Windows



In spite of what you may think, there are other operating systems besides Windows. There are Linux and a few others. But most people use a version of Windows on their personal computer and use it for just about all their computing needs, unless of course, they are using a Mac. Macs have a totally different operating system.

My first computer was a Commodore 64. It did not have Windows. It had a command line & no GUI (graphical user interface). I was totally enamored with it. It had wonderful graphics and I could spend hour’s just playing games. When I got a Commodore 128, I could do word processing and use a basic database. It was wonderful! All programs were stored on a flimsy 5-¼ inch floppy disk and the disk drive was a separate piece of equipment.

I never imagined that I would one day give my Commodores away & go to something new. My next computer was a Tandy 1000 SL. It had an 8086 processor & it did not have Windows either. I added a 20mg hard drive & that was big! It came with word processing, but no Internet capability.

Then came computers with Windows. I got a Packard Bell 486 with Windows 3.11. Wow! It came with a lot of fun games & other programs. Still no Internet though. It did have a built in 9600-baud modem. My son used it to access his university system.

Then Microsoft came out with Windows 95. I bought the upgrade & installed it on the old Packard Bell. Now I had the Internet! I thought it was great. Then I kept seeing ads for newer & faster computers, Pentiums! So of course I had to have one, even though at the time I couldn’t really afford one. So I managed to find a rebuilt Packard Bell with Windows 95. This may have been a mistake. I became a real computer junkie & addicted to the Internet, too. I was always tweaking to make Windows better, always finding fixes for the everyday occurring BSOD (Blue Screen of Death).

Microsoft came out with Windows 98; I had to have it. (On a new computer!) Big improvement over Windows 95, lots more features and more stability. The Internet grew by leaps & bounds every day and I wanted to see it all. Whoops, not everything! Some of those sites were awful! Pornography & who knows what else. But there were so many good sites where I could download free programs, games, and utilities and oh, the wonderful pictures for wallpaper & themes. I really got hooked on themes and screensavers for a while. But still I got BSODs, so I was still tweaking & finding the fixes. I think I had more fun fixing problems than anything else I did on the computer. It was so satisfying when the error messages went away because I had isolated & fixed a problem.

I finally decided I need another new computer when Windows 98 was announced , but I did wait until Windows 98SE was available. I bought an HP Pavilion with a CD RW drive. This computer is still being used, although I did add more memory. I gave it to my niece for her two little girls to play their games. (They don't access the Internet.)

Next came Windows ME. I decided to skip that version as I kept hearing it wasn’t that much different than Windows 98 and there was no real reason to upgrade. Also kept hearing from folks who did upgrade & then formatted & re-installed Windows 98.

Then I got Windows 2000. Well, now I was truly happy with Windows! I had a dual boot with both Windows 98SE and Windows 2000. The only time I used Windows 98 is when I wanted to burn a CD or upload pictures for my camera, as the software is not truly compatible with Windows 2000. No more BSODs! What else can I say? Windows 2000 was faster, safer and a lot more stable.

Then came Windows XP. So, you guessed it, I have Windows XP Home Edition.  I have been using it since March 2002 and I really like it. It has the stability of Windows 2000 & so far everything I have wanted to install works great. I no longer need Windows 98. There are two flavors of Windows XP, Home and Pro. There is also Windows Media Center which is Pro with Media stuff added.

I am using Windows XP on a Notebook and a desktop now. But Windows is still flying!

Now of course there is Windows Vista! I have a new laptop with Vista Ultimate and am in the process of learning. Sooner or later I will have a new section on this site for Vista!


Home
Windows
Customize Windows
Browsers
Display Properties
Internet Explorer
I Need Help!
Spyware Removers
Tips and Tricks
Utilities for Windows
Viewing Screenshots
Vista
Windows Programs
Office Suites
Windows Help
Windows 9x
Windows XP
System Restore
My Computer
XP's Taskbar

Windows XP

Windows XP Desktop

The History of Windows

Linux History

Cute!
Windows XP Version 19.914

Don't be afraid to use Windows Update!

 

Microsoft's Vista Home