Windows 8 RTM build 8518 screenshots appear - no more Aero!

New screenshots have appeared of the Windows 8 RTM branch, courtesy of WinUnleaked, that reveal some last-minute changes and additions made by the Windows team. First up, in the coloring menu Microsoft has removed the option, previously seen in June, to independently color the taskbar and windows, meaning you are now stuck with the same color for both. Also, Internet Explorer 10 now interacts with the color that you choose, and new tabs and buttons have been spotted.

Read more and check out the screenshots here: Windows 8 RTM build 8518 screenshots appear - Neowin


They did it... They finally did it!
And I have to comment on this right away, because it has been quite a while since I posted anything new. Like many others, I had my doubts, my complains, prejudices and a decent amount of laziness towards the upcoming Win8. But I think Microsoft finally stepped up, gathered its strength, and delivered!

No more Aero in Windows 8! I loved it from the first time I saw it in Vista, it looked gorgeous, fancy and sexy - true eye candy! Win7 suffered from Aero in its bland simplicity and flatness, and Win8 did no better. But I personally think that this is a big, big turnaround for me, and it just might be something that, among other reasons I have discovered with the Release Preview, will make me decide to get the OS when it hits the shelves.
 
TBH, I think it looks positively ghastly.
 

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    Windows 8 Enterprise 64-bit (7 Ult, Vista & XP in V-Box)
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Thanks for the article lead, Gornot. It's lQQking good! I can hardly wait for final release. Glad to see your a FanBoy too. BTW - Nice avatar.
 

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    8.1 Pro X64
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    54mbp/s
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    Office Pro 2013 / Nokia Lumia 1520 Windows Phone 8.1DP GDR1
Weird, I think it looks like Windows xp with higher resolution images. I guess Aero would have taken too much HP on tablets so it needed to be removed.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
Cheer up. Monochrome is the next step! Maybe they'll make the high contrast mode new default, lol!

All kidding aside, it wouldn't be so bad if they will let us change from the white background on the Office apps, etc. Yes I too like Aero. What Microsoft should give us the option to choose it or not. Metro UI can look pretty nice on a small Windows phone, but they also seem to have a talent for making it look drab on Windows 8.

I am one notch below fanboy. Count me in as one of those who like Windows 8, but also willing to be critical where I think appropriate. I suppose I am one of those looking an iPad killer. Since the iPad doesn't have anything like a Desktop, and doesn't have split windows, I look at Windows 8 as a big step above as a tablet. That said, I do wish Microsoft would better accommodate the desktop users.
 

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  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sony Vaio Duo 11
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    i7
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    8 GB
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    Realtek High Definition Audio
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    11.6" touch screen w/ digitizer & Asus 27" external monitor
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    1920x1080
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    256 GB SSD
    Cooling
    Internal fan
    Keyboard
    Slider keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech T650 Touchpad & Microsoft Touch Mouse
I'm a big fan of Aero and still holding out hope that Microsoft will reconsider it for Windows 8 on PCs. Even my little 1 GB 32-bit Netbook can do Aero with Windows 7 - so it can it be that big a deal?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 x64
I look at it as entertainment, come on $40, for the general consumer that's a no brainer. Hell, one can spend $40 on one dinner, what's $40 for something that you are going use almost every day of your life for the next 2 or 3 years.

I am not a fan of the mono-tone colors, ribbon menus or simplicity of the metro screen. If the apps are inexpensive and interesting and useful than it might work.

I know one thing for sure people are going to have a field day with Windows 8, tweaking, see what works, all it's new functions, it's going to be fun for awhile.

After all the intro, if the thing is harder to use and less intuitive then Windows 7 , then yeah, its' going to be a bit of a bummer, but we shall see. I am of course talking as a long time desktop user and probably will continue to use Windows 8 in that fashion.

T to the C :)
 

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    Windows 8 Pro ($39.99 upgrade)
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    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
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    Intel I5 3570K overclocked to 4.2ghz
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    Asus P8Z77-V LX
    Memory
    Cosrair DDR3-1600 (4 x 4gb)
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    Nvidia GeForce GT 610 2GB
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    None
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    AOC 27" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x0180
    Hard Drives
    Seagate HDD 500gb (windows)
    Seagate HDD 1.5tb (media)
    Seagate HDD 1tb (media)
    Seagate HDD 1tb (media)
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    CoolMax 700watt
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    Cosiar R400 Carbide series
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    Cool Master H212
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    Dell
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    PowerUp 3 button mouse
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    12mb down, 1mb up
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    qty. (5) 120mm fans, four are monitored by motherboard.
    Logitech T650 Touchpad for touch screen gestures
When I first saw screenshots of the new user interface, I didn't like it at all. But, few days ago I downloaded a Microsoft Office customer preview, and... wow! It looks great! If Windows Explorer is going to look like that, or similar, I will never turn my computer off. :D
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro x64
    CPU
    AMD Phenom X4 9550
    Motherboard
    Asus M3N78 SE
    Memory
    4GB Kingston DDR2 800MHz
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    ATI Radeon HD 4670
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 226V
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    WD 320 GB x2
    Internet Speed
    8 Mbit/s
Weird, I think it looks like Windows xp with higher resolution images. I guess Aero would have taken too much HP on tablets so it needed to be removed.

I agree with this.

The desktop edition could have Aero running but it's just like with Metro:

- you need Metro for the tablet SO we include it on the desktop too (because there is only 1 Win8 version for all devices)

And Aero:

- you DON'T need it for the tablet and therefore is not included in the desktop either.

Sounds logic.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Gornot,

Thanks for the link. I think it looks good (taskbar and windows need the same color and brings back some balance) again.

I feel a bit sorry for all transparency fans out there, but I didn't used that for quite sometime myself.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
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    HP Envy DV6 7250
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    Intel i7-3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Hi there.

"Wotizit" ??.

Seems the screenshots are fine -- most people use decent themes anyway --who needs Aero.

Now if they could get rid of the Metro "Kiddies" menu for those that don't want it--then fine.

I know using "Classic Shell" you can virtually banish Metro forever --but we really shouldn't have to do this.

Nothing against developers of Classic Shell -- good piece of work really appreciated.

Cheers
jimbo
 

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    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
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    PC/Desktop
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    1 X LG 40 inch TV
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    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
I'm a big fan of Aero and still holding out hope that Microsoft will reconsider it for Windows 8 on PCs. Even my little 1 GB 32-bit Netbook can do Aero with Windows 7 - so it can it be that big a deal?

And XP was very successful even without Aero...

This may sound bad for some (sorry) but for me, what you call Aero is useless: some transparent borders just for the show. I hope they don't reconsider it, but if they do no big deal.

Just some info: Aero is what the theme is called (at least up to RP version) even without transparency Aero still remains there (there is also AeroLite that's it's included in the themes folder).

And cheer up. Maybe there will be updates or hacks / fixes to re-enable it again. ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
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    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
    Sound Card
    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
    PSU
    120W adapter
    Case
    small
    Cooling
    laptop cooling pad
    Keyboard
    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
    Internet Speed
    slow and steady
    Browser
    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
Strange calling Windows 7 aero "flat" when talking about the metroized win8 desktop. That is the very dictionary definition of flat. Flat, boring, stark, and in some cases rather eye gouging, i.e. that bright red close button on any sort of blue border color scheme.

Aero wasn't just about the transparency, it was the nice subtle shading of the window elements, the rounded corners that didn't look like they were going to poke your eye out. It was very relaxing to look at for hours and hours every day and it faded into the background allowing you to focus on your actual work. The new color scheme is brash, harsh on the eyes and in most cases way too bright (thankfully you can still tone it down it looks like) and even competes with the very content you are creating (or consuming).

Add to that that the entire thing looks like some kind of 3rd grade design with a 6 color crayon box... it's hard to swallow really. I can see how it might be "Wow" when you first look at it, but looking at that every day? Color me extremely disappointed.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7/8
Strange calling Windows 7 aero "flat" when talking about the metroized win8 desktop. That is the very dictionary definition of flat. Flat, boring, stark, and in some cases rather eye gouging, i.e. that bright red close button on any sort of blue border color scheme.

Aero wasn't just about the transparency, it was the nice subtle shading of the window elements, the rounded corners that didn't look like they were going to poke your eye out. It was very relaxing to look at for hours and hours every day and it faded into the background allowing you to focus on your actual work. The new color scheme is brash, harsh on the eyes and in most cases way too bright (thankfully you can still tone it down it looks like) and even competes with the very content you are creating (or consuming).

Add to that that the entire thing looks like some kind of 3rd grade design with a 6 color crayon box... it's hard to swallow really. I can see how it might be "Wow" when you first look at it, but looking at that every day? Color me extremely disappointed.

Yes. A good explanation. I didn't named it like that: it's what the msstyles theme is still called.

It would be better to give the (new) theme from Win8 a new name. But for now (as seen in RP) it's still called Aero regardless of the look (it's a name thing that was kept during version change?). Maybe it will change in the RTM, instead of Aero to... let me guess... Metro, Flatness or Surface to match Metro interface.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 x64
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    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy DV6 7250
    CPU
    Intel i7-3630QM
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    HP, Intel HM77 Express Chipset
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD4000 + Nvidia Geforce 630M
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    IDT HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6' built-in + Samsung S22D300 + 17.3' LG Phillips
    Screen Resolution
    multiple resolutions
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    Samsung SSD 250GB + Hitachi HDD 750GB
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    120W adapter
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    small
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    Backlit built-in + big one in USB
    Mouse
    SteelSeries Sensei
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    slow and steady
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    Chromium, Pale Moon, Firefox Developer Edition
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    That's basically it.
For heaven's sake! Windows 8 just keeps going from bad to worse. This is just pathetic. What are Microsoft thinking? What a total car crash this is going to be. No way I am going to use this BS on my PC. Windows Vista would be a better option.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate
I said this once, and I said it again: there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with Vista. It has bugs, glitches and mistakes just like any other OS, but the general public gave their best to overblow them out of proportions.
Windows Vista works 3x better than Windows 7 on my rig, and that's saying A LOT!!!

I could take the time and quote many posts made in the thread, but I'm too tired and lazy after working all day, so I'm just gonna pile up some answers to those posts:

Yes, it does sound weird to call Aero in Win7 "flat" when Metro is all about simplicity and flatness, but that's the mistake of Win7, not Metro. In Vista, Aero looked amazing and gave me a nerdgasm every time I saw it. In Win7, I was just disgusted - even though it was supposed to be all about shading and graphics and window elements and stuff, it still looked horrible to me compared to Vista. Just a weak, pale (literally) comparison to the awesomeness of Vista's appearance.

Getting rid of Aero in Win8 was the best thing Microsoft could have done because, whether one likes it or not, their main forces and concentration were going towards pushing Metro, not the DesktopUI.

And I also agree that Metro has a far way to go to be generally accepted as a positive change, especially because it looks primitive and restricted of options - I don't deny that, it was one of the reasons I had a prejudice towards using Win8 in the first place. However, one should not try and force it to work the way one wants - they might as well not try at all and stick to Vista or 7... But accepting the changes, getting used to them, and making the best out of what Metro has to offer is the way it's supposed to be done in Windows 8 - once I realized that I made my best effort yet to get Metro into shape from what I could get and make the best of it, while STILL having the option to just log in, click on the Desktop tile and never see Metro again until I power on my PC again. That also says a lot.

Even though a lot, A LOT of things became MUCH more complicated to manage with Metro and the RibbonUI in the Windows Explorer - in the end, this is still Windows, not some wacky Linux distro that takes ages getting used to and knowing how it works, and that's the whole point - if one likes Windows, one knows how to get around its problems and restrictions, and use its advantages to the fullest instead.

Oh, and one last note: I am totally NOT a fanboy of Windows 8... At least not yet xD
 

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  • OS
    Windows 7
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    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
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    CPU
    Intel B960 Sandy Bridge (2.2GHz, 2MB L3 cache)
    Motherboard
    Intel® HM77 Express
    Memory
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    Integrated audio with 2xHigh Definition Dolby® v4 speakers
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    Screen Resolution
    1.366 x 768 (WXGA)
    Hard Drives
    500GB SATA
    Keyboard
    Acer FineTip & MultiTouch Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    ADSL 5M
I said this once, and I said it again: there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with Vista. It has bugs, glitches and mistakes just like any other OS, but the general public gave their best to overblow them out of proportions.
Windows Vista works 3x better than Windows 7 on my rig, and that's saying A LOT!!!

Vista better than Win7... Never ! 7 is what Vista sould have been.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10.0.10122
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    My Build - Vorttex Ultimate
    CPU
    Core i7 @ 4500 MHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z87-Plus
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 @ 1822 MHz (OC)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon R9 280X 3GB @ 1180 / 6800 MHz
    Sound Card
    7.1 HDA
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD LG 22" + CRT LG 17"
    Screen Resolution
    1760 x 1320 / 1280 x 960
    Hard Drives
    1 x 240 GB SSD (System)
    3 x 500 GB HDD (Data/Media)
    1 x 2000 GB e-HDD (Backup)
    PSU
    ThermalTake 1000W PSU
    Case
    Corsair Carbide R300
    Cooling
    Corsair H60 (Push-Pull)
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wireless Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    60 Mbps (Down) 5 Mbps (Up)
    Browser
    IE, FF, Chrome
    Antivirus
    AVG Internet Security 2015
    Other Info
    Some wired stuff
Buy an SSD instead

I look at it as entertainment, come on $40, for the general consumer that's a no brainer. Hell, one can spend $40 on one dinner, what's $40 for something that you are going use almost every day of your life for the next 2 or 3 years.

I think that SSDs are overpriced, but I'd rather save that $40 and put it towards getting a larger SSD (or more RAM), than W8.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (64 bit), Linux Mint 18.3 MATE (64 bit)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    n/a
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II x6 1055T, 2.8 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASRock 880GMH-LE/USB3
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 1333 G-Skill Ares F3-1333C9D-8GAO (4GB x 2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD6450
    Sound Card
    Realtek?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung S23B350
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital 1.5 TB (SATA), Western Digital 2 TB (SATA), Western Digital 3 TB (SATA)
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    Tower
    Mouse
    Wired Optical
    Other Info
    Linux Mint 16 MATE (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 17 MATE (64 bit) - 2014-05-17
    Linux Mint 14 MATE (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 16 MATE (64 bit) - 2013-11-13
    Ubuntu 10.04 (64 bit) replaced with Linux Mint 14 MATE (64 bit) - 2013-01-14
    RAM & Graphics Card Upgraded - 2013-01-13
    Monitor Upgraded - 2012-04-20
    System Upgraded - 2011-05-21, 2010-07-14
    HDD Upgraded - 2010-08-11, 2011-08-24,
When I first saw screenshots of the new user interface, I didn't like it at all. But, few days ago I downloaded a Microsoft Office customer preview, and... wow! It looks great! If Windows Explorer is going to look like that, or similar, I will never turn my computer off. :D

:ditto:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
I said this once, and I said it again: there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with Vista. It has bugs, glitches and mistakes just like any other OS, but the general public gave their best to overblow them out of proportions.
Windows Vista works 3x better than Windows 7 on my rig, and that's saying A LOT!!!

Vista better than Win7... Never ! 7 is what Vista sould have been.

Windows Longhorn SHOULD had been both vista and 7.....
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
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