Windows 7: Thank goodness Windows 7 will have Windows Updates until 2020!

You put a lot of effort into this post to show speed comparisons between W7 and W8. kudos

I used W8.1 C.P. and found it faster to boot-up and faster to shut-down. But we are talking about a barebones system with nothing running in the background in the way of 3rd party software.

The extra 3 seconds for my W7 system to power-off and extra 10 seconds to power-on (45 seconds total boot-up time) is plenty fast for me. I use SSD for my primary and that is what really makes the difference. In my boot-up I have five programs loading in my system tray that I like to have pre-loaded before I use my computer, Aida64, WeatherWatcher, Skype, ASCPro and MSE, yet I am still well under a minute's boot time. If I installed those five programs in W8.1 just to run a time test, I imagine the boot-up speed might be a few seconds faster. Of course I woudn't have to install MSE because W8 and W8.1 has MSE integrated into the OS and is called Windows Defender (again) which has the exact the same UI as MSE.

I predict that Windows 7 Updates (Windows Updates) will be extended to 2025. This will be very similar to the resistance of the corporate worlds desire to install Windows Vista which extended XP from 2009 to 2014.

Productive persons using a PC were delighted with XP and W7. In the world of IT, W8 is a toy in comparision IMHO.

Hmm yes ST I don't quite get the bare bones bit though do you mean 8 and 8 alone? Because I am running all the apps and programs that I use on the desktops on the laptop I haven't cut back on anything. Basically what I have on the three deskies are on the laptop.

I will say categorically I do not like the Metro that feature to me is an eyesore and a very convoluted system to work around in - ok for the younger ones and those who have to touch the screen why - it is a mystery to me - for old phogies like me just so unnecessary and being a health professional a dirty habit and also requires cleaning the screen so much. I know keyboards and mice are touched all the time but really it doesn't affect my view and I keep them clean/ed as a matter of routine.

I am just blown away that the laptop gets those times with the 8 upgrade as it carried over all my settings from the 7. It is as though I have dropped a new CPU that clocks twice the speed of the old one, it is truly a VERY different machine to what it was. The only problem with the laptop is that it is a one drive machine and any backing up or imaging has to be done via an external.

Now I am not knocking 7 far from it as I intend keeping both OS's going in the set ups they are in now but a straight 7 running on the laptop it seemed to take forever. If the 8 doesn't work out on the Sandy Bridge then I shall go back to 7 only but if it goes the same way as the laptop then it is telling me that 8 is a much faster system.
That is because both use i5 CPUs i5 430M @ 2.27 laptop and i5 2500 @ 3.4 Sandy and the laptop has 8GB DDR3 RAM and the Sandy Bridge 16GB DDR3 1600 that the board defaults to 1333.
If this is the case then I shall have the best of both worlds.

PS I am very lucky in the respect that I am single again and can afford to do what I like within reason and have seven working machines - Ivy, Sandy, Tester (Q9650 core and 4 GB DDR2) 2 x laptops and 2 x XP plus a few spare machines I keep for doing up for kids who cannot afford a new machine and spares.

Yes, barebones OS W8 and W8.1. I agree it's a faster operating system but it's hard to compare apples to apples (you and me) because we have different apps running in the background. Mine is extremely fast because I have a OCZ SSD and my Phenom II x4 is over-clocked to 4.1Ghz ea. core.

But I see you use one of the W8 Start Menu apps for your W8 systems. I think that's wise as well.

That's the grind I have with M$.

Well easy fixed mate as there are plenty of Start up apps see Start Menu - Restore in Windows 8 I use the Stardock8 which Z put me onto as I really messed up first try with the Iobit and I suspect getting carried away with all those free apps at the beginning so I redone the whole thing and now it is sweet. Thing is Stardock8 is not free but cheap just got to find a way of paying for it but as you see there are freebies.

Now as for running apps as I said I run exactly what I normally run Kaspersky CC MBAM Live mail - whatever what I don't do is game much at all apart from that I have plenty of apps for graphics and stuff like that not that I am much good at them but yes all the "usual" stuff.:)

Right this very second I am on Ivy with an i5 3570K @ 3.4 and 8GB RAM @ 1866 so it is no slouch but again like I said I cannot work out how come the laptop has just been turbo'd as you can see it knocks spots off this machine (from my timings).

You and about 75% of the W8 owners will be using some type of Start Menu, that's for sure. Glad you enjoy the system but I like Aero in W7 and that is gone as well in W8.

Yep well it isn't a great loss to me Tweaker as I am not a bling sort of person - I just like it as it comes even 7 LOL!!

You just contradicted yourself.

Not sure what you mean? What I was saying is that I don't like the Aero or transparency whatever it is called I just like the no shadows no sliding etc as done in Brinks tutorial Optimize Windows 7[2]=Performance Maintenance

I use this like a bible when setting up installs well for myself anyway it speeds things up and makes for no fancy effects

HE meant if if you like 7 as it comes, that has Aero enabled, but you said you don't like Aero.

Aero is more than transparency (aka AeroGlass). It also includes AeroSnap and AeroPeek. I personally feel that AeroGlass is hideous and annoying and have transparency turned off but love and depend on AeroSnap and AeroPeek.