- Joined
- Jun 6, 2012
- Messages
- 550 (0.13/day)
Processor | Intel Core 2 QX6850 |
---|---|
Motherboard | ABIT AB9 Pro |
Cooling | Zalman CNPS-9900 MAX-R |
Memory | Patriot PDC24G6400LLK (4x 2 GB) |
Video Card(s) | Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Twin Light Turbo |
Storage | Not Enough! |
Display(s) | Samsung T240HD |
Case | NZXT Zero |
Audio Device(s) | Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro |
Power Supply | Thortech Thunderbolt Plus TTBPK00G 1000W |
Mouse | Elecom M-DUX70BK |
Keyboard | CM Storm Trigger (Cherry MX Brown) |
Software | NOT Windows 10 |
Windows XP is really old, and we would suggest that you don't use it unless you really have no option. For the most part, however, that age doesn't really manifest itself. Sure, the operating system is missing the security features, hardware acceleration, and built-in support for things like USB 3 that newer versions of Windows have, but old software doesn't have the same issues as, say, old cars. Old software generally runs as well today as it did when it was brand new.
But Windows XP users have noticed that this isn't entirely true. A bunch of them have found that the old operating system is working considerably worse than when it was released in 2001. The problem is that—especially among those who are still using Internet Explorer 6 or 7—each time you boot your Windows XP machine, it slows to a crawl. There's a built-in process, svchost.exe, chewing up the entire processor, sometimes for an hour or more at a time. Wait long enough after booting and the machine will eventually return to normalcy. But an hour can be a long time to wait.
Loss of horsepower and trouble starting up are common enough problems in old cars, but we don't really expect the same things to happen on old PCs.
It looks as if Microsoft has figured out what the problem is—though not at the first time of asking. It's all down to Windows Update. Machines using Windows Update retrieve patch information from Microsoft's servers. That patch information contains information about each patch: what software it applies to (for example, systems that have been upgraded to Internet Explorer 7 or 8 don't need Internet Explorer 6 patches), what knowledge base article it relates to, and, critically, what historic patch or patches the current patch supersedes.
Rest of Article/Source: http://arstechnica.com/information-...m-making-windows-xp-miserable-could-be-fixed/
Kinda surprising given Microsoft's desire to get people off XP and buy their later OS'es, not to mention XP's upcoming final end of support in four months. The Windows Update problem may also exist in Vista and beyond, but it seems moot if Microsoft's plan to push out a new OS in a shorter period of time is true. Of course, whether Microsoft will actually be able to fix it by April 2014 is another thing.