Microsoft Windows

Windows Versions | Hardware Issues | Windows Experience Rating
Life-cycle of Support | Customizing & Tweaking | Security & Patches
Windows Support Resources | Learning More

New Windows User?

If you are new to Windows, you might want to have a look at the Windows Basics page to learn more about some of the terminology used on this site and others.

History

The first widely-used version of Windows was Windows 3.1, which was a DOS (command-line operating system) add-on. Windows 95 was next, beginning the move away from DOS into more and more sophisticated operating systems that were designed for easier use by ordinary folks. It gave us the Start button and most of the layout features that show up on the Windows we use today, although many of these have been greatly refined.

Windows Vista introduced the transparency of Windows Aero with larger icons and was a significant step towards better security in Windows which was refined in Windows 7 along with new productivity features. Both are a result of more powerful hardware displaying on larger flat screen monitors. Unfortunately, both releases include crippled versions (Vista Basic and Windows 7 Starter Edition) which enable them to run on older hardware, but lacked ease of use and suffered from poor performance.

Windows Versions

Windows comes in several versions, usually separated by chronological release date. Starting with Windows XP there were also different flavours (called editions) aimed at various users.

Current Windows Versions

The versions of Windows currently available (links go to separate pages with more detail about that version) are:

Future Windows Versions

The first looks at Windows 8 demonstrate the first major shift in the Windows platform we've seen since Windows 5 was released. Remember, this is an advance model that is probably a year away from consumer availability and there is still uncertainty about what it will or will not be there.

The first thing you'll notice, though, is the colourful graphics and sort of experience we've become used to on our smart phones and touch pads. From a developer's perspective, the use of HTML 5 and JavaScript (the programs used to build websites) could potentially open Windows 8 programing to more people. How much a company like Microsoft (which has closed much of its programming) will actually make their operating system available to the same sort of opportunities currently enjoyed with open source is yet to be seen.

Legacy Windows Versions

Legacy versions of Windows are obsolete because they are no longer supported (and therefore more vulnerable).

These include Windows NT and Windows 2000 (were aimed primarily at a business market) as well as Windows 95, 98 and Me — sometimes collectively referred to as Windows 9x — (were aimed primarily at the home user).

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Hardware

New Hardware Performs Better

Each generation of Windows is more demanding of hardware than previously so recent hardware is generally going to outperform older (particularly legacy) hardware. Here's some of the reasons why:

Flat screen displays have largely replaced CRT (tube) monitors except for CRTs larger than 21 inches because:

The Future? We're using the tablet format that we've become used to on our iPads and smart phones

32- or 64-bit?

Both current hardware and software is broken into 32- and 64-bit classes (older 4-, 8- and 16-bit classes are obsolete). The larger number of bits allows more information to be simultaneously transferred.

If you run 64-bit software, you'll need to be sure your hardware is 64-bit and you'll notice that there are some programs that no longer run in the 64-bit environment such as 32-bit programs that were built for Windows 98 or earlier. More importantly, not all hardware has 64-bit drivers and many older devices won't run in 64-bit environments at all.

64-bit Not Ready Fully Developed

While 64-bit hardware can address much more memory at a time, most software is not yet available in a 64-bit version.

For example, 64-bit Windows 7 comes with 32- and 64-bit versions of Internet Explorer (and you can download 64-bit versions of Firefox) but few of the plugins like Flash are available for 64-bit browsers (64-bit Java is an exception), limiting their practical use at this time.

As a result, few people will benefit from 64-bit hardware. However, the investment in future potential suggests that it will benefit you to purchase 64-bit hardware. As more people demand 64-bit software (and as Windows XP machines begin to be replaced) there should be much more software that takes advantage of this hardware.

64-bit Advantages

Generally, a 64-bit version of Windows has the following advantages:

64-bit Disadvantages

The disadvantages include the following:

Learning More

The differences between 32- or 64-bit are slightly technical, but the following resources can help answer most of your questions:

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Windows Experience Rating

Beginning with Windows Vista, Microsoft has provided a tool to assess the hardware on a Windows computer. Various hardware elements are measured and rated (higher is better).

The Windows Experience Rating
Component: What's Rated:
Processor: Calculations per second
Memory (RAM): Memory operations per second
Graphics: Desktop performance for Windows Aero
Gaming graphics: 3D business and gaming graphics performance
Primary hard disk: Disk data transfer rate

The account of my personal experience with Windows 7 lists two real-world examples of the Windows Experience Rating system.

Check for Recommended Requirements

Most programs tell you what is required to run them. Ensure that you have the recommended capability rather than the minimum requirements to ensure that you can run the program as intended and to avoid frustration with slow responding programs.

Speeding Up Windows

The quickest way to speed up Windows is to add more RAM and to control the number of unnecessary functions starting with Windows, particularly those showing in the taskbar to the right near the clock. Almost every program now is configured to start with Windows but this can be altered in the options for each program.

These articles and utilities can help to speed up your Windows:

CCleaner - Freeware Windows Optimization

Checking Gaming Hardware Capability

You can run a quick check of your hardware to see if you meet the system requirements.

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Windows Life-cycle of Support

Microsoft has a stated support life-cycle policy which means they will cease to support a particular version of Windows or Internet Explorer within a predictable time period after its release.

Generally Microsoft policy provides for a minimum of 10 years support for business products (5 years of mainstream support and 5 years of extended support) whereas consumer products don't have extended support available so are limited to 5 years.

Windows XP an Exception

Windows XP proved to be an exception in that both Home and Professional versions seem to have been deemed to have the same lifespan (exact end-of-support dates can sometimes be a moving target).

The Windows Life-cycle of Support
Windows Version: Mainstream Support:* Extended Support:*
Windows 95, 98, Millennium Edition, NT & 2000 Expired Expired
Windows XP Home Edition April 14, 2009 April 8, 2014
Windows XP Professional April 14, 2009 April 8, 2014
Windows Vista Basic, Premium, Ultimate April 10, 2012 Operating systems designed for consumers do not have an Extended phase
Windows Vista Business April 10, 2012 April 11, 2017
Windows 7 Starter, Premium, Ultimate Undetermined Operating systems designed for consumers do not have an Extended phase
Windows Vista Business Undetermined Undetermined

*Support terminology as defined by Microsoft:

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Customizing Windows

A number of the resources have been moved to the Windows XP page as they either don't apply to more recent versions of Windows or are inaccurate for those versions (written before their release).

Tweaking Settings

This involves changing the way Windows does certain tasks such as not placing the annoying "shortcut to" text in the name of new shortcuts. You can tell a shortcut by the little arrow placed on the icon (and you can remove that arrow as well).

Windows Registry

Windows registry is a very complex file where Windows and programs keep track of preferences, settings and other information. Always take care when editing the registry (and back it up before making changes) because incorrect entries can make Windows unbootable or stop programs from working.

Changing the Look

These changes are more visual than functional, although many can add or enhance features already found in Windows, particularly in the newer versions. Customization can run from changing the default icons, colour schemes and wallpaper to fully redesigning the look of Windows.

Object Desktop

As you might have noticed, Object Desktop (US$49.95) is probably the best route to take as it provides a whole set of tools and addons to customize your Windows. It gives you a one-year subscription with all the updates for that year being free (after which you get to keep whatever is installed), and provides for a discount on other packages such as the Toon-XP [with Object Desktop Discount] (US$7.95—regularly US$8.95).

I've owned Object Desktop for a number of years and find many of the features valuable additions. Strongly recommended for those with a desire to customize their desktop's look and feel. Object Desktop provides an extremely customizable and powerful tool set to accomplish pretty much anything you want to change both the looks but also underlying functionality in Windows.

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Windows Support Resources

Significant Microsoft Sites

Other Windows Resource Sites

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Learning More

For New Windows Users

Current Windows Versions

The following related pages offer information about specific versions of Windows currently in use:

General Windows Information

The following related pages offer general information about Windows:

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www.russharvey.bc.ca/resources/windows.html
Updated: February 6, 2012