Operating systems

What OS(es) do you run and what do you use them for if you have more than one?

My setup currently has:

Windows 8.1 Pro (on a WD Green 500GB SATA III HDD) - Used for regular activity.

Ubuntu 14.04.2 (on a Seagate 250GB SATA II HDD pulled from a Maxtor external drive) - Used for program development, mainly my web browser software, which I am not revealing the name of yet.

 

Windows 8.1 as well. I know so little about computers that I just switch between firefox and chrome for my differing uses, one having adblock, the other not.

 

Windows 8.1 on my personal desktop
Windows 8 on my personal laptop (updating breaks my drivers)
Ubuntu Desktop 14.04 on my work desktop
ArchLinux for my work laptop

Servers:
Ubuntu server 14.04 * 2
Ubuntu Desktop(studio) 14.04

uhh... one of the ubuntu servers hosts kvm virtual machines for each windows version from ME to 10
(For testing stuff)

Oh and a little ZBox running windows xp (Dedicated Pajama Sam Machine!)

 

My primary laptop is running Windows 10 Technical Preview. I have several Virtual machines I use ranging from Windows 7, to a CentOS 6.5 web server I use for local site testing.

 

Acer Aspire E1-572-6670
Factory Windows 8.1
Gateway desktop HP DV6 laptop
Windows 10 Technical Preview

Other than my wireless card dying in my tower. Everything's running fine.

 

Windows Vista 32 bit

Unfortunately I know my computer was originally a 64 bit version but for some reason the only install disc I could find was for 32 bit. Oh well, not like I have enough ram to need the 4+ GB that 64 bit gives me.

 

Tower: Windows 7 Ultimate on a WD 500GB SATA III
Laptop: Dual boot - Linux Mint 17.1 KDE / OSGEO on a Seagate 320GB SATA II

 

I dont know you anymore.

 

That's because the UAC controls were blocking you. Let me double check that again...

 

Dell Desktop - Windows XP Home 32-bit
Micron Desktop - Windows Server 2003 Enterprise... I think. I haven't booted that dinosaur up in years.
Toshiba Satellite X205-S7483 - Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit (originally came with Vista Home Premium 32-bit). Battery is officially dead.
Acer Extensa 5620-4020 - Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit. Wireless adapter finally went dead, it's had wireless network problems for a while. This was my portable Web/IRC/FTP/Terraria/Minecraft server... but it's not as mobile as it could be anymore.
Toshiba Satellite P875-S310 - Windows 8.1 64-bit (originally came with Windows 8 64-bit). (Current laptop for all internet-based usages, except gaming).
Stealth - Windows 10 Tech Preview 64-bit as it's only OS. Didn't come with an OS at all. I needed a 64-bit OS that could support all the Windows games I played and could read the single 8 GB RAM I have in it.

I have since then, wiped my Sony Vaio VGN-FS840/W laptop's hard drive, which had Windows XP Professional 32-bit and was going to re-install Windows XP. For some reason, it was refusing to boot any Windows-based installation disc. Linux boot discs still work though, but I think I'll just recycle the computer. The computer is at least 9 years old and the only thing to actually die was the battery, as in the battery couldn't even charge. The battery would not even show up as being plugged in, even though it was.

To be fair, Vista was actually pretty decent to me. I never had a problem with Vista when it was on my Toshiba Satellite X205-S7483. But I like Windows 7's design a bit better. So it's upgraded since then. The Acer though... I don't think Acer knew what they were doing at the time.

 

You learn in Vista after a while to stop installing games into the program folder and just make up your own Game folder. Oh and later versions do come with that property menu check that let's you run .exe's in administrator rights. Or was that always in it? I wonder if that was always there...

Stupid RAM memory hard limit of the 32 bit system stops me from doing a lot of things but I know how to force programs to address more. Of course I don't actually have enough memory sometimes to run the OS...

Wouldn't mind scoring a Win7 Pro disc one day. If Windows 10 shapes up I'll go with that too. Tried Win8\8.1 on my parents computer. To say that was rough is an understatement. It's bad enough if my parents don't know about drag\drop, keyboard shortcuts, and file drive systems. Now I have to navigate tiled menus?

Oh and of course Windows 8 still couldn't find the drivers to my printer. What's that? Driver is only for Win XP? It's a printer\scanner genius, not the formula to the atom bomb. Not digitally signed? Go home your drunk, I'll force this driver down your throat while your wasted in "Safe Mode"

Thank you "Safe Mode", you are the only way I can get my computers to do the things it should do by itself.

 

Personal:
Windows 8.1 on my desktop (custom build, I won't bother with the specs).
Windows 7 on my laptop (Toshiba Satellite P755).
Windows XP on my really old desktop (it's an HP, can't be asked to go check the model).

Work:
Windows 8.1 for my desktop.
OS X Yosemite for my laptop.

 

Win8 does have a learning curve. Other than that, I like it. Things I do when setting up a Windows 8.1 device for a client; boot to Desktop, remove unused Live Tiles on the start screen, pin applications to the taskbar that will be used a lot, and show the "hidden" menu Win+X keyboard shortcut displays on the desktop (right clicking the Windows icon also works).

 

I loved that Win+X shortcut. It makes opening the command prompt as Administrator a lot easier. I just wish I knew how the elevation process worked so I could used the Run prompt and elevate a program from there. I'm so used to using Win+R, typing cmd, and pressing enter that I often forget about the Win+X and click Command Prompt (Admin). To this day, I have not been successful in finding the key to elevating a program when opened through Run.

 

Still rocking the good old Windows 7. I want to say it's the Home Edition, but I'm not completely sure.

 

Personal:
Custom rig: Win 7 Ultimate (won't touch win 8.1 if i can help it)
Laptop: Win XP pro (before the new fan killed it)

Work:
Most stations run XP Pro sp3
Two run Win 7 pro (that I know of)

Unsure what server we run.

 

Maybe it's just me, but when I moved from 7 to 8, I didn't notice much of a learning curve. I know some people are a bit thrown off by the absence of the old start menu and the new sidebar. There are also some behind the scenes stuff that has changed which can take some getting used to, but I wouldn't think those would be of any concern to casual users.

I'm looking forward to seeing Windows 10. I'll probably upgrade when it's released.

If you want a way around Win 8 you can always try Classic Shell. It's free and restores the old start menu. Makes things a bit like older Windows OS.