A fundamental requirement for any gaming PC is that it should be able to run all of your favourite games. Even though it was replaced some time ago, Windows XP remains the best choice for compatibility. Just about every major new release is written to run on XP, and there's a good chance that it will run older DOS games, too.
Showing posts with label vista. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vista. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Windows One on One : 7 vs Vista vs XP - Gaming
A fundamental requirement for any gaming PC is that it should be able to run all of your favourite games. Even though it was replaced some time ago, Windows XP remains the best choice for compatibility. Just about every major new release is written to run on XP, and there's a good chance that it will run older DOS games, too.
Windows One on One : 7 vs Vista vs XP - Security
There are plenty of reasons to like Windows XP, but security isn't one of them. The operating system still receives regular patches, and will continue to do so until 14 April 2014, but it's missing Windows Vista's reassuring security developments. The result? XP is now notably less safe to take online than it once was.
Windows compared: Windows 7 vs Vista vs XP-Networking
One of the few fundamental laws of computing is that no network is ever as fast as you'd like, so news of Vista's optimisation of TCP/IP was universally welcomed. Then we got to try out the new system for ourselves and realised that it didn't live up to the hype. Although there are circumstances where Vista's networking works well – transferring large files, for example – typical tests suggest Windows XP often works faster than its younger sibling.
These issues are a real shame, though, because Vista does have some useful networking features on offer. The Network Map displays a helpful graphical view of all your devices and the Network Setup Wizard can be genuinely useful. It's generally simpler to find and connect to wireless networks as well, while WPA2 encryption helps to keep you secure. And if things do go wrong, at least you'll benefit from Vista's detailed status reports. For example, Vista will let you know if your network is OK but you've lost your internet connection. Then the Diagnose and Repair option will try to fix the issue without requiring much input on your part. Internally, nothing too complicated is happening, but anything that helps you avoid using cryptic command-line tools should be welcomed.
HOMELY: Homegroups promise simpler networking, but there's a snag - they're for Windows 7 machines only
Windows 7 takes Vista's networking features and adds homegroups – a simple way to create a network and securely share your pictures, music, videos, documents and printers. Sounds good, right? We're not entirely convinced. Homegroups will only work with Windows 7 systems, so if you've got an old XP or Vista PC then you'll have to create and manage your network the old-fashioned way. Once you've figured out how to do that, it's hard to see why you'd ever move to homegroups in future. It's even possible that users will largely ignore them and continue to create and manage networks just as they always have.
Still, Windows 7 does appear to have improved on Vista's networking performance. It jostled for top spot with XP in our tests, each winning one file transfer speed test apiece. That said, Windows 7 was significantly quicker at transferring large files. Along with its generally useful-feature set, that's enough for us to award it first place. But be aware that network speeds can vary greatly depending on your hardware, so consider our results as provisional.
ScoresXP: 3.5 / 5
Vista: 3 / 5
Windows 7: 4 / 5
Vista: 3 / 5
Windows 7: 4 / 5
Turning Windows 7 laptop into a wireless hotspot :Here's how
Windows One on One : 7 vs Vista vs XP -performance
Buying a Windows OS used to be so simple. A new version appeared, most people agreed it was better than the last one and you'd get a copy for your next PC. Job done.
But Windows Vista changed all that. Despite many years of availability, Vista's poor reception means that computer manufacturers are still selling new systems with XP. It's also common for laptops to be downgraded from Vista to XP, with battery life reportedly improving as a result.
Deciding which operating system is best for you has become decidedly trickier, then, and the arrival of Windows 7 only complicates things further. Is the newcomer just Vista with a facelift? Or has Microsoft learned from its mistakes and delivered a product that will restore its battered reputation? Perhaps you should forget about Vista and Windows 7 altogether, opting for the mature XP instead?
18 cool things for Windows 7 but not Vista
From Windows 3.1 to Windows Vista, the Windows operating system has taken many giant leaps. And while Vista received a lukewarm reception from some users, Windows 7 is likely to be remembered for addressing those criticisms.
In fact, there aren't many changes to the overall look of Windows 7 when compared to Windows Vista. Instead, Microsoft seems to have paid attention to the feedback it received and created an OS that is not only stable, but also very capable.
So what is new in Windows 7? Here are 18 cool things Windows 7 does that Vista doesn't.
1. Shake 'em away
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