techumseh
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I think it's time I retired my Windows XP operating system. Has anyone got any suggestions about what I should replace it with? And what browser works best with it? It must be compatible with Civ2. Thanks.
What new OS should I get?
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Patine
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I came to just HATE every MS OS after XP, and am still wrangling with them to this day. Mac OS is an even worse evil as far as I'm concerned. I've never tried Linux. I apologize for the jhondist viewpoint, but I would envy someone who still had a working XP computer or a valid XP license.
Tanelorn
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I have Windows 10 at work. Windows 10 is not that bad, if you don' hate the new interface and the absense of windows media center. If you get a Kaby Lake or Bristol Ridge CPU (or later) you wil have to use Windows 10 to take advantage of all the new features and/or your CPU won't be able to run the older vesion of Windows anyway. However, Windows 7 can run on Kaby Lake systems (for now). Windows 7 is in extended support (security etc.) until 2020.
Windows 8 is for masochists only.
Windows 8 is for masochists only.
Broken_Erika
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I'm stuck with windows 8
My desktop had windows 10, until the Hard drive died. Now i'm stuck with winblows 8.1 since that is all this laptop is will run. Windows 10 seems to be the way to go. Avoid windows 8 like the plague it is.
My desktop had windows 10, until the Hard drive died. Now i'm stuck with winblows 8.1 since that is all this laptop is will run. Windows 10 seems to be the way to go. Avoid windows 8 like the plague it is.
techumseh
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Thanks. Will Civ2 run on W10? Do I need to download any special files?
Patine
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You need to install it in the hard drive directory itself, NOT in Program Files x86 (or Program Files, which is a separate folder). That works for me, and is required to run. I don't believe anything else is needed that ToTPP doesn't take care of.
Broken_Erika
Play with me.
Windows 10 might install them itself, i know it did for MGE.
I've been on the much maligned Vista for many years now and have found it very stable. Sadly it's becoming obsolete (Google Chrome etc. no longer supporting it for security updates) so I may need to upgrade soon myself. My laptop runs Windows 7 which is OK but sometimes crashes.
Broken_Erika
Play with me.
Windows 7 beats Vista hands down.
Patine
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Frankly, if DOS 3.0 could play modern computer games, it would beat Windows Vista hands down...Windows 7 beats Vista hands down.
I can only go by my own personal experience and when I had XP I was forever having to reinstall from factory settings when it got clogged up with viruses (possibly due in part to my browsing habits 
). With Vista I have only done a full reinstall once and that was just to get things running a bit quicker, not because of any fundamental breakdown. Windows 7 on the laptop seems ok so far. One thing I don't like about windows after XP/Vista is that it's not possible to order files inside folders manually (IE you have to sort by name, size, type etc...). This makes it much more difficult to organise and rename files. I'm not sure why they disabled this useful feature. Also the folder thumbnail preview of XP was disabled by Vista. Though it says the option is still there, it doesn't work. MS Paint after Vista was made a lot less user friendly and incredibly fiddly. All minor issues but they all add up. I'm not anti progress, but it strikes me that a lot of 'upgrades' tend to disable useful features and ignore other issues that need improving. People trying to justify their jobs by tinkering?
At the risk of sounding like a technophobe, I find the pace of change for changes sake quite frustrating. By the time one has discovered a new piece of software, learned the features and menus and started creating work with it the damn thing is already obsolete and everyone has moved onto something new and you have to start again. That is one of the things I like about Civ2, familiarity. It's like a comfy old pair of slippers. I have been using it for so long that many concepts I once found baffling (such as altering the tech tree) are now instinctive. It's like someone who has spent decades mastering an instrument, learning all of its quirks. In a world of games that are here today & gone tomorrow Civ2 just soldiers on.
). With Vista I have only done a full reinstall once and that was just to get things running a bit quicker, not because of any fundamental breakdown. Windows 7 on the laptop seems ok so far. One thing I don't like about windows after XP/Vista is that it's not possible to order files inside folders manually (IE you have to sort by name, size, type etc...). This makes it much more difficult to organise and rename files. I'm not sure why they disabled this useful feature. Also the folder thumbnail preview of XP was disabled by Vista. Though it says the option is still there, it doesn't work. MS Paint after Vista was made a lot less user friendly and incredibly fiddly. All minor issues but they all add up. I'm not anti progress, but it strikes me that a lot of 'upgrades' tend to disable useful features and ignore other issues that need improving. People trying to justify their jobs by tinkering?At the risk of sounding like a technophobe, I find the pace of change for changes sake quite frustrating. By the time one has discovered a new piece of software, learned the features and menus and started creating work with it the damn thing is already obsolete and everyone has moved onto something new and you have to start again. That is one of the things I like about Civ2, familiarity. It's like a comfy old pair of slippers. I have been using it for so long that many concepts I once found baffling (such as altering the tech tree) are now instinctive. It's like someone who has spent decades mastering an instrument, learning all of its quirks. In a world of games that are here today & gone tomorrow Civ2 just soldiers on.
Broken_Erika
Play with me.
Before XP you used to be able to set background pictures for folders.
Patine
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I'm not anti progress, but it strikes me that a lot of 'upgrades' tend to disable useful features and ignore other issues that need improving. People trying to justify their jobs by tinkering?
This sounds like an apt description of Hollywood nowadays, throwing in that all their 'upgrade,' are also just recycling old intellectual properties with "new spins," and "modern viewpoints, technology, sensibilities, and (annoying) pop culture references." I wish there were more producer/developers in Hollywood today like the Wochowsky(sp) Siblings, who actually are daring enough to try complete new things in Hollywood film today, even if a few of their movies botch horribly.
OT rant finished.
Tanelorn
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... no more drinking and writing for me. Questionable tone.
Deleted.
Deleted.
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@Broken_Erika
"Before XP you used to be able to set background pictures for folders."
That is one feature I really miss from XP and I'm not sure why they ditched it as it was so useful. The menu indicates that the option is still there, but it does not work for me with Vista or Windows 10.
I recently built a new gaming PC from parts off Amazon. Its a beautiful beastie with tempered glass front and sides and multicoloured fans. The Ryzen processor seems to be the dogs but I had some issues installing Windows 7 drivers. I eventually managed to get it done, only to find out the Ryzen processor only supports updates for Windows 10. Having just purchased a copy of Windows 7 I was quite frustrated, until I stumbled on a fix. If you go to the Microsoft Windows accessibility web page you can upgrade to Windows 10 for free (under the understanding you need the magnifier etc... but they just take your word for it!). It worked for me. Perhaps you can upgrade Windows 8 to 10 with this method.
So far I have found Windows 10 to be pretty good.
"Before XP you used to be able to set background pictures for folders."
That is one feature I really miss from XP and I'm not sure why they ditched it as it was so useful. The menu indicates that the option is still there, but it does not work for me with Vista or Windows 10.
I recently built a new gaming PC from parts off Amazon. Its a beautiful beastie with tempered glass front and sides and multicoloured fans. The Ryzen processor seems to be the dogs but I had some issues installing Windows 7 drivers. I eventually managed to get it done, only to find out the Ryzen processor only supports updates for Windows 10. Having just purchased a copy of Windows 7 I was quite frustrated, until I stumbled on a fix. If you go to the Microsoft Windows accessibility web page you can upgrade to Windows 10 for free (under the understanding you need the magnifier etc... but they just take your word for it!). It worked for me. Perhaps you can upgrade Windows 8 to 10 with this method.
So far I have found Windows 10 to be pretty good.
Patine
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Indeed you can update Windows 8 to 10. In fact, after a point, Windows 8 Updater actually gets pushy about the "free update" to Windows 10, and puts options to decline the update in the counter-intuitive options, so you have read carefully if you want to hold onto Windows 8.
Broken_Erika
Play with me.
I'm stuck with it since my laptop will not run windows 10 for more than 20 minutes at a time followed by a crash and 2 hours repairing itself so that i can use it for another 20 minutes before the next crash..From everything I have seen or heard about Windows 8, it sounds like they're doing everyone a favour by rescuing them from that hideous OS.
Windows 10 on this machine makes Windows M.E. look stable.
Patine
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Did you buy your laptop from a street vendor in Hong Kong or Dubai?I'm stuck with it since my laptop will not run windows 10 for more than 20 minutes at a time followed by a crash and 2 hours repairing itself so that i can use it for another 20 minutes before the next crash..
Windows 10 on this machine makes Windows M.E. look stable.
Broken_Erika
Play with me.
Nope, my brother gave it to me. It's an MSI G-series gaming laptop. AMD A10-5750M with 16GB Ram, radeon 8650G+ radeon 8970M, dual 750gb hd's....Nice little machine except AMD stopped providing driver updates for the radeon 8650G in 2014-2015..... before windows 10 so i assume that's part of the problem.
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