Performance Problems Solved?

[TechnoMage]

Lately, I've been experiencing some really weird problems with my little SFF HP Slimline Desktop PC. It came to me as a DEAD hulk, and non-repairable. Well, I fixed it and it's been running Windows 8.1/Pro/64 for me for the past couple of years.
The problems started just recently, when my USB ports would just die, out of nowhere. Then at times the whole PC would just shut off, or lock up. A total Power OFF reset would restore functionality.
I can't attribute these weird happenings to Windows, but to the hardware itself.
So today, I pulled the new Crucial 500GB SSD out of the HP and transplanted it into a very similar little Acer Aspire SFF (slimline) PC, also with an AMD cpu.
The transplant didn't take too long, but much longer than Windows 8.1 took to make itself right at home in the new PC.
So far, she's running like a champ!
It will never run like the computer on the "Enterprise" (a la Star Trek), but for what I do, email, and a few web searches, and an occasional You-tube video, it's just fine.
This little Acer Aspire was another basket case that I inherited, after a lightning strike took out the on-board LAN, and corrupted the little mechanical HD.
Today, with the little PC wide open, I took the opportunity to install a new CMOS battery, and I blew out some dust, while I was at it.
And, this little Acer has an HDMI video output from the motherboard, which my HP did not have. I'm sure I'll use that some day.

I never had any previous OS that would make itself right at home in a totally new PC, installing appropriate hardware drivers, etc. But, Windows 8.1 seems to take it all in stride.

Cheers Mates!
TM

 

[TechnoMage]

That was then, and this is almost two months later, and my little Acer SFF desktop PC is still running Win-8.1 like a Champ, with NO glitches whatsoever.
This is the smoothest and most error free OS that I've ever run.

And, Windows 8.1/Pro/64 remains my OS of choice, after 42 years of operating a PC with a Microsoft OS. I've run many IBM Clones, without ever owning a true Blue IBM PC. Does IBM even make computers any more? Me thinkest Not!

Y'all keep up the good work now,
Blessings all around,
TM

 

[SCANNERMAN]

I still own a couple of old ACER desktops with WIN 8.1 on them and haven't bothered to upgrade them because they work so well without uprgrades. I won't make any financial transactions on them but they serve me well for home entertainment purposes and one has served as a NAS for years now. As far as Windows is concerned my personal favourite is still Win 7 U 64 bit, which I also still use. I refuse to put Win 10 on my work station and should the day come when I can no longer use Win 8.1 to my satisfaction I'll just use Linux. IMO Windows over-stepped their boundaries with Win 10 and I don't respect that. I still play around with it on one PC that I built and admittedly that version has been considerably modified. Getting a version of Win 10 that offers an acceptable level of privacy requires some surgery. As for Win 11, well that's quite another story.

 

[TechnoMage]

The first time I tried to install Win-11 (early version) I got the error message telling me that it could not install to my PC because of incompatibility.
However, a few weeks ago, I downloaded the ISO again (from the same source) and tried the install and it worked perfectly. What's up with that? Did MS relax their requirements, or is something else at work there.

It's still a Pig, but at least it DID install. And, after about an hour of poking at it, I finally found out how to load the Classic Shell, and then I was able to use it almost like a real computer. lol
NO! I'll never really USE it! Installing it was just an experiment....part of my hobby.

 

[SCANNERMAN]

lol Yes, they did relax their requirements according to Level1 Tech Show. (Formerly called Level1 Tech News.) Evidently not many people were that interested in switching and revenues were dwindling. Wendell and Ryan had a bit of a chuckle on that one. I "experimentally" upgraded only to discover I couldn't roll back once I installed it. So I advise those who want to "experiment" that they had better be very certain this is what they want. I'm sure if I called up Microsoft they'd let me roll back to Win 10 but I just don't want the hassle of waiting for hours on the phone for help. Since I rarely use my laptop anyway (never could quite adapt to touch screens) it's not a priority. I suppose I could say that I got it for posterity's sake? RIP Win 11.

 

[TechnoMage]

I'm probably just repeating myself, but aside from all the hate and discontent that I read on these pages, I've found it much easier to just download an ISO from a source where it's been FIXED. Then it installs and runs as smooth as any previous OS.
It was free to download, and I'm not selling it, so what's the harm?

I took a Screen Shot of my new Windows 11 desktop:

It certainly resembles Windows 7....Eh?

 

[SCANNERMAN]

Haters gotta hate. Myself, I have better things to do with my time. Are you suggesting your screen shot appears to look like Windows 7? I could use Classic Shell and make Win 8.1 look like Win 7. The "fixed" version strikes me as a nice little o/s to put on a PC that was old and neglected. I might try that some time since restoring old and neglected PCs is what I do best. Anything over 23 years is out of my league though. I mean, I might be able to do it but I couldn't find much personal satisfaction in that sort of thing. I wouldn't dis TPM2 either as I think there's a place for it as well. What I dislike is Windoze trying to monopolize it in such a way that it practically owns my hardware and doesn't let me choose what to do with it. I empathise with this fellow here >>

 

[TechnoMage]

Sorry, but I'm not understanding what you're trying to say.
As for the video, I won't bother with it, because my internet connection is running slow today.

Better luck next time.

 

[SCANNERMAN]

In this age of virtual randomness I find that luck is the last mythical construct I need. I did wonder however if your issue wasn't the internet because surely you have the GFX to handle a simple low res video on at least one of your many PCs. I'm still trying to find the "hate" on this thread that you referred to but I'm guessing someone must have deleted it. Aaah, dearly beloved Microsoft : We love her so and can't live with her, can't live without her.

 

[TechnoMage]

Microsoft is sort of like Ma Bell (the Bell Telephone Company). It's kind of the only act in town.
There have been a few options, to Windows, over the years, but none of them are really viable options.

One thing that has kept me working with Windows, is that every one of my hundreds of customers were always running Windows of some form. So I need to be up to date, and proficient at fixing and maintaining MS Windows. (now, since I've retired, it's just my hobby). Today I'm running Windows XP, Win-7, Win-8.1, Win-10 and Win-11. All, on different PC's. They all WORK, but 8.1 is still my everyday favorite.

 

[SCANNERMAN]

Yes indeedy. They all work. Even Win 95 and 98 work. When the PC is disconnected from the internet this observation will hold true indefinitely and relentlessly. Not all PC functionality requires an internet connection either. I would say that Win 8.1 is the most versatile of operating systems that Microsoft has to offer but, in that regard, Linux has Microsoft beat hands down. (Sorry, Microsoft. You can't Win 'em all.) I'm not saying it would be impossible to put Win 7 on a hand held device connecting to WiFi for example, but I suggest that it might not be practical or even needful. I submit that this is the chief reason why Win 8 was developed: Functionality on all devices. And of course Win 8 turned out to be a miserable failure until Microsoft's customer base finished doing all the free beta testing required to issue Windows 8.1. Indubitably, you were part of that Insider project as well. Absolutely brilliant marketing scheme there! *applauding Microsoft*

As it was explained to me by one Microsoft employee, the difference between Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 is as great (if not greater) than the difference between Windows Vista and Windows 7. I find that rather profound. Clearly they weren't merely referring to what sort of wall paper or shell was employed in the operating system. Had Microsoft released Win 8.1 as Windows 9 Ultimate methinks they would have better described Windows 8.1. Alas, the public wasn't ready for it yet and I'm quite sure that many would have been outraged by such a bold declaration. Personally, I'm not buying Microsoft's lame excuse for declining any reference to Windows 9 in the naming scheme other than it could have had a negative affect on sales. For all we know it could have had a positive affect on sales, but the timing wasn't right and it would look too much like the Corporate Titan finally acknowledged that Windows 8 sucked. Which it really did. Windows 8.1, on the other hand, sucked a lot less, the upgrade was free, and you could put it on practically anything that used a CPU.

I make no secret regarding my personal bias and I like to keep my bias in my BIOS. IMO Windows 7 was the last real operating system Microsoft ever made. Of course, operating systems can be tweaked and made to do whatever one desires pretty much. When Windows 8.1 threw out the baby with the bathwater I just chuckled. The old 'less is more' line prevails and if the marketers can convince the public that this is the case the profits will also prevail. So it is that third party software is become so popular over the decades and all these can thank Microsoft for providing the end user that bare bones functionality required to employ those third party applications. Everyone needs to make a living, yes?