# Windows XP sucks. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 20, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847 "2003-04-20T13:58:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/1 "2003-04-20T13:58:38Z")
It sucks so bad my girlfriend has taken to calling it the “Nazi” OS. My problem with this piece of garbage of an operating system largely stems from the fact that it _absolutely will not allow me to do anything with my own computer_. The hierarchy is all switched around, nothing works the way it used to, I’ve got three different media players but I can’t figure out how to open MS Access (which is on the machine somewhere, but I can’t find it), and everything down to the buttons on the windows just looks stupid. Don’t get me started on that insipid cartoon dog. XP is also not DOS-based. 99% of things seem to be driven by IE for some unfathomable reason. I realize that the complete lack of DOS won’t be a problem for most people, but it pisses me right off. See, I remember the days before Windows. I had an 80/88 when they were the be-all and end-all of computers. I could play games on the thing that had actual _graphics_ in 'em, instead of just boring text. Over the years I became dependent on DOS, especially since Windows never really worked right. The DOS-prompt was my friend, my security blanket. Now it’s been cruelly ripped away from me and replaced with… nothing. I’ll never see my beloved “C:” again. Back in February I broke down and spent about $800 on a new Dell cheapie, and I actually danced with joy when the UPS guy showed up with it. If only I had know about the horror that lurked within it’s stylish case. My experience with my lovely knew computer has led me to two conclusions:[ul] [li]The hardware is wonderful. It’s just the POS that is XP that makes me want to drop-kick it through a window.[/li][li]Bill Gates blows goats.[/li][/ul] I should’ve bought a Mac. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/2 "2003-04-20T14:08:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exgineer \* > \*\* I should’ve bought a Mac. \*\* Um…I may be missing something obvious, but why not just rush right out and buy a copy of Windows 2000? It’s not particularly hard to change OSs (if you’re upset about the lack of DOS prompt you should _certainly_ should know how). I got a used DELL laptop that came with WinME pre-installed and within 10 minutes of getting it home, loaded on my copy of Win98se. Worked like a charm. Why stick with a bad OS? It’s not that hard to change it. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Maxxxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Maxxxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maxxxie)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/3 "2003-04-20T14:12:19Z")
XP Home sucks. Umm, you do know you have a command prompt, right? Also, you can change the look/feel of XP’s start menu etc via the Display properties (Appearance tab) and also the Start Menu’s properties by right-clicking the Start Menu. Ok, enough useful hints. Yeh! Boot XP up the arse! It sucks big hairy dog balls (what?? I’m just jumping on the bandwagon!) Max. ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/4 "2003-04-20T14:19:45Z")
START\>RUN\>COMMAND will give you a C prompt. You may have to search for this one, but under the My Computer properties, there is a button that will lead you to changing the performance of the computer. Choosing to run with optimal performance will take away the glitsy overlay to the more traditional Windows look. ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/5 "2003-04-20T14:21:43Z")
Oops, I see **Maxxxie** beat me to the punch. I hope you don’t have XP Home. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/6 "2003-04-20T14:23:25Z")
Funny, I like my XP Pro on my home computer. There is still a command prompt too. It seems to run stuff just fine and sometimes doesn’t neet to be rebooted for well over a week. My favorite part is I can kill processes and applications. The only part I don’t like it that it gets grabby about devices and their drivers. That and the icons and look and feel really are quite idiotic. Of course, this computer came with Me, anything is gonna shine after trying to use that for a year. ---
**Author:** ![Maxxxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Maxxxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maxxxie)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/7 "2003-04-20T14:24:13Z")
Oh, PS - using the “cmd” command will give you a prompt that’s a little smarter than “command”, which emulates the [COMMAND.COM](http://COMMAND.COM) interpreter… _shuts up now_ Max ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/8 "2003-04-20T14:45:04Z")
It’s XP Home. Which pretty much means I’m totally screwed. **Fenris** raised a good point, but I don’t want to go to a legacy system for one simple reason. I’m an idiot. Before I realized exactly what sort of hell I was dealing with, I rushed right out and spent about a couple of hundred bucks on XP Office. I need to work at home from time to time, and XP Office is the new standard at my job, so I figured that would be easier all around. I could go back to 2000 or 98 and convert files back and forth and pray, but I’ve got a sunk investment in XP Office. Of course, I still can’t get Access to work. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/9 "2003-04-20T14:56:42Z")
No offense man, but I think you need to spend 15 minutes or so and actually TRY to do some of the stuff you talk about. This post wreeks of someone who loaded up XP and then couldn’t do something immediately and instead of taking a couple of minutes to figure it out you came to the board to lambast the program. You do know it only takes 2.377 seconds to change the interface of XP back to the 2000 style inferface don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/10 "2003-04-20T15:05:34Z")
Office XP will run perfectly happily on Win2K, in fact that’s the setup that my office uses. XP in that instance is just a brand label. So don’t worry about backdating the OS, it’ll work fine. Otherwise, I think you’re being a bit hasty; as others have pointed out, the command line is still there in all its glory, and even has command-line completion, once you figure out how to turn it on (install tweakUI, from the MS website). All the graphical gubbins can be turned off, you can make it all look just like Win2K/98 or whatever, and you can modify the folder view settings to be less flashy if you like. Of course, there _are_ genuinely gut-wrenchingly annoying things about it, but you’ll find those later… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/11 "2003-04-20T15:10:30Z")
i’ve never had a problem w/ XP Pro. I made damn sure I stayed away from XP Home the minute the bad press started rolling in on it. Apparently, they’re like night and day - XP Home is a POS, while XP Pro is an ok OS. I don’t know why anybody would choose XP Home these days; the terrible reviews are all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/12 "2003-04-20T15:22:54Z")
For the record, I really don’t give half a crap what it looks like. It’s the functionality that chaps my butt. In that vein: Thanks, guys. I just wanted to blow off some steam, but you all are giving me ideas. This board positively rips. ---
**Author:** ![yme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/35a633/32.png) [@yme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yme)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/13 "2003-04-20T16:44:00Z")
\*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exgineer \* > My problem with this piece of garbage of an operating system largely stems from the fact that it _absolutely will not allow me to do anything with my own computer_. > \*\* What? \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exgineer \* > The hierarchy is all switched around, nothing works the way it used to, I’ve got three different media players but I can’t figure out how to open MS Access (which is on the machine somewhere, but I can’t find it), > \*\* How are the media players related to MS Access? Anyway, if you had DOS, you would find MS Access here: c:\progra~1\micros~1\office\MSACCESS.EXE. But if you really knew DOS, you wouldn’t need this info. \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exgineer \* > …and everything down to the buttons on the windows just looks stupid. Don’t get me started on that insipid cartoon dog. > \*\* I can agree with you here. But have no sympathy. There is something called a help feature. I suggest you use it. Fuck that cartoon dog and that damn paperclip too, these can also be disabled. \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exgineer \* > XP is also not DOS-based. 99% of things seem to be driven by IE for some unfathomable reason. > \*\* Actually, when not hooked up to the internet, your using Windows Explorer, not IE. Although you can use any window in 2K/XP to get to any folder. How is this an inconvenience? This is a blessing. \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exgineer \* > I realize that the complete lack of DOS won’t be a problem for most people, but it pisses me right off. See, I remember the days before Windows. I had an 80/88 when they were the be-all and end-all of computers. I could play games on the thing that had actual _graphics_ in 'em, instead of just boring text. > \*\* What? There aren’t any games on your XP machine? Let’s not just start bashing shit without searching things out first. Graphics? DOS? HAH! I too was hooked on DOS, but also realized that Explorer makes things a hell of a lot easier to navigate instead of type commands 200 characters long. Or, even worse, batch files!!! I also know that a DOS emulator is always there for backup - See below. \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exgineer \* > Over the years I became dependent on DOS, especially since Windows never really worked right. The DOS-prompt was my friend, my security blanket. > \*\* Granted, anything before Win2K sucked big time. \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exgineer \* > Now it’s been cruelly ripped away from me and replaced with… nothing. I’ll never see my beloved “C:” again. > \*\* Start \> Programs \> Accesories \> Command Prompt. Don’t say I never gave you anything! \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exgineer \* > Back in February I broke down and spent about $800 on a new Dell cheapie, and I actually danced with joy when the UPS guy showed up with it. If only I had know about the horror that lurked within it’s stylish case. > \*\* Dude, you got a Dell! Moron. \*\* > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Exgineer \* > My experience with my lovely knew computer has led me to two conclusions:[ul] > [li]The hardware is wonderful. It’s just the POS that is XP that makes me want to drop-kick it through a window.[/li][li]Bill Gates blows goats.[/li]_\* I will once again attribute all of this to “Operator Error”. \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exgineer \* > [/ul] I should’ve bought a Mac. > \*\* Maybe you should’ve. But you’d still be comin’ here complaining with, “My Mac sucks, NOTHING works, EVER!” Proving to us that it is you, and not the system. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/14 "2003-04-20T16:52:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yme \* > \*\* > Dude, you got a Dell! Moron. > > \< snip \> > > Maybe you should’ve. But you’d still be comin’ here complaining with, “My Mac sucks, NOTHING works, EVER!” Proving to us that it is you, and not the system. \*\* Are you acting like a dick because you were emotionally damaged as a child, or did it just come naturally? It was a civil conversation 'till you trolled in. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/15 "2003-04-20T17:25:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*Are you acting like a dick because you were emotionally damaged as a child, or did it just come naturally? It was a civil conversation 'till you trolled in. > > Fenris \*\* This is the Pit. There’s no call to be civil. **yme** , you’re a complete jackass if you can’t distinguish between an “Argh! I’m frustrated and want to hurl my computer through the wall!” rant and serious inability to figure out how to extort Bill’s perverse creation into playing nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/16 "2003-04-20T17:52:52Z")
This is the Pit. Rants go in the Pit so the OP had to put his comments here. And besides, there’s no rule against being civil either and multiple rules against being a jerk like **yme** was. In any case, I thorougly agree with the second half of what you said (the part after **yme**.) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/17 "2003-04-20T17:59:07Z")
:: looks under yme’s name :: Um…See? See what happens when you’re a jerk, in the pit, who pisses me off? Even the MODS quake at the POWER OF FENRIS!!! 😉 Fenris, who has no idea why that happened, but isn’t complaining. ---
**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/18 "2003-04-20T18:05:27Z")
Psst, **yme** knows the secret. Nothing is _ever_ wrong with your computer, it’s all your own damnfool fault. Now shut up and sit down. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/19 "2003-04-20T18:14:41Z")
I see this as another testimony against Windows XP Home. Which is why I’m glad I got XP Pro for my PC. (And I’m a Mac user!) I think XP is OK, but it ain’t OS X and I _love_ OS X. So while (as a Mac user) I can’t say that your idea to get a Mac is a bad one (you’d be using OS X!), I think that you’d be OK with Pro. And it would be a little less expensive than buying a whole new computer and compatable software! What I’ve seen of XP Pro, it’s really not that bad. And the first thing I did was download some new “Themes” so I would have to suffer with that hideous default theme. (I got the OS X theme. 😉 ) My sister is eventually going to get XP on her computer, and I was thinking she’d get XP Home, since it’s cheaper. (I’m her default tech support, which is a scary concept, isn’t it?) My PC guru friend discourages her getting Home, and says she should stick with Pro. Yeah, I guess so! ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847/20 "2003-04-20T18:43:50Z")
To the tune of Underdog: \ \*When your new DOS box does appear with XP Home that all do fear and makes the Dope techs grunt and sneer the cry goes up both far and near for XP Pro! XP Pro! XP Pro! XP Pro! Speed of lightning, roar of thunder fighting all OS that chunder XP Pro. eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-XP Pro! XP Pro!\* …or any OS other than Home. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-sucks/169847.md?page=2)