Windows 10: What are some of your most missed removed/scrapped features from past Windows versions?

Well, i kinda used computers before acronym "PC" was even invented but never had my own "IBM Compatible" until x386 SX 16. I may be prejudiced because my first computer with GUI was Atari ST but my favorite OS will always be TOS (Tramiel Operating Sytem). On a1040ST I used MsDos emulator that run faster than on a x286 and with an HW adapter Macintosh too.
One nice summer day with BBQ and bear, my neighbor that used to program for "Computer Associates" brought me a diskette or two with something he said will be called "Windows". We immediately stuck it in my Atari and DOS emulator. It had a black screen with some red lined squares that could be moved around and you could run programs in each one using DOS commands. Those squares, he said, were called windows. Having Atari at that time and seeing Macintosh at work, I didn't think too much about those Windows. I kinda skipped and hopped over Win 1.0 and had just a passing interest in 2.0 until my first 386 and Win 3.0 and leter on 3.1 and 3.11 at the end when Win 95 was already on it's way. Than I snapped up a Beta of W95 and used it until that faithful day in July I think when I waited in front of computer store until 2 AM (I was in Toronto than) to buy full version. It took couple of hours to install it and with my astonishment found out that it had many features less than Beta. Later on I found out that it was because of a dispute with Peter Norton and some of his stuff in it. Internet was just starting than so there was not much you had to take out of the system, much more had to be installed extra.
Of coursed after that I vent with all other iterations of Win, 97 (Win9 SE), 98, Millennium with forays into NTs and 2000. Only when XP came out I could say "At last, real windows". Now finally. there was something to take out of, to change bunch of defaults remove and ad/replace.
First thing was to kill some services, security center notifications and rifle thru Windows Components Wizzard, uninstall stupid games, shut down automatic updates, Windows Firewall, set Taskbar to Autohide an Start menu to show Control panel, Run, Write, Calc etc. in Start menu. Besides MS Toys there was a nice program called "Xp-Antispy" that would help with a lot of settings connected to system security. Of the programs to install, first would be "Total Commander", some AV and MM codecs. Drivers are of course a must, between first stuff installed.
With Win 7, there was much less to take out/change. Together with stuff usual in XP I also made sure System Restore would work only with system/boot drive, disable Recycle bin and replace some default programs with some that I already established as working better than M$ ones. After SP1 here was not much else to change, just sit and enjoy windows.
At the end, Win 8 showed up, I started with an Alpha, than Beta but I used it on a separate disk with W7 disk in dual boot with XP Sp3 disconnected because W8 at that stage manged to mangle up rest of systems. Only RC Win8, I kept with W7 as dual boot. With "Full size" Win8, only things I took out were stupid Live tiles except for weather, all other Apps left at "Ignore", almost all other stuff was already set to my liking and same as I had to do manually in previous windows. 8.1 and 8.1.1 took care of most of my wishes, so now I'm looking forward ti see what 8.2 will bring and even more Win9. Who knows,maybe even new Start menu will be more usable than in Win7, never had any use for it there.

 

I think there are a lot of features that I missed seeing removed at the time, but as time marches on, it becomes less important.

[@TechnoMage]
Pure DOS compatibility in Win9x meant we were running a hybrid system of real mode and protected mode drivers. Whereas Windows NT is a real, from the ground-up OS. It is much more stable. And I dunno. The DELTREE command; isn't that replicated by right-clicking and deleting a folder? If I am using a graphical system, why would I want a text mode command?

By the way, Windows NT emulates the DOS 5x command set (just like OS/2 did) so that's why DELTREE is missing. Also notice you can't type MEM /C /P and the results of CHKDSK don't show commas.

I mostly miss the Direct Sound audio stack in XP and before. Recording the output of one's audio device is not as easily done as before, and the Direct Sound emulation on DirectX plugins can inject artifacts like pops and clicks.

I miss the mindset of tight, efficient coding instead of software bloat. Could you imagine what 2 GB of RAM on a hyperthreaded NetBurst (P IV) processor would do today if we coded tightly? Would we have even needed DuoCore?

 

I actually miss some of the tools in the XP Microsoft Works, Picture It!, Money, etc. easy household tools to use.

From Vista I miss the easy merging of networks button, you know how every time you reconnect or make a new network connection, it comes up connection 1, connection 2, etc.

From Windows 7 there are so many, Start Menu, Aero, the graphic display of connected devices in network area, free Windows Media Center, being able to edit display properties with the advanced tool, just to mention a few.

The problem with Windows is, it gets stripped of just a few more tools with each new version.

But the thing I probably miss the most is from Windows 95, and how young I was when it came out.

 

Can't say I miss any of the Applets from all the versions except File Manager from 3.1. There's so many freeware programs much better than ones coming with Windows.

 

After reading all the things you folks miss I am thinking maybe those three stokes weren't a bad thing after all. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it would appear that I just don't remember any of the for mentioned features, or problems. . .*Smile*Smile*Smile*Thumbs*Roflmao2*Roflmao2

 

It'll eventually die and I won't miss it at all > The icon. Give me a live tile anytime. Here's a preview of just one feature we'll see on W9 Start Screen: http://www.eightforums.com/windows-8...rt-screen.html

 

A proper "Read-only" attribute.

XP would specifically warn you if you tried to delete a file that had the "Read-only" attribute set.

 

Hi

Here are a few of the options I'd like to see restored in Windows 9.

1. The ability to do a repair install of the operating system that retains your installed software, as you could in Windows 7.

Having to reinstall all your software after doing a repair is a pain.

2. It should also have a really good application for making and replacing the Drive C:\ image that is clearly marked as what it is. Not "Windows 7 File Recovery".

This should create a bootable restore disk as part of the process so everyone makes one.

Think of the hassle it would save if everyone did make a backup or their OS.
A lot of tough problems easily solved right off the bat.

3. A normal start menu that is fully customizable.

In fact I think it would be great if Windows added a feature like RocketDock that lets you put quick links on the desktop.
But at least a Start Menu with folders so that links can be consolidated.

4. Certainly it should have a task bar that is accessible when a Window is open.

5. An easy way to boot into safe mode, from in Windows or at boot.

6. I'd like to see a return to the dual File Manager window, where you can have different drives side by side on the screen and drag back and forth.

This works much better then the constant scroll up and down to move things to a different drive.

I do this now using Snap from the desktop, which doesn't work with Metro, but a icon to switch to a double pane view in file manager would be nice. Maybe it have a selection menu at the top that open additional drives when you click on them. Say up to 3 drives open in 3 columns.

There are a lot of other things too, but these are things that would really help me.

Mike

 

Hello Mike, No 4 is already available, isn't it.?
No 6, Total Commander is my choice. Once upon a time in win 3.xx there was just fine dual pane file manager, why did they kill it is beyond me.

 

As far as No.4 goes, if you mouse down to the bottom of the screen the taskbar will show on Metro Apps.
And for No.6, Just launch explorer a second time. I do it all the time and just drag from one drive to another. If you don't have dual monitors you can snap the two views side by side on one screen.

 

Along the same lines, the ability to do a Repair Install from a booted DVD or flash drive, not necessarily from a booted Windows 9 system.

 

While we talking about that, I miss Windows on a disk, I mean real physical disk. Nicely packed, printed serial number and utilities for saving system if something goes wrong.

 

"Hello Mike, No 4 is already available, isn't it.?"

No 6, Total Commander is my choice. Once upon a time in win 3.xx there was just fine dual pane file manager, why did they kill it is beyond me.

No. 4 - Yes, I guess it is, though I didn't know that when I first started trying to use Windows 8.
I thought that I didn't have a task bar unless I went to the desktop.

So I installed Modern Mix which made the task bar visible in the normal manner.

Now I don't use any apps so it doesn't come into play for me anyway.

No. 6 - I do open 2 File Explorer Windows and use Snap to configure them into a side by side view.

I'd just like to have this as an automatic option, just a click to have it configure into a side by side view showing 2 drives.

Then have it able to select the drive in each window by selecting the drive you want at the top.
I have 4 hard drives plus 2 removable media drives, plus 3 external hard drives so it would make things a lot easier for me.

My computer did come with a real Widows 8 install disk, (it also came with a restore flash drive that returns it to the original tweaked setup) so I guess it depends on who you get your computer from.

Mike

 

If you have an allergy to paying for SW: http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/deta...commander.html is almost a twin to TC but free.
This one is similar: http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/deta...commander.html
Or if you like more familiar look of 2 explorers:CodePlex Archive
Or xplorer² lite: free windows explorer replacement (file manager)

 

Hi

I used to use Free Commander back in Windows 7.
I just installed it in Windows 8, we'll see how it works.

Mike