!

Some modern Microisoft products will do this on earlier versions of Windows
MarkN
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Location: South Wales

Whoever created the error messages for Windows XP wrote:Please tell Microsoft about this problem.
Is this Microsoft, the listening software manufacturer?
Cheese Head
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Joined: Fri 15 Aug, 2003 13.39
Location: Rockhampton, Australia

Then they ask to send a report, which doesnt help your system when its struggling to relaunch windows.
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