Let's face it; Windows 11 might look pretty sleek, but it's regressed in many ways from prior versions. One such being the Taskbar.

It's restrictive, loaded with stuff you're probably turning off anyway, and let's not forget that we're still waiting on Microsoft giving us the ability to move it to the top of the screen if we want to.

Enter RetroBar, a free app that not only restores some of this lost functionality but also covers your PC in the warm fuzzy blanket of nostalgia with the classic look of your dreams.

Vertical Taskbar is possible with RetroBar

The core concept of RetroBar is that it's not simply a skin; it's a complete Taskbar replacement that replaces the existing Windows 11 version. So you're not just slapping some paint on what sits there already.

Instead, it brings back a series of classic Taskbars, from Windows 95 right through Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Longhorn, and Windows Vista. If it's before Windows 7, you can have it on your modern PC with RetroBar.

RetroBar also gives you the freedom to put the Taskbar on any edge of the display you so wish. So if you want a vertical taskbar again in Windows 11, you can, or you can put it on the top if you so please.

As well as all that, you can bring back that classic one button per window feel we used to have, and it's fully compatible with modern apps. You can have a Windows 95-themed Taskbar button for the Windows 11 Xbox app, which is a little bizarre but very cool.

There's also the ability to apply your own custom themes beyond those included if you wish, and it'll support multi-monitor setups just fine.

Why use RetroBar over Windhawk or Start11?

Setting up RetroBar is as simple as downloading the latest release from its GitHub repo and installing it. But why should you use it over something like Windhawk or Start11?

For starters, it's incredibly lightweight. It uses almost no system resources, and it's entirely non-destructive. If you want to stop using it, you can simply right-click and exit, and you'll have the regular Windows 11 Taskbar back on screen.

Right-clicking on the clock opens up the settings, and from here you have a number of choices, the main one being how you want it to look. You've got options that include the classic blue Windows XP theme and some more niche alternatives, including Longhorn and the Zune-themed Windows XP Taskbar.

You can also enable RetroBar at boot so you don't need to manually launch it every time you start up your PC, show the clock, or hide the clock; it's about as full-featured as you could want from a tool that's designed to give your PC an element of the past.

The perfect customization tool for Snapdragon laptops

RetroBar is an absolute win for those who yearn for a taste of the glory days, those who were too young to experience them firsthand, and just those who want a little more control over their Taskbar without using heftier Windows 11 customization tools.

It's completely free, and since it's hosted on GitHub, you can have a little poke around in the code if you wish. Oh, and not forgetting, there's a native ARM64 build, too, so you can happily use it on your Snapdragon-powered laptop. I'm loving my new old Windows Vista-style Taskbar complete with matching window previews!

Which version of Windows was your favorite? Let us know in the comments if you’re team XP, team 98, or another version!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Windows XP's "Bliss" wallpaper is one of the most famous images related to technology. The rolling hills and fluffy clouds remind us of a simpler time before Windows was full of ads and prompts to use AI.

But that famous image may be a little too calm for 2026. What if you like your desktop wallpaper with a few more curves and a bit more personality? That's where "Feeling of Nostalgia - Windows 11 Bliss Wallpaper" comes in.

That image, which was shared on Reddit by user "Left_Hovercraft451" combines Bliss with the default wallpaper of Windows 11.

The image has a few versions that were linked in that Reddit thread:

• Dark
• Light
• Ultrawide

Those images may take a moment to load since they're relatively large files, at least for wallpaper images.

🗨️ A good use of AI or a simple way to copy art?

The famous Bliss wallpaper image was taken by Charles O'Rear. The photo is of a real landscape in California and required O'Rear to actually be on location, take the image, and develop it.

Microsoft had to acquire the rights to the image before making it the default wallpaper of Windows XP, which it did in 2000.

The default wallpaper of Windows 11, known as Bloom, was made by Six N. Five. That creator worked with Microsoft and the tech giant maintained rights to the images (and variants like the 50th Anniversary Edition).

This is all pretty standard for images and sounds obvious, but it's a stark contrast the art landscape in 2026. These days, you can recreate images with a few clicks or ask AI to make an image "from scratch."

Of course, AI models are trained on actual images, so there's debate around who owns the rights to photos generated with AI tools. Those lines blur further when using AI to make artwork based on specific images rather than the entire collective works of humanity.

"It's one of the acceptable usage of AI," argued Reddit user "craftersmine." Others in the same thread disagreed.

"Who cares if it’s AI generated, looks great. I’m sure all of them will be AI generated at some point," said user "bestremovem1979."

"People who care about real, human work do," replied user "alternian_nerd. "Humans are what make art, art. ChatGPT can’t replace that... Besides AI is basing this off of art it’s stolen and scalped from others."

I'd love to know what you think about AI-generated artwork. Do you view images based of specific photographs differently to artwork made "from scratch" by relying on training data? Does your stance differ when discussing images for commercial use or personal use? Let us know in the comments!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

You now have a chance to win your very own pair of Windows XP Crocs, courtesy of Microsoft's 50th anniversary sweepstakes. Announced earlier in the summer, these XP-inspired Crocs feature the iconic Bliss wallpaper with green rolling hills and blue skies, paired with a drawstring back and Jibbitz in the form of iconic Microsoft icons.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear you can just buy a pair of these Windows XP Crocs if you want them. You'll need to enter into the sweepstakes for a chance to win a pair, which makes acquiring these much harder.

Microsoft's chief communications officer, Frank Shaw said "as part of Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebration, we’re releasing a Microsoft Limited Edition Crocs Bundle that includes nostalgic nods like Windows XP-inspired Crocs, custom Jibbitz™ charms, and a Bliss-themed drawstring backpack."

To enter into the sweepstakes, you'll need an Instagram account. Follow the Microsoft handle on Instagram, and comment on this post with the hashtag #MicrosoftCrocSweepstakes for a chance to win. Hopefully the company intends to sell these globally at some point.

The Windows XP Bliss wallpaper is widely assumed to be one of the most viewed photographs in the world. it was taken in California in 1996 by Charles O'Rear, and Microsoft acquired the rights to use it in 2000, and made it the default wallpaper for the Windows XP release, which ended up becoming one of Microsoft's most popular products of all time.

The Windows XP Crocs are part of Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebrations, which began earlier this year in April with a special event celebrating the company's history. Since then, Microsoft has released a limited-edition Surface Laptop 7 with a retro Microsoft logo, accidentally restored Windows Vista's iconic boot chime in Windows preview builds, and released new wallpapers to celebrate 50 years.

Are you interested in acquiring your own pair of Windows XP Crocs? Let us know if you'd rock these in the comments!

In news that can only be described as era-defining, Microsoft has revealed that it's making a pair of Windows XP-themed Crocs. The Crocs are currently only available to Microsoft employees, but The Verge claims that they will eventually be available to buy worldwide.

The Crocs feature Windows XP's iconic Bliss wallpaper, complete with the cloudy blue sky and green grass fields. From a distance, everybody will know you're rocking a pair of Windows XP crocs. You might even get people asking you where you got your awesome Crocs from!

The Crocs also come with a drawstring bag, which is also rocking the Windows XP Bliss wallpaper. Inside that bag, you'll find six Jibbitz, inspired by different Microsoft products like Internet Explorer, Clippy, and MSN. It's a major nostalgia throwback to 2001.

For those who may not be clued in to the world of Crocs, Jibbitz are attachments you can add to your Crocs to customize and stylize them. The Jibbitz attach via the trademark holes found in all Crocs across the galaxy.

You can get all of this for $80, which is quite a bit more expensive than a standard pair of Crocs, but probably totally worth it. I'm absolutely ordering a pair as soon as I can.

The Crocs come as part of Microsoft's continued 50th anniversary celebrations. Just this week, we got our hands on Microsoft's exclusive Surface Laptop 7 50th Anniversary Edition, a variant of Surface Laptop 7 that was built specifically to celebrate Microsoft's give decades on earth.

The 50th Surface Laptop 7 features a unique gold accent on the lid, and a retro 1975 Microsoft logo below the keyboard. What makes this laptop so unique is that it was never made available for sale publicly. Microsoft only ever gave these away to people via competition, though Microsoft employees could buy them.

The Windows XP Bliss wallpaper is iconic in its own right, and it was only a matter of time before Microsoft used it in its 50th anniversary celebrations. The wallpaper has an interesting history, now being one of the most viewed photographs in the world. It is a real photograph taken by Charles O'Rear in Sonoma County in 1998, and rights to the photo were purchased by Microsoft in 2000.

The hillside where the photograph was taken no longer resembles the peaceful grassland depicted in the Windows XP wallpaper. It's now a vineyard. Either way, it's unlikely that Microsoft will ever ship a more iconic wallpaper than the one that came with Windows XP.

What are your thoughts on Microsoft's new Crocs? Let us know if you'll be buying a pair in the comments below.

Microsoft's various builds of its Windows operating system have significantly evolved over the years, and mostly for the better, depending on how you look at it. After 4 years, Windows 11 finally surpassed Windows 10's market share as the latter's end-of-life deadline edges closer. However, there are a couple of temporary workarounds, including syncing your PC settings to the cloud via a Microsoft Account.

So, when was the last time you used Windows XP? The software giant released the operating system in 2001, which quickly became a new favourite for most users because of its broad compatibility, user-friendly interface, and improved performance compared to its predecessors.

Microsoft pulled the plug on the operating system in 2014, prompting most users to upgrade to Windows Vista. Some of us haven't used the nostalgic operating system since, though virtual machines can be used to bring Windows XP back to life.

However, the process can be daunting, and the experience is riddled with critical setbacks, including software incompatibility, security risks, and poor web compatibility. Interestingly, users craving a nostalgic trip down memory lane with Windows XP can now relive this epic era directly from their browsers.

According to a post on the r/windows subreddit on Reddit, user ducbao414 shared an interesting project that brings the nostalgic Windows XP experience directly to your browser.

windows from r/windows/comments/1lzbhpr/windows_xp_in_the_browser_with_a_file_system

The project is an experiment and not a full-blown deployment of Windows XP in your browser. It runs via win32.run web emulation, tapping into Windows XP nostalgia from its initial boot animation down to the classic desktop design.

According to the project designer:

"I made this Windows XP-in-the-browser project a while ago as a way to revisit the nostalgia of my childhood, and hopefully bring back some memories for others too. Today, July 13, marks 25 years since Windows XP development first began, so it felt like a fitting time to share it."

The project goes beyond Windows XP's graphical aesthetic; it also ships with classic preloaded games, including 3D Pinball Space Cadet, Solitaire, and Minesweeper.

Again, it is worth noting that the project is a web-based emulator and not a fully-fledged operating system. As such, it ships with several limitations, including the inability to access the web. The Internet Explorer icon featured in the project doesn't work, making it impossible to open webpages.

Additionally, Users can't run apps in the web browser-based project like you ordinarily would in an actual operating system installed on your PC. Going by some of the comments in the Reddit post, some users have indicated that sounds in the nostalgic Windows XP project don't work, seemingly narrowing down the issue to the startup sound being blocked on Safari because it's not triggered directly by user interaction.

While the designer admits that the project isn't the real Windows XP but a recreation of its UI, it's an impressive feat nonetheless. It will be interesting to see if the designer will continue working on the nostalgic project, enhancing its user experience with new features and keeping us all hooked on happy memories.

Before Windows introduced its modern GUI system, Microsoft was well-known for its iconic command-line operating system, MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

But did you know that the Redmond giant developed a user interface called "Microsoft Bob" (codenamed Utopia) to make Windows more user-friendly to those comfortable with DOS?

Microsoft Bob shipped with a cute interface that was easy to navigate, presumably part of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates' broader plan to get a PC in every household.

Microsoft Bob was an exaggerated graphical user interface for Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Windows NT, designed to make computers more intuitive and easier to navigate for new users.

Microsoft Bob seemingly moved away from tiles of windows to a cartoonish home interface, packed with files, folders, apps, and even the beloved Rover the Dog, who also wiggled its way into Windows XP as a virtual assistant alongside Clippy.

However, Microsoft Bob failed to spark interest among users, prompting the company to pull the plug on the friendly interface before its prime time. According to PCWorld, Microsoft only sold 30,000 copies of Bob.

The software's low reception and adoption can be attributed to its stringent hardware requirements, including a demand for 8MB of RAM, which was a big ask at the time. Microsoft Bob was forced to bite the dust in Microsoft's Graveyard around the same time Windows 95 shipped.

Microsoft reincarnated Bob in Windows XP with 30MB to spare

While things on the Microsoft Bob front remained quiet for a while, the user interface made a surprise comeback when Windows XP shipped.

At the time, Windows XP was packaged in installation CDs, but Microsoft realized that the disks still included 30MB of blank space after adding the software for padding.

The tech giant seized this opportunity and included an encrypted version of Microsoft Bob. While speaking to TechNet Magazine in 2008, Microsoft's veteran Windows developer explained:

"The result was a rather feeble attempt to slow down the people who like to make illegal copies of Windows. Somebody decided to fill that extra capacity on the CD with dummy data and to have the Windows Setup program verify that the dummy data was still there."

"This, the logic went, would force people downloading a copy of the CD image to download an additional thirty or so megabytes of data. Remember, this was back in the day when ‘broadband’ hadn’t yet become a household word and mainstream users were using dial-up connections."

Chen points out that the person in charge of padding out the installation discs dug through and stumbled into the nostalgic Microsoft Bob.

"He took all the floppy disk images and combined them into one big file," stated Chen. "The contents of the Microsoft Bob floppy disk images are not particularly random, so he decided to scramble up the data by encrypting it."

More interestingly, the developer "smashed his hand haphazardly across the keyboard and out came an encrypted copy of Microsoft Bob. That’s what went into the unused space as ballast data on the Windows XP CD."

The company needed dummy data to fill up the 30MB of free space as an attempt to fill up the install discs, thus making it difficult for pirates to illegally download and distribute the CD image. "Bob was actually more useful dead than alive," Chen concluded.

Microsoft veteran engineer Dave Plummer, better known by his "Dave's Garage" handle, also admitted that he played a hand in bringing Microsoft Bob to Windows XP. "I did what Microsoft couldn't."

Being a huge fan of Microsoft Bob, Plummer indicated that Windows XP's development team was looking for a way to differentiate the operating system install CDs. He claimed that the limited bandwidth allowed them to easily identify digital ballast that could be encrypted and signed specifically to the CD-ROM version.

As such, the engineer narrowed down his options to Microsoft Bob since the company had the license and trusted that the product could be precompressed for encryption.

According to Plummer:

"I grabbed the compressed floppy images for Microsoft Bob and concatenated them into a single large Bob blob. I then encrypted the blob of Bob with several passes of different encryption tools and techniques, including a huge private/public keypair generated by a long sequence of random mouse movements, and so on."

"I did a few other procedures that I felt were important to the process, and out came a giant multi-megabyte blob of Bob that I could effectively treat as a root of trust on the CD. If you had the OEM blob, you could use an OEM license key. If you had a retail blob, you had to use a retail key."

What you need to know

• An avid tech enthusiast installs Windows XP on the iPhone but cites degraded performance, longer boot times, and more.
• The user attributed the issue to Apple's strict Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation, which limits UTM SE's capabilities.
• The YouTuber attempted to install a VirtualBox on the emulated Windows XP hoping to run Windows 98, but encountered performance issues.

Emulators have opened doors and new opportunities for enthusiastic techies to experiment and push software in the most unconventional ways possible. For instance, Michael MJD on YouTube recently attempted to get Windows XP to run on the iPhone.

For context, Apple had previously made it difficult for developers to add emulators to its App Store. However, the company has since loosened its grip on these restrictions, though certain thresholds and applicable laws remain, designed to prevent security incidents like piracy and more.

Michael MJD ran Windows XP on the iPhone using the UTM SE emulator. And while the user managed to install Windows XP on his iPhone, he ran into some performance issues. This is attributed to the fact that UTM SE doesn't ship with Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation like the original UTM version. 

As such, the user found it hard to run Windows XP on the iPhone at optimum performance. According to Michael, installing the OS took up to 2 hours, and an additional 30 minutes for booting. 

With the performance and boot time compromise, Michael switched things up and installed UTM through AltStore for better performance and faster boot time. Admittedly, the user spotted better performance and a faster boot time. 

His next quest was to attempt to install and play the nostalgic Half-Life 1 shooter game. Despite running into a known compatibility issue with the version of Windows running on the iPhone, the user managed to get the game to work. There was a compromise in frames and performance, though tweaking the setting configurations helped a bit.

Things get a tad interesting when Michael MJD installs a VirtualBox on the emulated Windows XP, hoping to run Windows 98. And while he managed to get Windows 98 to work, he encountered several issues, including the system constantly crashing. Finally, the avid tech enthusiast attempted to run Windows 95, but his efforts were futile as the system crashed again despite making considerable strides in the setup process.

Windows 11 spots similar issues on the iPhone 

In July, we reported on the story of a developer attempting to install Windows 11 on the iPhone 15 Pro using Tiny11 Core and UTM SE. Like Michael MJD, the developer encountered several issues throughout the process, including a degraded user experience and long boot times of up to 20 minutes.

While the developer eventually got Windows 11 to work on the iPhone, the OS's UI looks cramped due to the vast difference in screen real estate, with poor resolution and aspect ratio.

What you need to know

• MyPal68 is a modern, open-source web browser project that allows Windows XP users (and all round nostalgia fans) to use the internet in the present day. 
• It's based on Firefox 68, which itself is fairly old, but does at least make browsing the web a decent experience on ancient hardware and software. 
• There are still roadblocks and sites that just won't work properly, but it's impossible not to be impressed. 

Last night, for reasons known only to the portions of my brain that don't get out much, I started spinning up a variety of virtual machines containing older versions of Windows. There's a reason, which I won't go into here, but it's been quite a lot of fun poking around with operating systems from my much younger years. 

One of the bigger issues with using old versions of Windows, such as the legendary XP, is that modern stuff often just doesn't work. That's true of the web, and the browsers we use to interact with it. Internet Explorer has long died off, and even if it did work, it's horrible. 

Enter an absolute legend to fix the problem, though, as a bit of searching threw up MyPal68. No, it's not some sketchy online chat app from the late 90s, it is in fact a modern web browser built to support Windows XP. And it works! 

MyPal68 is an open-source project, and you can have a poke around with it at its GitHub repo. I use the term modern loosely, because while for Windows XP it's positively cutting edge, it's still based on technology that's outdated by Windows 11 standards. 

It's based on Firefox 68, hence the number in the title. Way behind the version of Firefox you'd use now, but obviously there are limitations to what can be achieved on such an old OS. More specifically, it's based on the Pale Moon browser, which itself is a fork of Firefox code. It supports some extensions, has Brave as the default search engine, and from what I can see, is utterly brilliant. 

That's not to say it's perfect, and I don't think it ever could be. There are things outside the developer's control when it comes to websites and whether they'll work properly. Alas, Windows Central doesn't render properly, which is sad, but the content is at least there to read. In Internet Explorer, it flat out doesn't even load. But YouTube does, and that's probably more important. You can report sites that don't work through the GitHub repo, so there might be something the developer can do for some of them. 

The point, though, is that it works. It's fast, and it at least lets you browse the web on Windows XP without wanting to pull your hair out. I think it's remarkable that such a thing even exists. While nobody should be using Windows XP in 2024 as their daily driver, there are plenty of folks out there that still want to use it.

Whether you have an old machine lying around, like to play the nostalgia tune through virtual machines, or you're a full on vintage computing enthusiast, this is one tool to put in the arsenal. What I love the most is that it's possible and there are people out there passionate enough to bring it to life. Long may it continue.

If you want to try MyPal 68 for yourself, hit up the GitHub repo, where you'll find both 32-bit and 64-bit versions to get you going. However, connecting old software like Windows XP to the internet is always a risky business, so make sure you're taking necessary precautions. 

What you need to know

• Microsoft has unveiled the 2023 edition of its annual Windows Ugly Sweater
• This years' design is based on the classic Windows XP "Bliss" wallpaper
• The sweater is available in limited quantities for $75 starting now, with proceeds going to The Nature Conservancy.

It's become an annual tradition, with Microsoft shipping a new and highly sought after Windows themed ugly sweater every holiday season. Last year, we had Clippy. The year before, we had Paint. This year, we have arguably the most iconic Windows "thing," the Windows XP default wallpaper, also known as "Bliss."

Buy the 2023 Windows Ugly Sweater now!

For those who need a refresher, the Bliss wallpaper is considered by many to be the most viewed photograph in the world. It features a green hill under a cloudy blue sky, and was the default wallpaper on millions of Windows machines between 2001 and 2008.

It was shot by photographer Charles O'Rear in 1996, before Microsoft bought the rights to it in 2000 for what is rumored to have been a "low six figure" sum. Unbelievably, O'Rear claims the photo has not been digitally altered. The hill exists alongside a busy highway in Sonoma, California, though these days it's the location of a vineyard and doesn't much resemble the iconic photo anymore. 

Microsoft says it's supporting The Nature Conservancy with this year's ugly sweater, with all proceeds going to the organization which is dedicated to "conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends."

As always, this year's ugly sweater is available in limited quantities directly on the Xbox Gear Shop. The company is also hosting a livestreamed event at 9am PT, where it will reveal more about the design of the sweater, along with entertainment in the form of Windows trivia, a "trip down memory lane" and more. 

Microsoft is also releasing ugly sweater themed wallpapers that are inspired by this year's Bliss wallpaper, so if you're unable to buy one you can at the very least kit out your desktop with one of Microsoft's wallpapers. You can grab them on the Windows Ugly Sweater website.

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What you need to know

• Musician and YouTuber Joe Porter recently shared a video of the Windows XP startup song being played on several instruments.
• The jingle is played on the theremin, a cosmophone, and some more traditional instruments.
• Microsoft has a long history surrounding startup sounds for Windows, including infamously killing the Windows 8 startup sound before it ever came out.

If you had a computer in the early 2000's, you've likely heard the Windows XP startup sound quite a few times. But have you heard it played on a theremin? How about on a cosmophone? Musician and YouTuber Joe Porter just shared a YouTube Short of the Windows XP startup sound on 11 instruments.

The legendary jingle is played on the marimba, theremin, desk bells, vintage stylophone, glockenspiel, xylophone, cosmophone, crystalophone, kalimba, keyboard, and a laptop by Porter. That last one isn't exactly an instrument, but PCs have played the Windows XP startup sound millions of times, so I think that makes it okay.

The rendition on the cosmophone is my favorite. The tune resonates well on the aluminum pipes. The video also serves as a reminder of how epic the Windows XP startup sound was.

If you enjoy this type of content, Porter has an entire library of videos. Gamers will enjoy the Minecraft theme song in one of Porter's most popular clips.

Windows startup sounds

Microsoft has a storied history surrounding the startup sounds of Windows. The company's jingles for booting up Windows 95, Windows XP, and Windows 7 were iconic, at least among tech nerds. The tech giant then infamously ditched the startup sound with the release of Windows 8. That's not the main reason that the operating system failed, but it couldn't have helped.

Windows 8 almost had a startup sound, but Microsoft ultimately decided against including it. Jensen Harris, who was at one point the Director of Program Management for the Windows User Experience team has a video on the history of Windows startup sounds and why Windows 8 didn't have one. He later shared the missing Windows 8 startup sound with the world.

As many of you know, the startup sound made a triumphant return with the launch of Windows 11. Microsoft teased that return with a slo-fi remix of the previous Windows startup sounds. Of course, you can also disable the Windows 11 startup sound if you'd prefer.

What you need to know

• Well-respected software engineer David Cutler discussed Windows Longhorn and its development in a 9-minute-long video interview.
• He explains that a buggy codebase impacted the operating system's development, with the "worst code he has ever seen" causing severe bugs.
• Cutler started working on a new 64-bit system after AMD reached out with claims that it is less intrusive and can run 32-bit applications at speed on the 64-bit machine.

In a 9-minute-long YouTube interview, David Cutler, a well-respected software engineer responsible for spearheading the development of Microsoft Windows NT and beyond, got together with David William (better known as Dave's Garage across social media) and took a trip down memory lane talking all things Windows Longhorn and "the worst code" he's seen to date. 

What is Windows Longhorn?

You might remember the archaic Windows operating system dubbed Windows Longhorn if you're a long-time Microsoft follower. It was a codename used for its operating system under development between 2003 and 2005, set to be Windows XP's successor with Aero effects.

Initially, Microsoft envisioned it as a minor release, but it superseded the company's expectations in scope. Consequently, this influenced Microsoft's decision to ship it as the next major release of Windows in the form of Windows Vista. 

What happened to Windows Longhorn?

Windows Longhorn's glory days were albeit short-lived. But to understand this, we'll have to look at the moments leading up to its development through Davis Cutler's point of view. 

The interview starts in high gear with Dave's Garage referring to Windows Longhorn as "Windows Vista's precursor." Cutler quickly responded, "There's a big story behind that." He explains that the development team had just concluded Windows 2000, ugly aesthetics and all, highlighting that its workstation and server were based on the same codebase.

Shortly after, the development team was getting ready to make plans for developing the next operating system. Chris Jones was responsible for developing its workstation while the Dave Thompson Group was on the server side. At the time, the team disclosed that getting the servers for the next operating system up and running would take up to three years. Something unacceptable to Chris, who countered the offer, citing that he could achieve the same in one and a half years. According to Cutler, Chris indicated that "consumers don't expect the quality that server people do."

This caused the development team to split the codebase into two, with one team working on the servers while the other worked on the consumer vision. Cutler admits that the consumer branch ran into some hurdles along the way, citing that it could barely run. While the server branch had already made significant headway in development, fixing some security bugs. 

Windows XP's launch

While there were some software development issues, Windows XP was finally shipped to consumers, and in Cutler's words, "it was widely successful, but buggy." The biggest issue affecting the OS was mainly centered around security.

He further disclosed that the development team used Windows XP's codebase for Windows Longhorn, which shipped as Windows Vista.

The rise of the 64-bit codebase

Cutler recounted when AMD reached out to him with a potential idea on 64-bit extensions, claiming that it's "less intrusive" and can run 32-bit applications at speed on the 64-bit machine.

He then moved to embrace this project, which ultimately led him to use the server codebase to produce a 64-bit workstation alongside a 64-bit server. Later on, he was able to get the system running, which was complimented with a simulator (Sim Now) that allowed the development team to simulate the setup, which took 24 hours.

AMD shipped a system to Cutler's team with a CD, which, when plugged into the 64-bit workstation for the first time ever, ran smoothly without any interruptions or bugs. 

At this point, the team uncovered the new system's reliability, which prompted them to try and convince Microsoft.com to transition to the 64-bit server. The website only took a week to make the full transition, owing to previous frustrations while using the 32-bit server, which was rife with memory leaks and bugs. 

Later, the development team switched to the 64-bit codebase, as all their efforts to make headway in the operating system's development had proven futile. However, progress on this project halted as Windows XP's security had gone from bad to worse. Cutler states that his team alone fixed over 5,000 bugs while turning over some of the system's code. 

While trying to make the most out of a bad situation, Cutler found what he terms "the worst code he has ever seen," some IME code developed in Japan. He states that the code had no regard for bugs and that it got to a point where they couldn't fix some of the overflow plugs. However, Microsoft shipped a new update for Windows XP, coming in at around 250MB once it switched to the 64-bit codebase to address the bugs.

Check out the full interview and cast your mind back to the days of Windows XP. Do you remember hearing about Longhorn? Let us know in the comments!

Apple's WWDC was today. Over one million people watched the event live on YouTube, and millions worldwide followed along as Apple unveiled iOS 17, macOS 14, the new Mac Studio, the new MacBook Air, and Apple Vision Pro VR. But what's an Apple event without people trolling about Apple "inventing" everything it announced?

Apple has a track record of holding off on new tech and then rolling it out on stage as if it's a new idea. It's a tradition at this point. Another tradition is tech journalists and enthusiasts taking the opportunity to make fun of Apple. Is it genuine criticism? Maybe a little. Is it a hint of jealousy? Maybe.

In any event, here are five things Apple announced at WWDC that will look familiar to anyone that's followed tech over the past few years.

Apple invents Mixed Reality

The most significant announcement of the day, even among other noteworthy news, was Apple unveiling Apple Vision Pro VR. The device is a mixed-reality headset that can toggle into a virtual-reality headset with the twist of a crown.

While wearing the headset, people can watch movies, sit at a virtual desktop, and even edit documents in it. Can you imagine? Editing Microsoft Word documents in a mixed reality headset and having a massive TV on your face? #Future

Apple invents Progressive Web Apps

What if every website you visited could be installed as an app on your computer? What if an operating system integrated some web apps alongside your other applications? You'd get up-to-date versions of your favorite services without requiring app updates. You'd have the same experience across all your devices, regardless of which OS you ran. Developers wouldn't have to make apps for each operating system, freeing up time and resources to improve your app experience.

Apple has answered your questions, and your prayers, with support for progressive web apps on W̶i̶n̶d̶o̶w̶s̶ ̶X̶P̶ macOS 14 Sonoma.

Apple invents interactive widgets

Sometimes you want to glance at information without having to open an app. The ever-clever Apple has figured out a way to do just that. macOS Sonoma supports widgets on the desktop, which came to Windows 11 when it was first announced (a future update will let you pin them to the desktop). You can interact with the widgets or browse them for info. Desktop widgets. What a time to be alive.

Apple invents Windows XP wallpaper

When Apple unveiled macOS Sonoma, I was overcome with emotion. The grass-like green graphic. The rolling curves, almost like hills below a top as blue as the sky. I was in bliss. It's truly amazing how Apple continues to create awe-inspiring art while making the best technology.

If you had any doubt that the macOS Sonoma wallpaper was inspired by the Bliss wallpaper of Windows XP, I'd like to point out that the famous Bliss image was taken in Sonoma County, California.

Bring it all together, and you have a graphic that looks like the Windows XP wallpaper, interactive widgets on the desktop, and the fact that the new macOS version is named after where the Windows XP wallpaper image was taken. That's a bit on the nose Apple.

Apple invents Windows Game Mode

Everyone knows all the cool gamers use macOS. In addition to Windows and Linux being too mainstream, they lack the raw power of the Mac Pro with the mighty M2. While macOS handles the five games it supports like a champ, sometimes you may want to focus your system resources on gaming. In comes Game mode, the revolutionary idea from Apple.

When you enable game mode, your computer prioritizes whatever title you play. This results in better frame rates and reduced latency on accessories like Xbox controllers.

If only Microsoft had been watching WWDC...

• How to enable (or disable) Game Mode in Windows 10 and 11

What you need to know

• The music video for Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation caused certain laptops from the 1990s to crash.
• The issue was caused by the song emitting a tone that was the resonant frequency for a popular hard drive used at the time.
• Manufacturers solved the problem by filtering out the frequency during audio playback.

Before Kim Kardashian broke the internet, Janet Jackson broke laptops running Windows XP. The music video for Jackson's Rhythm Nation created a perplexing issue that caused the hard drives of laptops to crash. Microsoft's Raymond Chen explained the phenomenon in a recent dev blog post. 

Rhythm Nation's music video included a tone that matched the resonant frequency of a popular hard drive at the time. A resonant frequency causes an object to vibrate at a specific rate, which can cause it to break. A more common example is a glass shattering when exposed to a note that matches its resonant frequency.

Back in the 90s, Jackson wasn't just shattering pop chart records; she was breaking hard drives. "It turns out that the song contained one of the natural resonant frequencies for the model of 5400 rpm laptop hard drives that they and other manufacturers used," said Chen.

Interestingly, the music video didn't just affect the laptop playing the song, it could cause neighboring laptops to crash as well. The problem affected several models of laptops, though Chen didn't specify which brands ran into the issue.

Chen added, "they discovered something extremely weird: Playing the music video on one laptop caused a laptop sitting nearby to crash, even though that other laptop wasn’t playing the video!"

Manufacturers addressed the issue by filtering out the audio frequency during playback. Presumably, the filter is no longer inside devices, since the best Windows laptops feature SSDs. There certainly aren't any models using a 5400 RPM hard drive from the 90s.

We've embedded Jackson's music video below. Just make sure not to watch it on or near an unpatched computer with an ancient hard drive.

What you need to know

• A recent episode of the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast runs through the history of startup sounds.
• The episode covers the famous Windows XP jingle and other sounds from the history of Windows.
• Microsoft removed the startup sound with Windows 8 but brought it back with Windows 11.

Windows startup sounds go all the way back to the early days of the OS. Some of the jingles have become famous, such as the orchestral sound of Windows XP. The latest episode of the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast covers the history of startup sounds from Windows.

The entire episode is worth a listen. Around the 21:30 mark, you'll hear arguably the most iconic Windows startup sound, the one from Windows XP. The show's hosts highlight how Windows XP shared a similar soundscape for different sounds in the operating system.

Microsoft drifted away from startup sounds with Windows 8, which lacked any noise when booting altogether. That OS also lacked support for multiple Windows on a desktop, so a missing sound may not have been its biggest issue.

Even the rollout of Windows 10 didn't add a jingle. Former Microsoft Director of Program Management for the Windows User Experience Team Jensen Harris explained why the company moved away from startup sounds.

Microsoft changed its — ahem — tune with Windows 11. The company was so excited about the return of a startup noise that it shared a slo-fi remix of sounds from its previous operating systems in the run-up to Windows 11's announcement.

This is only the first half of a two-part series from the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast covering the topic.

What you need to know

• The FBI has issued a warning pertaining to the ransomware RagnarLocker and the custom Windows XP virtual machine it deploys within.
• The FBI's warning is primarily for the purpose of educating individuals on one of the many ransomware threats currently making rounds on the web.

While it's no secret that Windows XP is a favorite of many legitimate, upstanding entities and still dominates operating system market share in one part of the world, not everyone who's a fan of the OS or its virtual machine variations has the best intentions in mind. Enter: RagnarLocker.

RagnarLocker is ransomware being circulated by cybercriminals for the purpose of encrypting files and holding them for ransom. The FBI notes that it doesn't encourage ransomware victims to pay up, since that runs the risk of encouraging cybercriminals. Not to mention, there's no guarantee the criminals will release their hold on your files even after you pay. As for the threat of RagnarLocker specifically, here's how the FBI describes it (via ZDNet):

The FBI notes that as of January 2022, a minimum of 52 entities in sectors such as financial services, information technology, critical manufacturing, energy, and government have had to deal with the consequences of RagnarLocker. The ransomware operates on a mass-encryption basis, actively choosing specific files not to encrypt in order to avoid attracting immediate attention while it locks things up.

Though RagnarLocker may be a particularly pesky foe, it's far from the only instance of ransom-focused malware on the loose. In the modern times we're going through right now, there's a ransomware black hole on the loose.

What you need to know

• The year is 2021, and Microsoft has ushered in Windows 11.
• While it may not be a shock that many, many people are still operating on older Windows operating systems, it is unusual that one country still primarily uses Windows XP.
• That country is Armenia.

For many, October 2021 has been a time of change, wherein Windows 10 was abandoned in favor of Windows 11. However, not everyone is so keen on making operating system jumps. In fact, one country hasn't done so en masse in two decades.

According to StatCounter, desktop PCs in Armenia still primarily roll with Windows XP (via WinFuture). As of September 2021, 53.5% of desktops were using the operating system that landed in 2001. Windows 10 came in second with 32.8% percent. Given that October's figures aren't included in the chart yet, it's not clear how many Windows 11 rigs are floating around in Armenia, but it's safe to assume there are nowhere near enough to dethrone XP as the king of the hill.

It remains unclear why Armenia's XP and Windows 10 market share values still battle with each other for dominance every few months, with Windows 10 occasionally tying things up or taking the crown. It's also unclear why Windows XP keeps rising to the top after these temporary swaps.

In any event, the point is this: If Microsoft's seriously intense Windows 11 marketing hasn't worked on you and you're still happily living with Windows 7, 8, 10, or another older operating system, know that you're not alone. There are a great many people out there in the world still rocking software from two decades ago. The question now is: Will you be utilizing Windows 11 in 2041?

What you need to know

• A YouTuber managed to compile the Windows XP source code that leaked last week into a working operating system.
• The code is seemingly authentic, though it was missing some components.
• The videos showing the process have been taken down.

Alleged code of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 leaked online last week. At the time, it was unclear if the code was authentic. Now, it seems clear that the code is genuine, as a YouTuber managed to compile the code into a working operating system.

NTDEV, an IT technician who runs Twitter and YouTube accounts by the same name, managed to compile the code into a working OS, though some holes had to be filled. The videos showing this in action have since been removed due to a copyright claim by Microsoft. Before they were taken down, ZDNet spoke with NTDEV and broke down the videos.

"Well, the reports were indeed true. It seems that there are some components missing, such as winlogon.exe and lots of drivers," said NTDEV in an interview with ZDNet.

While the code was genuine, according to NTDEV, there were some holes that needed to be filled. NTDEV explained to ZDNet that "Certain files, such as the kernel and the Explorer can be compiled easily." Adding, "I have tried some programs from the compiled source of XP, and it seems that they are identical to the retail versions of Windows."

NTDEV states that apart from the Windows Server 2003 source code is similar to the Windows XP leak, in that it isn't complete but appears authentic. In fact, the Windows Server 2003 is more complete than the Windows XP leak. NTDEV states that "The leaked source of Server 2003 is actually more complete than the XP one, but it lacks, just as the XP one, the Winlogon source code."

Windows XP reached end-of-support in 2014, but over 1 percent of PCs still use it, according to NetMarketShare. The leaked code for Windows XP could lead to security issues for those still using the old operating system.

We're back with another exciting episode of the Windows Central Podcast, and this week, Dan and Zac cover some of the most interesting announcements from Ignite. The 85-inch Surface Hub 2S is coming in January 2021. Edge is on the way for Linux users, and Microsoft Teams continues to grow as a platform for remote workers.

Alleged source code for Windows XP has leaked — hopefully you've upgraded by now! They also review the Windows 10 October 2020 Update along with a look at what's to come in 2021.

In the gaming realm, the guys talk about Xbox preorders and Microsoft's purchase of Zenimax for $7.5 billion dollars. And check out their Surface Duo tips!

This episode of the Windows Central Podcast was recorded on September 25th 2020.

Links:

• Second half of Microsoft Ignite will be in March 2021 | Windows Central
• Windows 10 October 2020 Update review: Subtle, but necessary | Windows Central
• Surface Duo tip: Enable app notification icons in Peek Mode | Windows Central
• Microsoft's massive 85-inch Surface Hub 2S is coming in January 2021 for $21,999 | Windows Central
• Microsoft Edge for Linux preview is coming in October | Windows Central
• Microsoft Teams bringing more meeting tweaks with custom layouts, breakout rooms | Windows Central
• Alleged Windows XP source code leaked, spread on 4chan | Windows Central
• Xbox Series X, PS5 fiascos show the problem with preorders in the digital age | Windows Central
• Microsoft has acquired ZeniMax Media (DOOM, Elder Scrolls, Fallout) for Xbox | Windows Central

Subscribe to the podcast

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Hosts

• Daniel Rubino
• Zac Bowden
• Micharl Fisher

Make this show great by participating!

Send in your comments, questions, and feedback to:

• Email: wcpodcast@windowscentral.com
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What you need to know

• Alleged Windows XP source code has leaked online.
• The leak spread via 4chan, where posters shared download links.
• Windows XP officially reached its end-of-life date in 2014.

Alleged source code for Windows XP leaked online this week. The leak was spread in a thread on the anonymous forum 4chan, which linked to archives of both the alleged Windows XP source code along with source code for other Microsoft products. Notably, the archive includes the Windows NT 3.5 and original Xbox source code dumps that appeared online in May.

Though there was debate among 4chan posters over the legitimacy of the leak, some security researchers have begun digging into the code and have spoken to its veracity. That could change as researchers dig deeper.

"We are investigating the matter," a Microsoft spokesperson told Windows Central in a statement.

If the leak is legitimate, it could expose any remaining Windows XP-based systems to new attacks. However, Microsoft hasn't supported Windows XP in any meaningful way since it reached its end-of-support date in 2014, which marked the end of security updates for the aging operating system. Still, according to the latest data from NetMarketShare, Windows XP PCs account for roughly 1.26 percent of PCs that generate web traffic around the world.

Interestingly, while this would be the first time Windows XP source code has gone public, Microsoft already shares its code with governments and university researchers around the world. As noted by SwiftOnSecurity, Microsoft has had a program in place since 2001 to share its source code with governments and institutions as a way to independently provide a check on the security of its software.

What you need to know

• Linux Raspbian XP Professional is an operating system inspired by Windows XP that you can install on your Raspberry Pi 4.
• The OS has a working Start Menu and several design elements inspired by Windows XP.
• The Raspberry Pi 4 is the only Raspberry Pi powerful enough to run the OS.

If you're missing the grassy fields and blue skies of Windows XP, you can put an operating system onto your Raspberry Pi 4 inspired by the classic Windows operating system (OS). The OS is called Linux Raspbian XP Professional, and it has a working Start Menu, search bar, and menus and icons inspired by Windows XP (via Tom's Hardware). The Raspberry Pi 4 is the only Raspberry Pi model powerful enough to run the OS.

The OS is an XP overlay, so it can't run Windows XP applications natively, but there are several emulators that let you use Windows apps on Raspbian. Linux Raspbian XP Professional has some emulation platforms preloaded, including BOX86.

The PI LAB YouTube channel showcases the OS and details some of its features.

If you want to run Windows applications on the OS, you can also use its built-in Windows 98 virtual machine. Alternatively, you can use Linux programs like the LibreOffice suite.

If you're a fan of tinkering with Raspberry Pi devices and Windows, you can check out our guide on how to install Windows 10 IoT Core onto a Raspberry Pi 3.

What you need to know

• A new video shows off a concept of what Windows XP would look like if updated to fit into 2019.
• The video is set to dramatic music and showcases features like virtual desktops in a Windows XP shell.

If you've ever wondered what a modern version of Windows XP would look like, you're in luck. A new video from Avdan shows off a concept of Windows XP 2019 Edition, mixing modern features like virtual desktops with the classic look of Windows XP. The video is set to some extremely dramatic music to build up the suspense of each feature being revealed.

The video shows off the classics such as Space Cadet Pinball, and modern features like dynamic wallpapers.

If you find yourself nostalgic for older Start Menus, you can download Start10 and get a completely functional version of the Windows 7 Start Menu on Windows 10.

What you need to know

• Several Internet Games are losing support on older versions of Windows.
• Titles include backgammon, checkers, spades, and hearts.
• Support ends on July 31, 2019 for Windows XP and ME and on January 22, 2020 for Windows 7.

Many classic Internet Games will lose support over the next six months on older versions of Windows. Microsoft announced the end of support dates in a forum post (via MSPU).

The following games will stop working after support ends:

• Internet Backgammon (XP/ME, 7)
• Internet Checkers (XP/ME, 7)
• Internet Spades (XP/ME, 7)
• Internet Hearts (XP/ME)
• Internet Reversi (XP/ME)
• MSN Go (7)"

Internet Games on Windows XP and Windows ME devices will stop being supported on July 31, 2019. Internet Games on Windows 7 devices will lose support on January 22, 2020.

After these games lose support, they will no longer work at all. Microsoft's post states that "the time has come for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources towards more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences."

While these specific versions of the game won't be playable, there are offline versions of most of these games available on most devices.

Portable (and affordable) power accessories we love

Each and every one of these charging gadgets will keep your favorite gear and gadgets going for longer, and none of them costs more than $30.

VisionTek 8,000 mAh micro-USB power bank ($13 at Dell)

This compact dual-output powerbank can speedily recharge any and all your devices, thanks to a two-amp "fast charge feature," using its micro-USB out port. Its simple design includes an LED indicator, and it costs about as much as a single ticket to the movies.

Panasonic eneloop AA batteries (From $13 at Dell)

Panasonic's rechargeable batteries are among the best available, and just a couple of them will keep your favorite remote, mice or other peripherals powered up when you need them. They're also eco. And the company's affordable charger fits and charges both AA and AAA batteries at the same time.

Belkin Qi Wireless Charging Pad ($30 at Dell)

This unobtrusive Qi wireless charging pad looks good (and kind of like a UFO …) and easily charges all your Qi-compatible device up to 5W. Its LED indicator lights up when you're charging. And it costs just $30.

Apple has announced in a new support document that it Windows XP and Vista PCs will no longer be able to access the iTunes Store after May 25 (via MacRumors). Apple chalks the move up to "security changes" that will prevent those still using Vista and XP PCs from updating to the latest version of iTunes, cutting off access to the store.

From Apple:

Apple says you can keep using older versions of iTunes to listen to music, but you won't be able to make new purchases or redownload previous purchases on Windows XP or Vista. Instead, you'll have to upgrade to Windows 7 or later to pick up the latest version of iTunes.

It's impossible to be sure without exact figures, but the cross-section of people still using Windows XP and Vista with iTunes is likely pretty small. And given that Microsoft no longer supports Windows XP or Vista, it's no surprise to see Apple following suit.

Now let's hope this means we're that much closer to getting iTunes on the Microsoft Store for Windows 10.

Following the recent WannaCry ransomware attack that stemmed from a leak of NSA exploits, Microsoft took the unusual step of patching Windows XP to protect against the attack despite the fact that support for the operating system ended in 2014. Now, Microsoft is taking an unprecedented step to patch more vulnerabilities in Windows XP and other older, unsupported Windows releases as part of its regular Patch Tuesday updates.

The reason for the new patches is to combat an "elevated risk" of cyber attacks by nation-state actors, Microsoft says.

Microsoft is quick to point out in a Technet post about the updates that this should not be interpreted as a departure from standard servicing policies.

It's unclear what information came to light to causee Microsoft to make this move, but it's highly likely the sensitive environment following the WannaCry scare is at least in part responsible. Machines that are still running XP should be updated with the latest patches found onWindows Update or the Download Center right away.

A new report revealed that London's Metropolitan Police still has 27,000 of its PCs running Windows XP. Microsoft officially ended support for the OS over two years ago to the general public.

According to the BBC (via Neowin), the "Met" signed a special agreement with Microsoft that allows the department to keep getting support and updates for their many Windows XP PCs. That agreement, which cost the Met and London taxpayers £1.65 million, is due to end in April 2017.

The force will be updating 6,000 Windows XP PCs by the end of September, but only to Windows 8.1. London Assembly member Andrew Boff says he would like to see the Met move to the current version of the OS.

Even though official support for Windows XP ended in April 2014, the latest OS market share numbers from Net Applications showed that it is still being used by 10.34% of all PCs worldwide.

20 years ago today, a photographer named Charles O'Rear took a picture in the wine country northern California that later became the default wallpaper for Windows XP, and the most popular Windows wallpaper ever.

Microsoft marked the anniversary of that picture being taken with a post on its official Windows Twitter page today:

CNET posted an interesting article about the history of that photo a couple of years ago. O'Rear took that image in 1996 using a Mamiya RZ67 film camera. The photo itself was given the name "Bliss". Later, he submitted it to the stock photo service Corbis, which happened to be founded by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates:

Windows 10 was used by 17.43% of all PCs worldwide in May 2016, according to the latest data from Net Applications. That's a big increase compared to April's 14.35% share for the OS.

The new PC OS market share numbers showed Windows 7 on top with 48.57% in May, a slight drop from 48.79% in April. Windows 10 is in second place, and Windows XP, which Microsoft no longer supports, remains in third place with 10.09% in May. That's actually higher than its 9.66% share in April. Windows 8.1 is in fourth place with 8.77% in May, down from 9.16% in April.

Microsoft recently announced that Windows 10 was in active use by over 300 million devices since it officially launched in late July 2015. The company will release a free Anniversary Update for the OS sometime later this summer with a number of new features and improvements. However, consumers who still have Windows 7 or 8.1 on their PCs have less than two months to take advantage of Microsoft's free upgrade offer to Windows 10. It will end on July 29 and after that date they will have to pay $119 to get a copy of Windows 10 Home.

Windows 10 continues to make a slow but steady rise in PC installs. The latest numbers from Net Applications show Microsoft's latest OS was used by 12.82% of all PCs worldwide in February 2016, That's up nearly a full percentage point compared to January 2016, where it had an 11.84% market share.

Windows 7 continues to be the number one PC OS worldwide, with a 52.34% share in February, a slight drop compared to its 52.4% share in January. Windows XP, which Microsoft no longer supports, is in third place with 11.24% in February, down from 11.4% in January. Windows 8.1 is in fourth place with 9.83% in February, compared to 10.4% in January.

Microsoft has officially said that over 200 million devices are running some form of Windows 10. It's likely that the company will offer an update on those install numbers at the end of March during its 2016 Build developer conference.

Source: Net Applications

Windows 10 increased its share of the total worldwide PC operating system market to 9.96% during December 2015. It shows a steady adoption rate compared to 9% in November, 7.94% in October and 6.63% in September 2015. The numbers were revealed today by research firm Net Applications, who monitors operating system usage from tens of thousands of websites.

Although its share keeps going up, Windows 10 is still in fourth place among all PC operating systems worldwide, according to Net Applications. Windows 7 still has a solid lock on the number one spot with 56.65% in December, up from 56.11% in November and its 55.77% share in October. Windows XP, which Microsoft no longer supports, was listed in second in December with 10.93% up slightly from November with 10.58%, but down from 11.68% in October. Windows 8.1 was third with 10.30% in December, down from 11.15% in November.

Microsoft's last official update on Windows 10 was nearly three months ago in early October, when it said it had been installed on over 110 million PCs and tablets in the first three months since it launched. It's likely that number is much higher now. A more recent, but unconfirmed, report claims Windows 10 has now been installed on over 200 million devices.

Source: Net Applications

If you are still using a Windows XP or Windows Vista PC, it's time to think about trading up. Microsoft ended support for Windows XP in 2014, and Vista's support will stop on April 11, 2017. Google plans to stop supporting and offering updates for its popular Chrome browser for both Vista and XP in less than a year.

Google stated:

Source: Google

It's taken several years, but finally Windows XP, which launched in October 2001, has finally lost its second place position in the desktop PC market share to another operating system. The research firm Net Applications has posted its desktop OS market share numbers for June 2015, and it shows Windows 8.1 taking over that second place spot from Windows XP for the first time.

Net Applications, which collects its data by monitoring PC access to thousands of websites, says that in June, Windows 8.1 had 13.12% of the desktop PC OS market share worldwide. That's actually a jump compared to its 12.88% share in May. However, it was Windows XP, which is no longer supported by Microsoft, which saw a huge decrease, going down to 11.98% in June, well below its 14.60% share in May.

Windows 8.1 will have to settle for second place as it will likely never reach the number one slot. That's due to Windows 7 and its commanding market share of 60.98% in June, well above its 57.76% share in May. The older version of Windows 8 claimed 2.90% in June, a drop from its 3.57% share in May. Windows Vista had just a 1.62% share in June, below its 2.01% market share in May.

Windows 10 will likely dethrone Windows 8.1 as the second most used desktop OS in the near future, as Microsoft is allowing Windows 7 and 8.1 users to upgrade to the OS for free. It officially launches on July 29 but in June it only held a 0.16% share of the PC desktop market.

Source: Net Applications

Officially, Microsoft ended support of its 13-year old operating system Windows XP over a year ago. Yet, even with all that time, many government and military organizations are still using the outdated OS on their PCs, and are paying Microsoft for special support. The latest example is he US Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, who has signed a $9.1 million contract extension with Microsoft that will allow the company to keep offering Windows XP software update for that division.

According to Ars Technica:

Despite its age and its lack of official support, the latest data from Net Applications shows that Windows XP was used by 14.60% of all PCs worldwide in May 2015.

Source: Ars Technica

A curious YouTube content creator, Dave Bennett, was able to boot a heavily modified version of Windows XP to an Android Wear smartwatch. Support for Windows XP ended back in 2014, but that didn't stop this developer from attempting to get it running on a watch. While this is only the main graphic, along with a command prompt, it shows the types of things that are possible that we don't expect daily. As noted in the video, it would have taken nearly 12 hours to move a 1.5GB file to the watch to attempt a full boot, so this is a 100MB version of the OS.

To think how far we have come, from the candy-bar Nokia phones, to Windows Mobile, and now Windows 10, technology has made huge progress in a rather short period of time.

Source: YouTube

Windows 8.1 had another good month in November 2014 as the latest PC operating system market share data from Net Applications shows that the year old operating system upgrade from Microsoft went up to 12.10 percent last month, over a percentage point higher than its 10.92 percent share in October.

In addition, Windows XP, which Microsoft no longer officially supports, saw its market share go down, from 17.18 percent in October to just 13.57 percent in November. The two year old Windows 8 went up slightly as well last month, from 5.88 percent in October to 6.55 percent in November. Combined, Windows 8 and 8.1 now hold 18.65 percent of the OS market share for PCs, up from 16.8 percent in October, which means that Microsoft's latest operating system is finally ahead of the 13 year old Windows XP. If this trend continues in December, Windows 8.1 should overtake Windows XP on its own next month.

Windows 7 continues to be the number one PC operating system with a commanding 53.71 percent share in November, which is slightly higher than the 53.05 percent share it held in October. One odd thing in this month's Net Applications' data is the rise of Windows NT, which is Microsoft's old server OS. November's numbers show a rise to 2.81 percent. Back in September, it was shown with only a 0.05 percent share, then it went up to 1.64 percent in October. It's possible that Net Applications is now showing some Windows XP installations as Windows NT in its latest data. We will contact the research company to find out more information.

While Microsoft launched a public version of its Windows 10 Technical Preview in October, the install base was apparently not large enough for Net Applications to record any market share numbers for that OS. Are you planning on getting a Windows 8.1 PC for the holidays?

Source: Net Applications

The latest numbers from research firm Net Applications show that the combined market share of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 in the PC market are still well behind that of Windows 7 and the now support-less Windows XP.

According to their updated numbers for June 2014. Windows 7 is now installed on 50.55 percent of all PCs, up from 50.06 percent in May. Even Windows XP, which is no longer being supported by Microsoft, made a slight gain, going up from 25.27 percent in May to 25.31 percent in June.

Windows 8 by itself had a market share of 5.93 percent in June, down from 6.29 percent in May, while Windows 8.1 had 6.61 percent of the PC OS market share in June, up from 6.35 percent in May. Combined, Windows 8 and 8.1 currently claim 12.54 percent, which is actually down from 12.64 percent in May.

The numbers show that, even after nearly two years, Windows 8 and 8.1 can't even come close to the install base that Windows 7 and XP currently have. That could be a motive for Microsoft to consider offering the next major version of Windows, code named Threshold, as a free update for both Windows 7 and 8.1 owners.

Source: Net Applications

Nonprofit organizations require support in numerous forms, including both monetary and hardware. Los Angeles city council has refurbished and donated a total of 8,000 Windows XP machines after an upgrade program taking public sector workers up to Windows 7 was completed back in April. Having the PCs in storage and not in use was a burden for the council, easily remedied by refurbishing the units and handing them to charities.

City councilman Bob Blumenfield proposed the move, determining it would be best to donate to nonprofit organizations serving disadvantaged communities. Units that could not be refurbished (due to damaged components and whatnot) were recycled. The council has gone one step further, however, and is also looking to take into account private sector donations to maintain a steady stream of donations even after the first batch has been distributed to nonprofit organizations.

It's an interesting way to help support charities and bridge the gap between communities. In other related news, Los Angeles County is also looking to move 100,000 employees to Microsoft Office 365.

Source: Los Angeles Daily News, via: WinBeta

The Chinese government released a statement today in which it declared that it will not be using Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system on any government computers. China's Central Government Procurement Center issued the ban, citing the usage of energy-saving products.

The Chinese central government's news channel, Xinhua News Agency, stated that the ban was enforced to ensure computer security, without elaborating on how the ban would promote energy-saving products or ensure security. The ban means that Windows 8 cannot be installed on any desktop, laptop or tablet that is used for government work.

China's decision to ban Windows 8 may be a direct result of Microsoft's decision to end support for Windows XP last month. The lack of support means that users on Windows XP are now vulnerable to viruses and hackers.

According to data firm Canalys, Windows XP makes up an estimated 50 percent of the desktop market share in China. Even though computer sales in China match that of the U.S., the revenue generated from software is a fraction of the hardware sales due to rampant piracy.

The Chinese government reportedly asked Microsoft to offer continued Windows XP support for free, mentioning that most users in the country recently purchased genuine licenses. However, Microsoft issued a statement announcing that China, like the rest of the world, will have to pay for custom support.

China's decision to ban Windows 8 will severely affect Microsoft's ability to market the OS in the region, as the government is the biggest source of revenue for computer software companies in the country. The government is reportedly working on an alternative to Windows XP based on Linux that will be distributed freely to all users in the country.

Source: Reuters

Remember how Microsoft said they were done supporting and updating Windows XP, and then they pushed out an update for Windows XP anyway? Yeah, that's not happening again.

In all fairness, Windows XP is still a relatively widely-used operating system and is also quite old, as far as software is concerned. And Microsoft also gave plenty of warning — years worth — that they were going to end support. They said that customers should just move on, with the popular Windows 7 and Windows 8 as worthy options for any upgrader. Or a new computer.

That said, the update that Microsoft issued for XP two weeks ago was for a critical "0-day" vulnerability in Internet Explorer, a vulnerability that could be traced all the way back to Internet Explorer 6 and still existed in version 11.

But that's it. No more. So says Microsoft:

Unless you're a government agency that'd rather pay millions of dollars for continued XP support instead of upgrading your ancient computers.

But the rest of you are done.

Source: Microsoft

Looks like the UK government isn't the only public authority ready to reach for its checkbook over extended Windows XP support. Engadget reports that across the Atlantic, the IRS is preparing to fork over a large sum of cash to Microsoft for support for the ageing OS, which was put out to pasture on April 8.

The site says Uncle Sam will hand over "millions of dollars" to keep legacy IT systems up and running after the cut-off date. Half the IRS's systems currently run XP, though the plan is to get everything moved over to the newer Windows 7, supported until 2020, by the end of the year.

Source: Engadget

With the recent demise of official support for Microsoft's Windows XP, Google is looking to attract business users of the 12-year-old OS with a handful of promotions for enterprises considering the switch to Chromebooks.

Organizations buying through Chromebooks for Business will get $100 off each managed device they purchase. And if Windows desktop app support is needed, Google is offering $200 off Chromebooks for Business with VMWare's DaaS virtualization suite, and 25% off Citrix XenApp Platinum Edition — both of which are designed to ease the transition from Windows to Chrome OS.

Between Google's efforts to steal away Windows users and Microsoft's campaign to push folks onto Windows 8 (or at least Windows 7), it's clear both companies see XP's end-of-life as an important juncture, particularly in the enterprise space where the ageing OS is so well-entrenched.

Source: Google Enterprise Blog

Support for Windows XP may be ending in just a few days, but that doesn't mean everyone has prepared themselves for a switch.

The U.K. government, in particular, has announced that a new agreement with Microsoft will get them continued support for the next 12 months while they continue to update their infrastructure to newer versions of the operating system. Of course, this comes at a cost — £5.5 million to be exact. This figure, while quite high, is small compared to the cost of updating all the various systems and training users, and would have been considerably higher had individual departments negotiated with Microsoft versus one grand agreement.

It's still a bitter pill to swallow when you see your tax dollars spent to support old IT, and we imagine a big push to move things over will be coming this year.

Source: Neowin

We have been announcing the end days of Windows XP for some time now, and if you are not planning on upgrading your poor sad operating system to a nice new shiny one, then we are a bit of a loss what more to say. Microsoft on the other hand, has one more trick up their sleeves; they are willing to shell out a $100 instant savings credit if you trade up your existing Windows XP machine.

The deal is available for citizens within the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Canada; unfortunately, our other loyal readers will have to find another incentive to dump Windows XP (although, there are quite a number of reasons to move). Simply bring in your existing Windows XP machine to a Microsoft Store or use it to make a purchase on the company’s website to be eligible.

We should note that the offer is only available for PCs that are $599 or above in price, which quite honestly is still an amazing deal. In addition to the $100 credit being offered, Microsoft is including 90 days of free premium support where you can call in about anything you need relating to your new PC.

Some of our favorite PCs that fall above the $599 price tag are the Surface Pro 2, Lenovo ThinkPad YOGA, Dell XPS 12, Acer Aspire V7, ASUS’s Zenbook, and Lenovo’s IdeaPad YOGA series.

If you are worried about transferring all of your data from your existing Windows XP to a brand new Windows 8 machine – do not worry. Microsoft has collaborated with Laplink to provide easy and free data migration for your photos, videos, music, and files.

After April 8, 2014, all support will end for Windows XP including regular updates and security patches. We urge you to update now, before your machine becomes vulnerable.

Are you still running Windows XP – Y U NO MOVE ON?

Source: Microsoft Store

The sunset for Windows XP is approaching and if you have not left the operating system that launched twelve years ago – it is really time to move on now. Next month, support will be cut for the platform and your PC will become vulnerable to the terrible wrath of internet diseases and attacks. If you are feeling a bit stubborn and are digging your heels into the dirt, checkout this infograph that Microsoft launched on their developer network – it may change your mind.

To start, Microsoft wants to remind you of the obvious fact that Windows XP is going to be twelve years old and will no longer have customer support. In essence, this means that the company will not be supporting you with hotfixes or service packs in the future, and if any further vulnerabilities are found – you are on your own.

Microsoft compared the operating system infection rate for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8; the test discovered that Windows XP had the highest infection rate compared to any other 21 century operating system released by the Redmond based company.

For businesses, Microsoft also wants to remind the cost to maintain an out of date operating system can be “very expensive” compared to Windows 7 and Windows 8. In addition, the slower performance that Windows XP delivers can affect productivity and, as everyone knows, time is money.

For consumers looking to make the switch to Windows 8, you can simply head down to your local electronics store and pick up a copy of the software. If you are not a fan of Windows 8, which we hope you are, you can pick up a copy of Windows 7 instead.

Businesses looking to upgrade should look at the various programs offered by Microsoft for easy migration including “The Windows XP Migration Jumpstart Offering” and “Premier Support Migration Accelerators”.

Do you work for a company that still uses Windows XP? Show them the above info graph and see if you can help move them forward!

Source: MSDN; via WinBeta

There has been a bit of confusion for Windows XP users (yes, they still exist) over whether or not they would be able to obtain antivirus support after July 2015. Let us take a few moments to talk about what antivirus support you won’t have after the 2015 date, but what might still be available. In addition, take a second to learn why you will still be at risk after this April even if you choose to continue using a third party service's security solution.

If you are still using Windows XP and the separation anxiety is just too much to deal with, you will be able to stay protected with antivirus support after July 2015. On the previously specified date, Microsoft will end support of their free Security Essentials software for the now decrepit operating system.

What does it exactly mean that they are ending support for the platform? Well, the company will stop providing new antivirus definitions for the software. What that means, is that the software simply will not be updated after that date. If you continued to use Microsoft Security Essentials with Windows XP, you will be protected against viruses in the database prior to July 2015, but your computer will be susceptible to malicious software created after that date.

In essence, this means that you will want to abandon Microsoft Security Essentials when the 2015 date comes around town. The misunderstanding is that some people currently think that all antivirus support will end for the operating system – that is simply not true. While Microsoft is backing out of Windows XP and encouraging growth with Windows 8, other third party companies will still provide security solutions. You will still be able to obtain security solutions from companies including Norton, AVG, Trend Micro, and Kaspersky. It will depend on the exact company, but some are promising to continue providing support as late as 2019.

That being said, Window XP is twelve years old and it is really time to move on. While Microsoft Security Solutions may provide support until 2015, security and bug fixes for the operating system will cease this April 8. Even if you continue to use a third party security suite until 2019, the updates and fixes for the operating system will stop and that still creates a terrible circumstance. If new exploits are found in the operating system after this April that hackers could take advantage of to compromise your data, Microsoft will not be issuing any sort of patch or protection - you will be on your own.

Windows XP is truly coming to an end and we strongly urge any of you still using the operating system to get your stuff and move to a more modern operating system. After this April, there will simply not be enough protection for users still on the platform. Don't wait till April 8 to move though, do it now and get settled in to the future. If you truly hate Windows 7 and Windows 8, then I would rather see you on a Mac or Linux platform - at least you will be safe.

Please, purchase an upgrade to Windows 7 or Windows 8 soon – it is truly for your own good and security well being.

We recently reported that Windows Phone is the world’s fastest growing smartphone operating system with a 275% percent growth rate, but that might not be Microsoft’s only reason to smile. According to NetMarketShare, Windows 8 now owns 9.25% of the desktop market. Breaking that number down even further, we find that 1.72% of all market share belongs to Windows 8.1, while the other 7.53% belongs to the vanilla version, Windows 8.

Windows 7 and Windows XP still hold the top command for Windows operating systems with 46.42% and 31.24% respectively. In total, Windows owns 90.66% percent of the desktop market share and is trailed by a distant Apple with 7.73%.

According to Paul Thurrott of WinSuperSite, Microsoft has set their eyes on a set of goals for this holiday season, during which, the company is looking to sell 16 million Windows devices. They also plan to work on bringing down the barriers that multiple versions of the operating system have created with Windows 8, Windows RT, and now – Windows 8.1.

Microsoft has its sights set on the future and that future includes a world of hybrid tablets running Windows. That being said, only 20% of PCs that are shipping this holiday season will come with Windows 8.1 – the remaining 80% percent will include the original version of Windows 8. According to reports, Microsoft will be providing retailers with special USB Windows 8.1 Upgrade Kits, so they can upgrade machines on the fly.

While the market share for Windows 8 might be growing, it isn’t enough and Microsoft plans to invest $405 million dollars in funding and marketing for its latest creation. This new number is in contrast to the $241 million dollars spent last year.

Let’s all hope that Microsoft can get the ball rolling a bit faster with Windows 8.1 this holiday season.

What version of Windows are you currently running?

Sources: WinBeta, WinSuperSite

Sometimes technology is a collection of circuitry and silicon, sometimes though – it is a magical moment full of feelings and memories. The best experiences are born when technology transcends our knowledge and connects us with what we love. British science fiction writer and futurist, Arthur C. Clarke, once said:

Microsoft has been around for a long time and for those of us who live off of the technology they provide, some of the memories will never seep away.

In 2007, the company released a four minute commercial that has come to be known as “Your Digital Lifestyle”. The ad highlighted the then current hi-tech Microsoft products of the time and how one green shirted hipster used them to party the night away. The commercial is set to a cover of Ash’s Girl from Mars by Canadian group, Magneta Lane.

Buckle up, because we are going on a field trip to six years ago; along the way, we are going to jam with our green shirted friend and revisit some of our past Microsoft technology goodies. Windows Vista will probably be seen along the way, but there will be plenty of other experiences to combat that bad flavor.

Okay, roll the footage!

Windows Live Messenger

Our friend Mark, is at work and on his PC when he receives a Windows Live Messenger chat from his friend Pia (she must be the girl from Mars). Today we know that Microsoft’s messenger software is deprecated, but in 2007 – most of the world still used it. The service was first rolled out as “MSN Messenger” on July 22, 1999 until it was rebranded in 2005. Until its death, Microsoft reported that over 330 million active users a month used the service.

What happened next you ask? Microsoft purchased Skype and merged the two services. Finally in 2012, the service was killed in favor of fully utilizing Skype. This marks our first evolution of a Microsoft service: MSN Messenger -> Windows Live Messenger -> Skype with Windows Live Messenger -> Skype.

Windows Live Spaces

On we go! Pia sends Mark a link to Windows Live Spaces where he can check out party details and RSVP to the event. Windows Live Spaces was Microsoft’s poorly known social network and launched in 2004 as MSN Spaces. The goal of the site was to compete with other networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter (Sorry kids, grandpa didn’t have Google+ yet).

The problem with Microsoft’s social networking platform was that it didn’t offer any differentiating features from its already popular competitor, Facebook. The network was shut down in 2011 and has not been rebranded or reestablished.

Microsoft has launched a new, but unrelated, social networking site called Socl which you can read more about here.

Live Search Maps 3D

Mark decides he wants to go to get his groove on, so he heads to Live Search Maps 3D and spins around a view of the city before dashing off.  Why he spins the city around in circles, we can’t tell you. What we can tell you is what happed to 3D maps – they died. The service was an attempt to achiever near-photorealism of a city with high resolution models and aerial photography. Needless to say, the service was expensive and less than 68 cities were rendered before the program was dropped in 2010. According to Microsoft, they wanted to focus more on their new service – Bing Maps (more on that in a bit).

Windows Live Search

With his dashing lime green sweater now on, he pulls out his HTC phone and uses Live Search to look up traffic. Microsoft has been in the search game for a long time; they launched their first web search product in 1998 and crowned it, MSN Search. The newly launched service consisted of a search engine, index, and web crawler. It isn’t well known that from 1998 to 2005, Microsoft didn’t actually provide its own search engine results; the company partnered with Inktomi, Looksmart, and AltaVista until 2004 when Microsoft decided to go at it on their own.

In 2006, Microsoft rebranded MSN Search to Windows Live Search then changed their mind in 2007 and settled on Live Search. For the first time in history, Microsoft now powered their entire search engine internally. A problem still remained though, the company wanted to separate their search platform from their Windows division and “Live Search” just wasn’t doing the job. On June 3^rd, 2008 – Microsoft launched Bing! Another evolution pattern emerges: MSN Search -> Windows Live Search -> Live Search -> Bing!

Zune

Now that Mark is safely buckled in and ready to put the petal to the metal, he docks his gigantic first generation Zune into a car dock and rocks some tunes. You will have to give me a minute to mourn Zune as it was one of my favorite Microsoft babies… okay, I’m good now.

Zune was launched in November 2006 as a direct competitor to Apple’s line of iPod multimedia devices. Toshiba helped design and develop the first generation Zune units under code name “Argo”. The original Zune was criticized for its bulky size and it’s (uh) interesting color choice of brown. It also didn’t help Microsoft that on December 31^st 2008 at midnight, many first generation Zune 30 GB models froze due to an internal clock driver problem - luckily the devices resumed working 24 hours later.

The second and third generations of Zune were manufactured by Flextronics and gave birth to the squircle (not to be confused with the Pokémon, squirtal) shaped Zune Pad; this ingenious touch-sensitive pad allowed users to flick through content or click in on the edges to navigate the metro style interface.

On September 15, 2009 the last and final fourth generation Zune was released – the Zune HD. Oh, the excitement I remember experiencing when I ran to BestBuy and picked up my beautiful Zune HD with platinum backing. The design of the unit was superb, taking cues from industrial styling. And of course I could not forget the OLED touch screen which, at the time, made the iPhone look dull and washed out. Unfortunately, Apple’s iPod Touch had accumulated a massive store of applications while the Zune HD’s list of apps could be counted on two hands.

On March 15, 2011 Microsoft’s Zune brand was killed as it failed to capture any significant market share. Zune isn’t completely gone though, it has been rebranded. Production of any Zune players may have stopped, but the Zune Marketplace services were rebranded as Xbox Music and Xbox Video. The spirit of Zune continues to live on within Microsoft’s Windows Phone line of devices.

Games for Windows

Back to Mark - unfortunately his car has failed him and like any true hipster, he has a foldable bike in his trunk. He hops on his bike and pulls out Live Search once again to find directions to the closest pizzeria (although, if he lived in the area, you think he would know where a pizza place is located). After arriving at the pizza place, a semi-psychotic man jumping up and down playing a shoot-em-up video game, is behind the counter. Video games on a PC? This must be a Windows machine!

One of the major reasons Microsoft has been able to keep its following, is PC gaming. For the intense gamer, the PC platform provides a more open and moldable playing field. Using online stores like Steam, gamers can access a barrage of content available for download. Faster and more powerful hardware allows for graphics that can blow consoles out of the water. Quite frankly, if you haven’t played Crysis on Ultra settings with three surround-view monitors – you haven’t lived.

Games for PC were not united under a single brand name until 2007 when Microsoft launched “Games for Windows”. The new service and branding allowed Windows Vista games to access the Xbox LIVE service. With Games for Windows, players can cumulate achievements, chat with friends, and more. Some games, like Shadowrun, allowed for cross platform play between a Windows PC and Xbox 360 game console. The service was eventually renamed to “Games for Windows LIVE” with support on Windows 7 machines. Newer, Windows 8 machines, take advantage of their Xbox integration and run games under the title: “Xbox LIVE on Windows”.

Whatever you would like to call the service, it did not fair too well. The marketplace based around “Games for Windows” was eventually scrapped. Microsoft may be the number one PC platform for gaming, but in terms of a marketplace – they are ages late. Most PC gamers will love to tell you all about their devote loyalty to the Steam Marketplace; while they do that – let us, move on.

Xbox 360

The commercial snaps away to a scene of party goers (does that give away how often I am not invited to parties) gaming on an Xbox 360 game console.

Xbox was launched in North America on November 15^th, 2001 to compete against Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s GameCube. The idea was first pitched in 1998 by four engineers working on Microsoft’s DirectX team. The engineers built a prototype Windows based console from pats of a dissembled Dell laptop. The idea was pitched to executives and eventually approved.

The marketing team at Microsoft hated the Xbox name and made many suggestions in favor of a name change. In the end, consumer testing had revealed that Xbox was the preferred name for the console and it stuck. If you haven’t figured it out yet, the name Xbox, was derived from the word “DirectX” – the software platform the console was based on.

The unit launched with impressive features such as Xbox LIVE, an online based gaming service with buddy list integration, and a build in HDD, to store save game data without the need of a memory card. For those wondering, the internal specs were as follows: Intel Pentium 3 CPU, 8-10 GB HDD, 64 MB of RAM, and a 233 MHz NVidia GPU.

Microsoft’s first step into the console world was a success with the Xbox selling over 24 million consoles.

The Xbox 360, the console seen in the commercial, was the second game console developed by Microsoft and the successor to the original Xbox. The unit competed against the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii and sold 70 million consoles as of September 2012. The console was a hit and sold out upon release in all regions except Japan.

Stepping up from its predecessor, the Xbox 360 contained a PowerPC tri-core CPU, a 500 MHz ATi GPU, 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM, and 4GB – 250 GB of internal storage.

Later this year Microsoft will be launching the Xbox One, a new game console, with tight TV and Windows 8/RT integration. The unit will feature an eight-core AMD CPU, AMD DirectX graphics, and 8 GB of DDR3 RAM. If you missed the original announcement for the console, you can check out our Reveal Day Overview here.

Windows Mobile

While our “bestie” Mark is out, the girl from Mars sends him a picture text message via her Windows Mobile device - she needs beer and chips!

Windows Phone Central is all about Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system and we could spend a week giving you the lowdown on the evolution of Windows Mobile, so here is the very just of it.

Windows Mobile was launched on April 19^th, 2000 and originally called Pocket PC. In 2003, Microsoft decided to rename Pocket PC to Windows Mobile.

The software was released in four editions including: Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Premium, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Professional, Windows Mobile for Smartphone, and Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Phone. If you think that naming scheme is confusing, just imagine how the average consumer felt.

Eventually, Microsoft narrowed down the operating system to three different iterations including: Windows Mobile Professional, Windows Mobile Standard, and Windows Mobile Classic. Professional was designed to run on smartphones with touchscreens, Standard was designed to run on mobile phones without touchscreens, and Classic was designed to run on PDAs or Pocket PCs (AKA: Anything without a mobile broadband connection).

In 2004, Windows Mobile’s market share was 11.3%; it increased to a maximum high of 42% in 2007 and then decreased down to 3% by 2011 – Blackberry and iPhone were becoming too strong of a force to deal with.

On November 8th 2010, Microsoft launched its successor to Windows Mobile – Windows Phone. Besides the massive changes to the front end of the OS and a complete recoding of the backend, Windows Phone was aimed at an entirely new market audience; the previous phone OS from Redmond was aimed at business users and enterprise, while Windows Phone is aimed at consumers.

Currently, Windows Phone has a growth rate of 133% per year, surpassing Android OS’ 79.5%. As of now, Nokia dominates the Windows Phone hardware market with an 83% share outside of the United States of America.

More Zune

Like any good guy chasing a girl, Mark follows the instructions Pia has sent him, and heads to a local convenience store to pick up the goods. While there, he notices the cashier has a Zune also and decides to squirt her.

No, get your mind out of the gutter you internet reader! Squirting a user was a feature on Zune in which you could easily share your music wirelessly with others. It was important to note that if the user did not have a Zune Pass they would only be able to share a sixty second clip.

After Mark squirts the woman behind the counter (seriously guys, stop thinking like that) he rushes out of the store and heads over to the party he has been so anxious to get to.

Windows Live Essentials

Know what is cooler than viewing pictures of a party? Viewing pictures of a party while you are still at that party. The girls decide to take a barrage of photos and (because nothing else fun is going on) organize and share them with Windows Live Photo Gallery.

Apple’s Macs have come preloaded with iLife, a suite of video and photo editing software, for years. Microsoft needed to badly cut in on the home multimedia action for their Windows platform. In 2006, the company released what they called “Windows Live Essentials” – a package that included: Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Movie Maker, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Writer, SkyDrive (formally Mesh), and Windows Live Family Safety Tools.

The software has proved to work well and it is in its fifth wave (or distribution). The software suite, had been renamed to Windows Essentials in its last release; this ensured that the brand name stayed in line with Microsoft’s corporate setup. Just as Live Search was renamed to Bing, Windows Live Essentials was renamed to Windows Essentials - dropping the “Live” branding.

Windows Vista

Mark finally arrives at the party with a collection of pizzas and starts dancing the night away. And as we all know, the perfect way to end a commercial is with Windows Vista – oh my. We have to talk about Windows Vista now, don’t we? Let’s do this, to spare you pain and to spare myself pain, I will make the Windows Vista discussion brief.

Microsoft’s redesigned operating system Windows Vista was released six years ago on January 30^th, 2007. The list of criticisms for this iteration of the Redmond OS can go so long that there is an entire Wikipedia page (and many angry webpages) devoted to it.

Here is the just of the worst Windows Vista features: To start, the operating system was incompatible with almost all Windows XP drivers because the code base was rewritten; this caused extreme hardware issues with new and old devices alike. It took manufacturers months to provide correct driver compatibility and even then – they didn’t work too well.

Windows Vista was also the introduction of User Account Control, a software mechanisms designed to keep users safe when installing content or running applications as administrator. The problem – the feature was over intrusive and constantly nagged at you to approve EVERYTHING.

Let’s conclude with the fact that Windows Vista was bloated and slow. The new aero interface taxed heavily on your graphics card and the system seemed to have no mercy unless you had the top of the line hardware.

Want to know a secret of mine? Windows Vista was so bad, that I ran out and purchased a MacBook Pro. That is right, I switched to Mac during the Windows Vista years and returned when Windows 7 was released.

The Road Ahead

I’ve had a ton of fun taking a semi-brief look back at Microsoft six years ago. The company has changed much since then and we are being shot forward into a future of crazy bright colors and live tiles. Technology is an industry that is moving faster than ever and it is almost impossible to properly predict. Will Xbox One be a hit or flop? Will consumers grow to love Windows 8 or not? We will have to wait and find out – this road trip is over.

If you are wondering what happened to our friend Mark at the end of the video, check it out for yourself.

Tell us, what is your favorite piece of Microsoft nostalgia? I personally, to this day, remain in love with the Zune line of devices. In fact – just last night I had a dream that I was running Spotify off of my old Zune HD…. Probably a sign that I need a vacation.

Chat soon fellow Microsofties!