Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with system and Operating

How to install XP to a brand new Vista-riddled Dell?

jdruk — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:09:34 -0800

How to install XP to a brand new Vista-riddled Dell? Hey all!

I just brought home a new, Vista-riddled Dell inspiron, and I HATE VISTA. I have an old XP Pro CD, and I'd like to install the old operating system, but Vista won't let me do it (did I mention that I hated Vista? Yup.)

So... How do I do it? I saw some old posts on this, but I am a complete non-techie, so would someone spell it out for me in 1st grade English? Seriously, I am a complete moron when it comes to rooting around in a computer. And... I'd be indebted to you forever.

-Julia

User Migration between PCs

zephyr_words — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:21:20 -0800

What programs\packages are available that allow one to plug a cable into one pc, the other end to another pc, and then migrate the data? I know there are other better ways to do this but I'm specifically looking for a USB cable in-between the two PCs or a regular network cable. Something like this http://www.belkin.com/easytransfercable/advantages/

If you are aware of any regular programs that are very good at user migration (does not have to have the cable requirement) I would love to hear those as well.

XP to XP, Vista to Vista, XP to Vista.

Thanks a lot MeFi!

What do you do whan "save early and save often" backfires?

Nothing — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 03:26:06 -0800

How do I solve this annoying Vista bug? About 10% of the time when I open a file browser dialog from within a program (save as, open file, etc.) the program immediately closes. No error, no warning, the program is just gone. I have not been able to find a solution with google. This happens a lot. Like I said, about 10% of the times I press "save as," but it is random as far as I can tell. You can imagine how frustrating it is to have the "save" command booby trapped like this. It happens in firefox when I download files (save to location), Word when I open or save as, notepad when I open or save as. It happens in photoshop and in IE and almost everything else. The only programs that seem to be safe are java based (eclipse, adobe flex).

Dell laptop, 4 months old, came with vista business, and the problem has existed from the beginning.

Let's do the (Microsoft) time warp

phaded — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:21:20 -0800

Where can I buy (or otherwise acquire) a legit copy of Windows 98 SE these days? My girlfriend's PC died a while back, and for one of our next present-giving holidays, I'm planning to build her a new one. What I'd like to do, ideally, is install two hard drives: one running XP or Vista, and another running 98, because she plays a lot of games that don't run (well) on anything older than 98. However, I can't find any online retailers I've ever heard of who are selling 98...understandable, given that it's been almost a decade since that operating system was released. A Google product search turns up a bunch of websites I've never heard of, and I don't think I trust eBay for something like this. I prefer to buy a full version, but I'd be fine with buying an OEM version if that's my only option. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Korean Language XP Operating System

endlessknot — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 10:44:05 -0800

Korean Language XP Operating System Can I buy a "Korean Language XP Operating System" here in the USA ? I want to get a Laptop in Korean Language. Where can I get one ? I called Dell and they did not have one in the USA. From what I understand one has to buy it from Korea itself. Thanks.