Just recently worked on an upgraded W7premium system, and I must say I am not impressed. Not only does it insist that it is an invalid copy of the OS, despite the presence of the install disc and cert sticker on the machine, I really can not see any performance or useability improvement. Not to mention that I am NOT connecting to the internet to 'validate' the system by the MS pukes, thereby giving them access to the machine, I refuse to 'register' it over the telephone. It's nobody's business what I put on the machine. I paid for the system, not an IRS audit. I'll simply do a websearch to find out how to bypass the MS snoops.
Going back to earlier 'doze versions is looking more and more like the way to go for various reasons, where installing Linux is not possible, and not just the increase in speed for pretty much all programs. Less system demands are a benefit as well!
Yes, MS is intrusive, and the W/8.1 upgrade from W/8 pushes Skydrive more as well. However, writing code for a living than can be easily pirated does present a problem that results in someway to activate it. But i think the automated the phone method should work without a Internet connection, and i think there are ways to prevent info from being sent to MS.
I can imagine how W/9x would fly on a this 6 core AMD 6350 3.9ghz. CPU, ASRock 970 EXTREME3 mobo w/ 8gb ram box, but as it is 64bit then it is a no go. The main reason i upgraded from a Sony Intel 2.8ghz dual core cpu with 4gb ram, which i used extensively for about 6 years, was because i ended up getting low on ram (with about a dozen docs open on OOo, and 80+ tabs on FF), as 32 bit can only use about 3.5gb of ram, even with PAE. Plus it had some glitches.
The CPU on that was 64 bit, but the mobo was not, so i could upgrade to W/8.1 64 bit but i could not access more ram than 3.5. gb ram.
But after someone gave me $600 to buy a new PC (an answered prayer as i work in Christian ministry), i bought the AMD from http://www.computerlx.com/products.aspx?category_ID=136. </a>
It is good and handles the large loads, although my old Acer TravelMate 2480-2779 (1.7GHz Intel Celeron M) boots up faster then that - under XP that is, which replaced the Vista OS that was on it. I fact, it even boots faster than the new copy of Puppy Linux i dual boot it with.
The XP is only 32 bit (retail), and while i would have went with W/7 (no Metro UI for me) as an upgrade, yet a new Windows 64bit OS for 29.00, that i could transfer to another PC (which before was restricted to boxed retail copies), seemed a wise move.
What flavor of Linux do you use? I have tried all the major ones, but unless i learn coding then i cannot get the same level of functionality as i get in Windows, even using WINE. Then there is the media codec issue. But I may install a copy on a separate HD for this AMD someday, to see how it goes.