Goodbye 7; I'm sorry XP, take me back

D

Drunkard #1

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My HDD died a few weeks ago:cry:, so I chucked in a few new drives, and decided to "upgrade" from XP x64 to 7 x64. I don't like it. Can anyone give me a good reason to keep 7, otherwise I'm going back to XP.

For:

To me, 7 seems less stable (XP was rock solid).
Fax console has been replaced by Windows Fax and Scan, which is utter crap, along with the cover page editor.
I don't like the transparent program bars.
Net Limiter 2 doesn't run on 7
The improvements I was hoping for didn't materialise. (I was hoping to run Office 2010 in 64 bit, but the 64 bit version doesn't support a few of the features that I use. I also wanted to switch from yawcam to the Microsoft software for my webcam, but as it turns out, yawcam is better.)
Yesterday, some security guard stopped me from saving a batch file to a program directory.
I don't know where anything is.
I don't like having to scroll through the start menu's program folder to find my stuff. I have a 24" screen FFS, let me see all my programs at once
I don't like the new task bar. I want my task bar shortcuts separated from my running apps. If I've got explorer running, and I want to open another explorer window, I don't want to have to right click to do it.
Other stuff.

Against:

Installing OSs is like having a marlin hook shoved through your nose. Removing them is like having it ripped out.
I might not be able to run the latest software (in the future).

What would you do?
 
I quite like Windows 7. It takes a long time to get used to any new OS. I suggest just persevering and getting used to it. Windows XP is a mature OS so it feels more stable, as Windows 7 matures it will just get better.
 
I went back to XP on 2 computers at home. Work pc running xp anyway (it's a core i5 so could handle 7 easily).
I'm not a gamer so besides a later directx I don't see any reason to run 7 really...
 
XP is NOT rock solid. Point. You know soon even Microsoft will stop supporting XP, and the minimum required OS for any of their software will jump to Vista. I’ve personally never had a problem with Win7 x64 from the day I installed it. I haven’t re-formatted once, not even a system crash for 8 months now (got my PC December last year). I promise you, Win7 is the most stable OS released by MS up to date.
 
I like Windows 7... except for the File Management.

My biggest complaint is that File Copying and Moving is not better than XP... it is probably worse.

There is no speed improvement in moving large batches of files (Hardware limitation... I know).
But... the interface also sucks... especially Windows Explorer.
When you move the scroll bar around to find the folder you want to move stuff into... it slides back right as you click... and you end up clicking on the wrong folder.
When you open a Folder tree to view all the sub-folders... the entire tree drops to the bottom of your screen. Completely counter-intuitive.

I'm using Explorer2 and Q-Dir as replacements for now. But I wish they would fix it.
 
prOd said:
XP is NOT rock solid. Point. You know soon even Microsoft will stop supporting XP, and the minimum required OS for any of their software will jump to Vista. I’ve personally never had a problem with Win7 x64 from the day I installed it. I haven’t re-formatted once, not even a system crash for 8 months now (got my PC December last year). I promise you, Win7 is the most stable OS released by MS up to date.
Click to expand...

That sounds like an invite for old Uncle Murphy... :D
 
I hope it does improve, but it's been quite a while since it's release, and I'm still not happy with it. I don't know think I'll be using it until I'm forced to - I haven't got time to fight with buggy software.

prOd, I've had one or two apps hang since installing 7 (about a week now). I can't remember the last time something went wrong with XP. For me, it never broke, ever. I know I'll be forced to use 7 at some point, (already, Microsoft is pushing us XP x64 users onto 7 - no Office 64bit, fewer hardware drivers, etc.) but other than Microsoft, everyone else still makes sure their software runs on XP.

Garyvdh said:
I like Windows 7... except for the File Management.

My biggest complaint is that File Copying and Moving is not better than XP... it is probably worse.

There is no speed improvement in moving large batches of files (Hardware limitation... I know).
But... the interface also sucks... especially Windows Explorer.
When you move the scroll bar around to find the folder you want to move stuff into... it slides back right as you click... and you end up clicking on the wrong folder.
When you open a Folder tree to view all the sub-folders... the entire tree drops to the bottom of your screen. Completely counter-intuitive.

I'm using Explorer2 and Q-Dir as replacements for now. But I wish they would fix it.
Click to expand...

This is the sort of thing I can't accept. Why should I use an OS that forces me to look for third party apps, especially when XP's bundled apps worked out of the box.

I can't live without a reliable fax app, so that has to be replaced, I have to completely rework the interface settings to mimic XP, hoping that I can get 7 to behave the way I want, and after all that, I'd be left wondering "Why?". Why force 7 to imitate XP, when I can just reinstall XP? Unless there's something I'd be missing out on by using XP, there's no point.

Necuno said:
you guys sleep with an os ?
Click to expand...

My OS doesn't sleep, it waits.
 
I find that after using Windows 7 I struggle working on my laptop which has XP installed. I think the problem is that you just don't know 7 that well yet. For instance you say you don't like going through the start menu, well in Win 7 you start typing the program's name and it's there. You can switch off the transparent program "bars" if you don't like it like that. And so forth. You can stop the "security guard" as you say too.

Use Win 7 for another month and then decide if you want to switch back.
 
Director of your own quest for happiness you must be.

On a strictly cash-flow basis, I could not find a single positive cash-flow point regarding Windows 7, except that there are those that claim that Windows 7 does not suffer from the performance degradation over time that Windows XP does, thereby decreasing the amount of re-installs required. I though, have not found this performance degradation in XP to be true, my 2 XP Pro machines are still running fine on their original installations (patched to SP3), so this does not affect me.

On a new-feature basis, none of the new features in Win 7 are useful to me, in fact, making it more difficult for me to run a command shell is a negative point, and having to disable built-in operating system safeguards to go about my daily duties is also a negative point.

I am quite unhappy about missing out on the newest version of DirectX, but, so far I have not actually needed it.
 
Don't even mention the L word. I want something that works out the box, not something that takes 2 hours of fiddling for every hour of work. I've got two Linux netbooks, and they're fine, but this is my main working desktop, not some experimental toy.

Solitude said:
I find that after using Windows 7 I struggle working on my laptop which has XP installed. I think the problem is that you just don't know 7 that well yet. For instance you say you don't like going through the start menu, well in Win 7 you start typing the program's name and it's there. You can switch off the transparent program "bars" if you don't like it like that. And so forth. You can stop the "security guard" as you say too.

Use Win 7 for another month and then decide if you want to switch back.
Click to expand...

The two problems I've got with this approach are:

In a month, the OS will be firmly embedded, dozens of tiny apps installed, firefox bookmarks rebuilt, cookies fully redownloaded, and so on. Then removing it, and reinstalling XP will be even more painful, and
Why should I twist 7 to look like XP, when XP looks like XP out the box?

SoftDux-Rudi said:
I have a copy of Windows 98SE for you if you're interested :)
Click to expand...

I'm still using 98SE on one of my notebooks (a Compaq Armada M700, in case you're wondering what laptop lasts 10 years;)).
 
Jab said:
http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/
Click to expand...

Lol I like the concept but it comes across as some old fuddy dudddy who is not ready to accept change, case in point (in reference to New copy UI):

What’s wrong with it?

Well, for starters it is half a screen full of text that you have to read. Also it is not immediately clear what parts of it are clickable. You have to move the mouse around to discover the UI like in a Lucas Arts adventure game. And finally the keyboard usability is awful. To tell it “yes, I know what I’m doing, I want to overwrite all files” you have to press Alt+D, up, up, up, Space! It is harder than performing the Akuma Kara Demon move in Street Fighter 3. There is a time and a place for that stuff and copying files is not it.
Click to expand...
 
Fudzy said:
Lol I like the concept but it comes across as some old fuddy dudddy who is not ready to accept change, case in point (in reference to New copy UI):
Click to expand...

In IT user terms, I am an old fuddy duddy (at 30:eek:), but I've been happy with every upgrade from DOS 3.1 -> 3.3 -> 5 > 6 -> 6.22 -> Windows 3.0 -> 3.1 -> 3.11 (WFW) -> 95 -> 98SE -> 2000 -> XP. Ok, so 3.11 to 95 was a big step, but it was an improvement. I don't see 7 being an improvement over XP, just a change to make the pansies that are deciding between the fisher price Mac and a real PC feel more comfortable.
 
Drunkard #1 said:
That's ****ing brilliant, but it shows just how many people hate the new interface. My question is still "Why not just use XP?" Also, I'd still need to fix the fax console and the taskbar.
Click to expand...

Actually, I liked the Vista interface the most. It's like Win7 but a bit better imo. :P

*Runs away*
 
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