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It's Gotta Be Windows...
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Windows is the defacto operating system around the world, with over 95% of the computers out there running Bill Gates' software in some form. While Linux exists out there in various forms, it shouldn't be considered at all unless you are willing to spend several weeks tweaking it so everything will run. There's a reason why the rest of the world uses Windows, and there's one answer: compatibility. With Windows, it's pretty much guaranteed that all of your software will work with it, while any other system, including Apple's, is a dicey proposition. |
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Windows 7
Windows 7 is the long-awaited replacement to Windows Vista and the rightful heir to Windows XP. It is a simple yet powerful operating system that actually operates faster than its predecessor, Vista, on a PC with the same components (which is a big deal; as any long-time PC user will tell you, new versions of Windows always required more PC power than its predecessor).
Windows 7 is everything that Vista should have been, yet arrives packaged with more fun and easy-to-use features.
You can check out the official Microsoft 'new' feature list for "7", but here are some of the highlights...
- HomeGroup: Windows 7 has enabled multiple computer environments to be connected without a PhD in Computer Sciences. You can easily link the file libraries of multiple machines, sharing pictures, music, movies and other documents as well as one central printer.
- Viewing your Programs: "7" has 2 new ways to manipulate all of your open programs, called 'Snap' and 'Taskbar Preview'. These allow you to seamlessly resize and view minimized programs in a second instead of constantly dragging, moving and maximizing/resizing windows.
- Backup your files: Windows 7 has a built-in backup feature that allows you to more simply save your data on backup drives.
- Windows Media Center: "7" also features a revamped Media Center that is included in all versions of the OS, allowing you to better watch and schedule TV shows.
Microsoft has once again produced a simple comparison chart for Windows 7 so you can figure out which version is right for you. Essentially, unless you are working in a business environment backing up multiple systems over a network, you should be perfectly fine using the Home Premium version.
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Microsoft continues to make both 32-bit and 64-bit OSs with Windows 7; if you follow my recommended PC parts closely, you should definitely stick with the 64-bit version of "7." The 32-bit version of Windows 7 limits your PC to using only 4 GB of memory/RAM, while the 64-bit version of Windows 7 allows up to 192 GB of memory! Generally, you will only encounter Windows 7 Starter on netbooks, so you would need to consider upgrading from Home Premium to Professional only if you are building a gaming/performance PC. |
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Windows Vista
Vista, formerly known as "Longhorn", was released in time for Christmas 2006, and was radically different than Windows XP. You can see how Microsoft itself highlights the differences and new features in Vista.
Vista proved to be a bloated operating system that proved to be incompatible with a lot of features in prior versions of Windows, causing many corporate IT departments to skip Vista altogether.
Vista did introduce several new graphic-intensive options, primarily DirectX 10, which allowed the CPU to be freed up to process other, more intensive operations and leave graphics to a specialized chip and firmware.
Historically, Vista will be viewed as a rushed corporate blunder by Microsoft, as both home and corporate users failed to adopt it and instead continued using the reliable Windows XP SP3 far longer than its original planned lifespan.
Windows XP
Windows XP arrived on the scene in 2001, with a few bugs in the system. XP did not achieve its now-famous status for reliability and dependability until Service Pack 2 was released in 2004, focusing on security and Internet compatibility.
Windows XP used an entirely different system structure than Windows 98, the prior generation operating system. This meant that probably around 1/3 Windows 98 programs would not work with Windows XP and vice versa.
Besides compatibility and networking, Windows XP offered another advantage: stability. Windows 98 was very prone to random lock-ups and "Blue Screens of Death", a problem that was drastically reduced in XP.
As to networking, the notion of people owning two or three computers was still a vague notion back when Windows 98 came out, which XP slightly addressed and made easier to customize.
Windows XP introduced basic networking and Internet functionalities to the masses, having been built on the foundation of the corporate-focused Windows 2000. Windows XP also was the first to arrive with a built-in firewall; a novel concept to the earlier generations of Windows, which could be a bit of a hassle to get configured to jump on the 'Net.
Windows XP however is still a viable operating system to the present day, with Microsoft continuing to support XP until late 2014. This is a testament to XP's ultimate rock-solid construction and reputation, and at the same time a testament to Microsoft's major blunders in unveiling Vista before it was refined into what is currently Windows 7.
Windows 2000 Professional
This is the OS that I used for quite some time. Windows 2000 is essentially an earlier version of Windows XP, but without several of the 'pretty' features.
Windows 2000 is based on the same structural core as the Windows XP series, so very few compatibilty issues arose (I can't recall an instance where a game didn't work in 2000 but has in XP).
Windows 2000 was designed for the business world in mind. This was viewed by some as a plus, as usually security and other features are emphasized more in the business world than the consumer world. Windows 2000's networking capabilities definitely weren't as 'plug 'n play' as newer versions of Windows.
Windows 98 Second Edition
Windows 98 was a considerable upgrade over Windows 95, with many stability and functionality problems fixed.
Windows 98 was the last operating system built by Microsoft that was built on a primary DOS kernel. For those who don't remember, DOS was the first operating system (appearing in the early 1980s) built by Microsoft, and it was driven by a text-command interface. Many programs built for Windows 98 or DOS will simply not run in newer Windows, including one of my all-time favorite games.
Here again are my complete recommendations for building a computer with a great Operating System at a low price!
Photo by Eye; some rights reserved.
Next - Other Computer Hardware - Printers, Keyboards, etc. »
Tip: If you still long to run some of your old computer programs or games from the DOS/Windows 98 era (or before), you are actually now in luck. There is an 'emulator', known as Dosbox, which allows you to run these programs, with some very minor tweaking, on all modern computers. For nostalgic people like myself, it didn't come soon enough.
