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General discussion

Windows 3.0 vs 10

Aug 9, 2017 1:28PM PDT

I have just (well quite a few minutes ago) opened my laptop to see a black screen - which would not respond to anything - so I did the last resort and turned the thing off. On restart I got the blue "configuring updates 100% completed", but of course it was still doing the circle thing.
I realised that when I used Windows 3.0 way back in 1990, on a 186 computer I would poke in the discs and wait a bit.
I remember using Pagemaker - I think a few years later on a 286 and could make a cup of instant coffee in another room while it printed out one A4 page.
Today we are so far advanced from that - OK my laptop is a few years old, it only has a quad core N2920, a couple of GB of memory and a 50 GB hard drive, and this was only an update to the anniversary Windows 10.
I sat and pondered, I cut my toenails (as one does while waiting for Windows to do it's things - including a poke around my big toe nail to check no in-growing nail (lost most of the feeling in it 20 years ago), collected the clippings and disposed of them before my wife realised where I had to rest my foot while doing the cutting, made a cup of camomile tea (I AM getting old) and still had time to ponder upon where we have got to.
As far as the Windows programs, oops apps, are concerned I use notepad usually for snippets of code and calculator. I don't use the dreadful Windows 10 email thing - so do not need the address book ("people" - UGH), I use better freeware for this as I do instead of Paint. Now I'm trying to think of what other apps (cringe) I actually use from Windows.
I do use Office - begrudgingly, so I still use 2013.
I'm getting slower with age - but Windows seems to doing so with greater enthusiasm than I am.
Of course there were snags - as in the Wickipedia article on 3.0 "It also significantly spurred sales of new PCs with larger RAM capacities as many older machines lacked the speed or memory to handle a demanding OS like Windows properly," so some things don't change in Microsoft who still refuse to create a version of 10 that will load onto tablets and netbooks with smallish memories.
Any other old codgers like to remind me where my memory has failed in this recollection?

Discussion is locked

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Where did you get the idea W10 didn't run on say 512MB?
Aug 9, 2017 1:36PM PDT

While the laptop was stolen our lowest RAM laptop was a 2006 Dell Inspiron e1505 with initially 512MB RAM and a bad HDD. To see what we could see, I installed the 120GB SSD and installed W10. It booted and got on the web in about 50 seconds.

Encouraged by the under one minute boot and on the web times (this was a cold boot!) I found an upgrade kit for cheap to take it to 1GB RAM. A cold boot (not sleep, not hibernation) shot down to 35 seconds from power on to getting a web page on screen.

So with that out of the way, what more does Microsoft have to do?

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Jus wait a week or two
Aug 10, 2017 1:30AM PDT

It's strange that a new computer or old one with a fresh install works so fast - then a week or so later it is back to having a drink in the pub while it gets going. It seems a conspracy - you are so happy with the extra speed and performance of a new machine ... for a short time!

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Re: speed and performance
Aug 10, 2017 2:46AM PDT

Speed and performance only degrade by what you install and run yourself. Not a Microsoft issue. If you run more than what the machine can reasonably handle, it's slower than you like.

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At about 6 months it still booted and got on the web
Aug 10, 2017 7:17AM PDT

In under 40 seconds. The reason is most likely the change to SSD.

Here's the thing. Folk buy the cheaps with old tech HDDs and those do slow as the disk fills. This is not a Microsoft or OS issue but how they work. There are long articles on that so I didn't elaborate.

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Your recollection is right on
Aug 9, 2017 1:50PM PDT

But as you noticed, Windows has come a long way since then, and not all of it better. You sound near my age and maybe a candidate for something easier if that's all you do on a computer. Have you considered Linux Mint or any of the other Linux distros? They are FREE, no activation virus, no Product Keys to deal with, no depending on Microsoft to verify your computer for use of it's system. I use Linux Mint 17.3 myself, after leaving XP a year before it's support ended.

You can find a lot of youtube videos on the system to see if it might interest you. Be sure to watch the ones for versions 17 or 18. I'd advise 17.3 for now till some glitches are fixed in the 18 versions, particularly in the 18.2

As for W-10 I suspect the circle is going around because it has a large update and is configuring it. At such times W-10 seems to take over the computer. You can try turning off Fast Boot and then booting again. The Fast Boot is just a new word Microsoft uses for their Hibernation File method of booting the computer faster. Unfortunately sometimes things get stuck in the Hibernate file and odd things continue to happen. The way to force it to start a new Hibernate file is to turn off Fast Boot in the OS. You can turn it on again later if you wish. Boot times however will increase, but you seem to have other things to do for awhile if needed.

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Linux
Aug 10, 2017 2:50AM PDT

Hi, I you are right - I should be using Linux, andhave dabbled a bit - my problem now is that I have forgotten more than I know and I need a brush up on Linux to get me going. I think I'll do this - it will give me the brain exercise I need.
You are right about Windows taking over the computer - and I am meant to be the boss, not the OS.!!!!