Which is the WORST OS ever created by MS?

[Elros]

Whatever happened to all the talk (just before XP came out) about it communicating covertly with MS if you had a network connection? Telling them everything from what your searches and hardware were, to what colour of boxer shorts you were wearing last Tuesday.
Surely if that is the case then XP would be the worst. Not from a buggy point of view, but from a design point of view?

Anyone?

 

[DigitAlex]

guess ill never install xp and just jump from 2k to linux as i said
b/c i don't even want to see any "send report to MS" boxes on my screen ...

MrG, it was not me with the BBS, it was acidomosis

 

[spun_1]

Is it fair to say XP sucks when pro is based on 2000 and XP home is based on 98?I really dont know.Im using XP PRO full version on my main PC and 98SE on another,so I dont know what XP home is like.

 

[Rick]

Windows 95 is about as stable as a drunk on a unicycle and roughly about as reliable.

Windows Me really wasn't THAT bad. It's notorious for problems and little quirks, but it is much more functional and faster than 95 (especially pre 2.5). The switch to a new WDM caused some problems as well as the "hidden" DOS.. But overall, it was okay.

But because Windows 95 was released years ago when it was really needed, it was a very good piece of software for its time period. Of course now, it is horrible...

Windows Me on the other hand, was release at a time it was NOT needed.. At all. Infact, it would have been better off never being released.

Changes, such as the "removal" of DOS, crippling of DOS system utilities (scandisk had difficulties finishing on bootup, sys C: never worked correctly in emergencies, system file checker was hidden or didn't even exist.. etc).. made Windows Me a pain to repair. It was Microsoft's little pet project to "remove DOS" to show how "new" it was, but the fact remained that Windows Me was the same old tired technology MS had been using for 7 years.

Don't get me wrong - I think Windows Me is a operating system than 95 - But its impact on Windows and consumer computing is negative at best.

So ME gets my vote for worst OS by MS (from the choices presented). Otherwise I'd probably pick Windows 3

 

[Rick]

Originally posted by spun_1
Is it fair to say XP sucks when pro is based on 2000 and XP home is based on 98?I really dont know.Im using XP PRO full version on my main PC and 98SE on another,so I dont know what XP home is like.

You might want to double check your information before you jump to conclusions.

XP Pro and XP Home are both the same operating system - Pro just has more features. By no means is XP Home (or any version of Windows XP) based on 98.

• 95/98/Me - 9x kernel
• NT/2000/XP - NT kernel

Home is identical to Pro with the exception of limited networking abilities and maybe a couple of other minimal quirks such as no support for dual processors.

Now, as far as it being fair to say something sucks even though its based on something that doesn't suck as bad - Windows Me is based on the same thing as Windows 98.

Therefore, I can conclude it is fair.

 

[Rick]

Originally posted by DigitAlex
guess ill never install xp and just jump from 2k to linux as i said
b/c i don't even want to see any "send report to MS" boxes on my screen ...

MrG, it was not me with the BBS, it was acidomosis

True... It shouldn't have to be this way, but you can disable the services that control sending information to MS. XP is phone-home free once you tweak it a bit.

It would certainly be much better if it did not phone home out-of-the-box though.

The most obvious acts of home phoning include the "Send this error report to MS" crap, automatic updates and the activation itself.

Aside from that though, it keeps to itself exept for a few minor things (atomic clock time adjustment, WMP codec downloads and other funky digital rights crap...)

 

[SharkFiNbowL]

I kind of want a summary of why ME is the worst OS. Sorry about that, kind of lazy to read everything and get a little bit of this and that, thx for your kind consideration and attention!

 

[SNGX1275]

Originally posted by SharkFiNbowL
I kind of want a summary of why ME is the worst OS. Sorry about that, kind of lazy to read everything and get a little bit of this and that, thx for your kind consideration and attention!

I think Phantasm pretty much covered it.

Originally posted by Phantasm66
WInME is just quite frankly bloody awful.

I can't even begin to be bothered going into the full ins and outs, but there are some prime points:

1)What ON EARTH is that horribly slow XP like skin widget set stuff that even runs horribly in XP doing slapped onto something thats Windows 98 Kernel country? Don't be daft, man. Its a total mess and don't deny it. Their implimentation even looks sloppy and slow. Its the XP interface dropped onto the dying embers of 9x, and its horrible....

2)Its another pathetic attempt to squeeze a few last precious drops of $$$ out of the whole DOS / WINDOWS 95 thing.

3)Windows 9x land is full of blue screens, but the number that the average Joe seems to get from ME is four or even five times the norm at least. So many hardware venders went straight from Win98 driver support to Windows 2000/XP and completely forgot about ME.

4)Its not a new operating system, its WIndows 98 with a service pack and a new lot of flashy crap that makes your machine run slowly. Get a grip and get XP, or at least 2000.

5)If you must run WIn9x at all these days, then run Windows 98 - the latest edition that you can find. Its still got DOS, which can be VERY useful, whereas ME makes it harder to access DOS with Windows shutdown.

6)Its called ME - which is Millenium Edition. A last, post year 2000 attempt to make a little bit more money out of the whole Millenium Bug thing, which turned out to be a false alarm.

 

[Goalie]

From what I can tell, winME is actually Win98TE- Third Edition. You should pretty much expect your experiences to reflect a lot of that, although there were some driver issues.

One thing that I've noted from most people- If you're using a laptop, ME seems to be a great system to run. If you get it up and running, it runs fine. If you have a bad experience with ME though, it seems to be a REALLY bad experience.

If you had to ask me for worst OS ever, I'd say Win95. Win98SE finally ended up being what 95 was promised to be, and barely at that. Win2k is close behind that I think... As I said, individual experiences vary, I know someone who'll preach Win3.11 still...

 

[XtremeEX]

Personally, I've tried every single version of Windows and own every single one except 95. I have self installed them from reformats and what not. The one that gives me the most troubles, errors, and the worst user friendly interface is ME. It seems as if it was a project Microsoft rushed to get out, which sucked.

Actually, I've got to admit and everyone has to show props to Windows 98SE. 98SE was the best operating system on the planet. From old to new, SE is compatible with everything. On the other hand, the 'professional' XP is only compatible with fast running computers, you wanna get that on a P4 or faster or you're just shooting yourself in the foot.

Take it from me, I've thoroughly used these operating systems and still have them. I have 3 seperate removable hard drives for OSes and I find myself using SE the most rather than 2k and XP. Not because all my personal files are there (I have a seperate non-removable drive for that), but because it's most compatible and less troublesome.

I find XP most usefull and reliable as well as stable. As soon as I can afford more memory, because XP is a bit, just a bit, laggy on my system, I will incorporate full use into it.

(If you're wondering if I've had a hard drive with ME on it, yeah I did. I reformatted it and used it for my XP drive now, cuz ME sucks.)

 

[jstillion]

I don't know. Windows 95A can compete with Windows ME for the worst...

 

[Tushman]

Win ME... Win 95... hmmm. It's hard to say as it's like comparing rotten apples to rotten oranges (both sucked money balls in their own stinkin' ways). But if i had to choose, i'd say Win ME cuz it's majority opinion here and I'm mindless like that. Bottoms up, it's happy hour time!

EDIT: I"m still trying 2 understand how Win2K and Win XP even got on the list to begin with. What was the rationale for that????

 

[Monkeynutters]

I say Windows 95 is the worst. A lot of hardware isn't even supported for it. USB? Forget it. AGP video cards? F*** that. Can't even get a decent damn browser for it these days, much less a somewhat realistic media player. Haven for those who just want an Internet browser to check your lottery numbers.

I personally used Windows 98 SE for the longest time, and I believe that it is worthy of the silver medal. Only thing I don't like about it is hard copies of music lagging under mild system loads. Other than that, 98 SE just about beats the hell out of most 9x kernels.

I see a lot of people expressing their hate for Windows Millennium Edition. I say: it mainly depends on your personal experience with the program/OS/hardware/whatever-you-may-be-referring-to. I have used Windows ME with absolutely no problem whatsoever ever since it was released. As a matter of fact, I can compare it's functionality and reliability to Windows 2000. (But then again, my little baby [Dell Dimension 4500] can handle any OS it wants to. ) I have somewhat of a fetish for ME, despite what other people may think about it. So, gold medal for Windows ME! :grinthumb

And just to say, I agree with Tushman. How the hell did the NT OS's make it onto this list?!?!? O_O

 

[techn8]

It would have to be....

Migraine Edition ..... Of Course....

rEsi_n8 :approve:

 

[Monkeynutters]

Haha, man... I've heard Windows Me called so many different things

Windows Migraine Edition (new one XDDDD good one)
Windows Mistake Edition
Windows Miserable Edition
Windows Multiple Errors
Windows Malfunction Edition

 

[HeddaLora]

Ha, it looks like WinME is getting a big vote ... !!

 

[yogi_bear]

Windows XP

Windows XP!! This really IS a poor excuse for an operating system! Use Dos 5 instead!!

I do not understand how people can say Windows ME is the worst? I have had absolutely NO problems with windows Me and have been using it since its launch! It has very rarely crashed on me, compatible with everything I use (unlike XP which won't run half the programmes I have because they are windows programmes??!!) Windows ME is far better at networking than any other operating system I have used! I think the problem people were having with Windows ME is that they try to use it on 1 gb memory! It won't work on 1gb of memory! 384mb is the maximum! Thic is cool because it means you do'nt have to spend all your wages feeding the damn thing like you do on XP!! Yes, before you ask I do use XP, but ONLY for compatibility issues! Because my job is building new computers for people and they all want XP (God knows why,) I have to make sure all the programmes they have from their old pc's will work on their new systems. I then go straight back to the REAL operating system!! Sorry this is really long, just to say DITCH XP!! It a total waste of time and effort!!

 

[toffeapple]

QUOTE]choose Windows 95 instead since it's the oldest... therefore the worst.[/QUOTE]

Its all relative to when The OS came out...
You wouldnt compare a 60's mkII jag with a 05' corrolla(as in 95 with XP).....the corrolla will out perform the mkII in every aspect but when the mkII came out it was a special car....XP is distinctly average in everything it does but capable, much like a corolla (but proabaly not as reliable!!)

considering the advancements in PC hardware over the last 10 years what have MS really given us..f**k all if you ask me..lets hope VIsta is a huge improvement on XP

ME was rubbish thats proabaly the general consenses....95 was a real advance when it came out...What did XP give over win 2000? nothing of much worth....w2k was great when it came out and is still a very capable OS

 

[Paul22]

I agree that ME is bad.. but I refuse to accept it's worse than XP.
The reasons are obvious.. it's slow and unreliable.

 

[xero]

Definately

Without a doubt; Windows millenium. Spent hours and hours getting this os to work on an athlon 1800+ computer with decent hardware. Nothing but driver errors. Also a lot of network problems..... I switched back my windows 98 HDD and everything was running fine again.

 

[Peddant]

ME or Vista.

 

[kWOLBERT]

People need to get with the times , ME is by far the worst os ever.....
ever.... ever.... I install software programs and networks for different companys. If i walk into a company and see window ME I tell the client they need an upgrad. In windows ME, to load a driver 50% of the time it will freez, and try this command "net use lpt? /d" will cause it to give an unexpected error and you will have to restart the computer. I have seen every error under the sun with windows ME. I dont have a single good story to tell about Windows ME. If people are having problems with window XP its becuase it the software they are tying to install is out of date. XP is very stable unless you try to install older software. 95 / 98 Was good in its day , dos still used in a sort of way. Windows 3.1 its way a path to the GUI World. and Linux is great, but not when you clients need a dummy down system. That all {)i(} ~Later

 

[Tedster]

ME was always crashing on the computer that I bought that came with it years ago. I quickly upgraded to XP professional.

 

[j_who]

No "brainer"

LOL- This required no thought- ME is was and hopefully will be the worst thrown together piece of junk OS. Whenever my friends call and have computer problems- My first questions always is- "Are you running ME?" - When it first came out, I used to laugh when they would say it and tell them to go back to the old reliable 98 SE----

 

[Baidinan]

i really like ME it works perfectly for my gaming purposes. there are a lot of compatibility issues nowadays, that it is outdated...