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[BennyBlanco]

Windows 7 to me felt the cleanest and least bloated

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Xp

 

[Mithos]

Have run/used all Windows version on that list except for Vista, saw it on someone else's computer once though.

For a gaming pc Windows 7, but used NT a lot on other pc's I had.

 

[GHG]

XP.

It's all been downhill since then.

 

[PaintTinJr]

I'm just waiting for the dumb MF'er who votes for Windows 8/8.1. I will do everything in my power to convince the admins to ban anyone who selects that option. And it won't take much, because I'm pretty sure @EviLore doesn't want that kind of riff-raff hanging out at NeoGAF.

We are too classy for that nonsense...

Spoiler

EDIT: I went for Windows 10. Other than the bloat (which, while annoying, can be removed), it improved on Windows 7.

I didn't select one yet, but 8.0 gave us free app Fresh Paint which is exceptional in the way Minesweeper and Solitaire were originally back in the day IMO with 3.0/3.1(?), and pretty much every use of touch on the Surface Pro or 3 in 1's range, today has its origins in 8 or 8.1 from what the likes of Sony did with the Vaio Z range with 8.0, so being anti touch Windows OS when the vast majority of sold computers by the day(smart devices) are all touch seems very weird to me.

8.0 was also the very first Pro OS Microsoft gave a $50/£50 retail boxed upgrade product for, which I'd guess many are still converting that upgrade to 11 Pro even, today untied to a motherboard like an OEM license, so there was a lot of benefits that came in the transition of 8.0/8.1 IMO.

edit:
Here's the reason why Windows 8 happened like it did. An Iphone loving tech hack at the BBC trashing the option for Windows 7 to evolve into touch slowly, making a full PC comparison with a smartdevice because a user could navigate some simplified App-for-that-trash on a smartdevice easier than a full desktop app on a touch PC.

 

[Bojji]

I think Windows Vista looks the best (still) but 7 is my favorite for sure.

 

[Fake]

7 and not even close.

 

[marquimvfs]

98SE for me. It was the time were everithing was simple and just worked. XP was great but was by far less stable. I think it's the system that throwed more BSODs at my face without a reason. 7 comes right behind, but the bugs on the file explorer that slowed down the disk transfers and the overall lack of "lightness" put it below for me. The rest its pretty much meh.

 

[Crayon]

The last I really used was xp. I have 10 at work but everything I do is either web browser, file browser, or snipping tool. So I'm not very familiar with it. Me and wife switched to linux a good 10 years ago, so my familiarity with windows has slipped away as the different versions came and went without me.

 

[onnextflix5]

Remember the early days windows 98 and xp, blue screen of death so common and don’t forget the never ending pop ups, anyone remember live jasmine ,

 

[Mister Wolf]

I'm happy with 11.

 

[Celcius]

11. It's the newest and has the most features. EZ.

 

[BlackTron]

Windows 7, but I also liked XP and 98SE.

I currently use both 7 and 11 daily but 11 is mostly for gaming.

 

[ReBurn]

Windows is just a tool that I use so I don't have a favorite version. They've all worked largely the same way and they do the same thing. Each new version is just Windows evolving with the rest of technology.

Hanging on to old versions as your daily driver is irresponsible because they're not secure. So if you're using a version pre-Windows 10 for anything you should probably be running it as a guest inside of a hypervisor on Windows 10 or 11 and you should not be using it for anything related to your personal information. By all means game away, but don't use it to do your taxes.

 

[raduque]

Windows 2000 was my favorite version. I used it extensively till Vista was stable. I mean, I used XP a lot too, but W2K was primary OS.

And I'm going to get a lot of shit for this, but Vista is second to 10 for the "Best" title. Windows Vista was truly revolutionary, and nobody was ready for it. 7 only gets the hype because the Vista/7 era drivers were finally good by the time 7 came out. Windows 7 is literally Vista with a new theme and less intrusive UAC.

I was a beta tester for Vista, back when it was still being called Longhorn.

 

[ShirAhava]

Every WIndows pre win98 SE totally sucked I was a mac guy in the 90s

Starting College and using Windows 2000 was like living in a dream, so smooth, so stable WIndows 2000 is my fav by far

XP was a crashfest until SP3, Vista was great but mine completely crashed and couldn't be recovered the DAY Windows 7 came out it was like it knew lol

Win7 was great. So many issues with 8 more than any other version (never used ME outside of a VM)

I'm a lnux man now I REALLY hated windows 10, spyware aside Win 11 which I only use for work is a big step up

 

[PaintTinJr]

Windows is just a tool that I use so I don't have a favorite version. They've all worked largely the same way and they do the same thing. Each new version is just Windows evolving with the rest of technology.

Hanging on to old versions as your daily driver is irresponsible because they're not secure. So if you're using a version pre-Windows 10 for anything you should probably be running it as a guest inside of a hypervisor on Windows 10 or 11 and you should not be using it for anything related to your personal information. By all means game away, but don't use it to do your taxes.

In general I agree although an actively update security suite from Norton/Sophos etc, might be enough for anything from 7 onwards.

I also thought for virtual machine graphics acceleration, users needed to use Virtual Box instead of Windows Hypervisor, no?

 

[TintoConCasera]

XP, because of nostalgia.

Those were good times.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

Windows 3.1 and 3.1.1 were ugly but got the job done. Everything between 95 and ME was a disaster. ME was just a "fuck you!" to consumers.

2000 was a difference of night and day but wasn't compatible with most software. Or as I liked to say back then: "ME will crash if you look at it funny, NT is so stable nothing runs on it!".

XP was probably Microsoft's biggest strategic blunder, which arguably they never fully recovered from: their entire business model up to that point was based on over promising and under delivering. XP was their first OS in over a decade that worked as advertised so consumers had no reason at all to upgrade. Rookie mistake coming from a company who became a monopoly by forcing shitty software on everyone. Power Toys were awesome though!

Vista looked cool but ran terribly.
7 was a significant improvement and probably my favorite.
8 was a big fat nope.
And 10, even though it was a free upgrade, took away too many of 7's useful features and its UI was a huge step backwards. It also fucked up my classes on a regular basis during the early days by forcing an update while I was using the damn thing to teach!
Eat shit, Microsoft!

 

[Unknown?]

I don't use Windows anymore but XP was good. 7 was decent too but Vista sucked and so did 8.

 

[rm082e]

Started out on Windows for Workgroups with a 486 parts bin special. Loved it.

Moved to windows 95, which was meh.

Moved to Windows 98 which was a nightmare, so replaced that with a new hard drive and install of Windows 2000. Loved Win2K and worked great for many years. I never even used Windows XP.

Eventually bought a pre-built with Vista. I didn't have any issues with it.

I built my gaming PC in 2012 with windows 7 when it got good and stable. I stayed on that until 6 months before the EOL date, then moved to 10. Never used Windows 8 at all.

I have a reminder set for next August to look at moving to 11, or 12 if that's a thing at that time.

As far as I can tell, there is no benefit to me moving to Windows 11. I will only move to keep security updates. I'm hoping they actually flinch and extend support for 10 for a couple more years.

 

[ReBurn]

In general I agree although an actively update security suite from Norton/Sophos etc, might be enough for anything from 7 onwards.

I also thought for virtual machine graphics acceleration, users needed to use Virtual Box instead of Windows Hypervisor, no?

I prefer hyper-v to run older versions of Windows on Windows 10 or 11. It takes some work and your hardware must support it, but it's possible to do video card passthrough on hyper-v. In general I prefer VirtualBox if I'm running non-Windows guests because it's so much easier to tweak on the fly.

 

[West Texas CEO]

Linux Mint.

 

[EverydayBeast]

It amazes me that ATMs today still use Windows 7.

 

[Durin]

While Microsoft have made some bone-headed decisions, Windows 10 and 11 are the least buggy experiences I've had with Windows ever when I really look back to how PC used to be when I upgraded to a new OS.

Still, I have a huge soft spot for Windows 7 because it was a huge transformative change from the failures of Vista, ran really well after the first major service pack with minimal bloat, and still to me has the best aesthetic of any OS.

It's been a decade of every OS interface being this flat boring material design that looks sterile as hell, and I miss the Win7 3d frutiger aero look.

 

[winjer]

Here is a summary of my experience with all the Windows.

Windows 3.1: never used it, so I have no opinion
Windows 95: only used it in PCs at school and a friends house, seemed ok
Windows 98: used it on my first PC, this OS was the absolute worst OS I have ever used. So many issues and crashes.
Windows 98SE: significantly more stable than 98, but still terrible
Windows ME: the best of the 9x kernel OS. Much more stable than 98
Windows 2000: rock solid, but a bit slower than 98 and ME in games.
Windows XP: started really bad, almost a magnet for virus. With SP2 it became very good, probably the best Windows ever. And with the issues with Longhorn development, XP lasted a long time.
Windows Vista: I had no issues with it. But it was slower than XP, while adding nothing worthwhile. So I went back to XP, until...
Windows 7: The only Windows version that can contend with XP for the best
Windows 8: The worst interface ever in a Windows system. But it had some improvements to performance. At the time, I measured around 5% improvement in CPU bound scenarios, over 7.
Windows 8.1: Several improvements to the UI, but still bad.
Windows 10: Fixed the UI. Started as a good OS, but MS added more and more bloatware, spyware and all sort of crap. Around this time, was when MS fired their Q&A team, so now they use normal users as guinea pigs, so every other update breaks something.
Windows 11: Started as having several UI problems. Eventually MS fixed some issues. And with some tweaks, the rest can be fixed. This thing has a ton of spyware, bloatware and so much useless crap. It takes an hour to clean up this OS, but after that, it's good. Windows update still sucks.

 

[JohnSpartanLee]

Vista was the most stunning at first glance.

 

[DenchDeckard]

I think WIndows XP after SP2 was the best windows ever imo.

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

Worked in the computer maintenance / repair 'industry' when it was Windows 3.1 and the move to Windows 95 however XP was always my favourite.

What I would give today to buy my licence for Windows 11 and that was it. No shitty advertising, no shitty apps installed no suggesting I play Candy Crush on my log in page* happy times.

* - yes I know I can get bastardised W11 installers that remove all this but as soon as there is a fundamental update the crap is all back.

Still got my boxed copy of XP.

 

[Bloobs]

Party like its 98

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

I'm seeing some love for Windows Me in the poll - I don't know if this is a piss take or?

 

[yansolo]

windows xp was a massive jump at the time

 

[Danjin44]

Window Vista:

 

[Dazraell]

XP

 

[darrylgorn]

If you're talking about function, then Windows 11 is actually the best one to date.

Nostalgia wise, I would go with XP. The simplicity of the UI, combined with the refinement of the OS processes, really did make it the goat at the time.

 

[GrayChild]

98 purely for the nostalgia

7 for overall stability, functionality and performance.

XP became truly great only after SP2, so I won't forget its lackluster start.

 

[b0uncyfr0]

Its gotta be 11. The UI has never been more efficient.

Tab explorer, shortcuts up the wazoo, audio options from one area, HDR improvements etc.

 

[nowhat]

So. Back in the day, I came to the conclusion that the life of a free artist doesn't necessarily pay the bills - I sit in front of a computer most of the time anyway, someone may as well pay me for it. Borrowed some coursework from a friend that had studied introductory CS, started to get into it. At the same time, was buying a new computer, and the question of OS came up. At the time, XP had a bad rep (and frankly, it wasn't uncalled for, before SP3 it was a mess), so I opted for Windows ME.

Biiiiiig mistake. Trying to teach yourself C(++) with an OS that doesn't offer memory protection is an exercise of both frustration and masochism. Eventually, I settled with Linux that I've been using ever since (and yes, it's Arch, just had to make sure to note it). But in retrospect, had I gone with XP, I wouldn't have been so keen to leave the MS ecosystem. Oh well, I'm not complaining.

 

[Pejo]

I really like 10. Modernized enough stuff from 7/8 but didn't completely fuck you. 11 is the foot in the door for lots of potentially insidious shit, so I'll be hanging on to 10 until it's no longer prudent.

OSaaS is likely coming in the next 5-10 years, so I'll rail against that as hard as I can and hope Proton continues to improve so I can just go Linux for my next machine.

 

[Timeless One]

i really like using windows 11. The customization of start menu, features (outside horibble right click menu) are great.

Yet i think as much user exprience matters, also UI matters and I really prefer an eye ctaching ui like 7 and vista. 10 and 11 as much as they are improved, get getting boring after a time unlike 7. I think computers are powerful enough to handle anything like aero and effects that are look good.

I just wished microsoft cared about these things nowadays.

 

[PaintTinJr]

I prefer hyper-v to run older versions of Windows on Windows 10 or 11. It takes some work and your hardware must support it, but it's possible to do video card passthrough on hyper-v. In general I prefer VirtualBox if I'm running non-Windows guests because it's so much easier to tweak on the fly.

Hypothetically in the scenario you wanted to run multiple virtual machine OSes and copies of Dolphin each with say MK Double Dash for LAN play -, so you could manually run the LAN party as a splitscreen collage on one 4K TV, with each screen running the full fat graphics of the game, rather than splitscreen LoD's/resolutions, can hypervisor share the acceleration between more than one virtual machine?

I was under the impression that nvidia raised a security concern and Microsoft withdrew the feature, basically forcing use of headless compute boards by nvidia for such shared accelerations situations, making it impossible for startup rivals to offer a Geforce Now/Xcloud using off the shelf Windows and Nvidia or AMD GPUs, requiring use of Virtual Box instead, but with caveats for windows feature integration, but with the ability to share one powerful GPU acceleration across multiple VMs. Or is that no longer the case?

/would love to see DF do the theorized VM Dolphin LAN party setup with Double Dash.

 

[Bert Big Balls]

XP for nostalgia

I remember my mum buying a laptop and it was the first time I'd used XP. It was honestly so damn good going from Windows 98 to XP. Incredible OS and easily my favourite. Win 7 close behind.

 

[PaintTinJr]

Here is a summary of my experience with all the Windows.

Windows 3.1: never used it, so I have no opinion
Windows 95: only used it in PCs at school and a friends house, seemed ok
Windows 98: used it on my first PC, this OS was the absolute OS I have ever used. So many issues and crashes.
Windows 98SE: significantly more stable than 98, but still terrible
Windows ME: the best of the 9x kernel OS. Much more stable than 98
Windows 2000: rock solid, but a bit slower than 98 and ME in games.
Windows XP: started really bad, almost a magnet for virus. With SP2 it became very good, probably the best Windows ever. And with the issues with Longhorn development, XP lasted a long time.
Windows Vista: I had no issues with it. But it was slower than XP, while adding nothing worthwhile. So I went back to XP, until...
Windows 7: The only Windows version that can contend with XP for the best
Windows 8: The worst interface ever in a Windows system. But it had some improvements to performance. At the time, I measured around 5% improvement in CPU bound scenarios, over 7.
Windows 8.1: Several improvements to the UI, but still bad.
Windows 10: Fixed most improvements to the UI. Started as a good OS, but MS added more and more bloatware, spyware and all sort of crap. Around this time, was when MS fired their Q&A team, so now they use normal users as guinea pigs, so every other update breaks something.
Windows 11: Started as having several UI problems. Eventually MS fixed some issues. And with some tweaks, the rest can be fixed. This thing has a ton of spyware, bloatware and so much useless crap. It takes an hour to clean up this OS, but after that, it's good. Windows update still sucks.

Sounds like you are maybe a bit too young to fully appreciate the full evolution if you missed all the days of DOS or DRDOS/concurrent DOS as the OS that Windows ran on.

And I suspect your Windows 2000 Pro PC must have been misconfigured or lacked a proper multicore CPU or adequate RAM if it ran games slower than that ME trash or 98 at the end with newer versions of DirectX and a million service patches. 2000 Pro was almost as lean as NT4 when optimally configured for my use across many home and business machines.

My experience with ME optimised by IBM was still like a snake suffocating responsiveness and performance compared to running 2000 pro on the exact same hardware. I tried everything possible to make it better, given it was a gift PC I'd bought the better half when she was in accommodation without access to a landline and was using a Noki 7110 and modem adapter for internet access at a maximum of 4KB/s Think between the DirectX update and first patch for the 3D Monkey Island game 4-5hrs passed.

 

[winjer]

Sounds like you are maybe a bit too young to fully appreciate the full evolution if you missed all the days of DOS or DRDOS/concurrent DOS as the OS that Windows ran on.

And I suspect your Windows 2000 Pro PC must have been misconfigured or lacked a proper multicore CPU or adequate RAM if it ran games slower than that ME trash or 98 at the end with newer versions of DirectX and a million service patches. 2000 Pro was almost as lean as NT4 when optimally configured for my use across many home and business machines.

My experience with ME optimised by IBM was still like a snake suffocating responsiveness and performance compared to running 2000 pro on the exact same hardware. I tried everything possible to make it better, given it was a gift PC I'd bought the better half when she was in accommodation without access to a landline and was using a Noki 7110 and modem adapter for internet access at a maximum of 4KB/s Think between the DirectX update and first patch for the 3D Monkey Island game 4-5hrs passed.

I got into PCs, at a very late age. I had used them in school and friends house years before. But I only bought my first PC at 18, after working a whole summer and saving up.
My family never really cared about technology. My father died without having ever used a PC. My mother is alive, but never touched one.

My Windows 2000 was well configured. The results I had were in line with what I was seeing with benchmarks from Anandtech and Techreport.
Mind you, it was not a huge difference. Maybe 5% at worst.

Windows ME ran very well for me. I'm always a bit surprised when people say they hate this OS.
It wasn't perfect, but it was the best OS with the 9x kernel. By far.
Though I knew what I was doing with updating drivers and configuring the OS.

 

[Elios83]

Umm Windows95 was the OS of my first PC and back then it seemed a revolution.

But the only ones that were good were XP and 7.
10 is decent, still haven't tried 11.

 

[IAmRei]

I like win7, i hate when i was forced to use newer windows back then, now im using 10, still ass tho...

 

[Ikutachi]

XP in the MSN Messenger days.

 

[drganon]

Xp

 

[Laptop1991]

7 still using it at the minute, as well as 10, until i get 11 with a new PC. i like having control over my windows.

 

[JCK75]

If they would take the bloatware out of 11 and stop spamming me that my firewall is not on (yes I known.. I have a hardware firewall screw off MS).. I love everything else about it.