Was there ever a time when Microsoft tried to advertise some of their og Xbox exclusives, like Halo: CE, within their operating system?

>>>/g/

>>11826948 (OP)
Games for Windows, though I'm sure you knew that..

By their OSes, I mean XP specifically. The Xbox brand wasn’t really a thing even when support for 98 was still active. And yes, I’m aware that 7 isn’t retro.

>You really just want us to discuss non-retro stuff. Fuck off, will you?

I'm not; I'm genuinely interested to know how the situation actually was back then.

What I wouldn't give for a world that used WinXP indefinitely. It would've been... blissful.

>>11826948 (OP)
>ads are now so prevalent that zoomers can't even imagine that there was once a time when you could use a computer without ads being constantly shoved on your face

>>11826948 (OP)
I want to go back

>>11827007
>you will never again put a new game into the disc drive that you just brought home from COMP USA, listen to the drive whirring up as a cool installer window loads and guides you through the installation process, and then make pizza pockets while waiting for the game to install
>you will never again poopsock Ragnarok Online, Runescape or WoW on summer nights, high on soda, with peak Adult Swim plays on the TV
>you will never again talk to autistic cuties on AIM and MSN
>you will never again be part of shitty phpbb forum communities for your favorite games with a decently active number of people and charmingly retarded e-drama
>you will never again read through encyclopediadramatica and think it's the absolute funniest fucking thing you've ever seen
>you will never, ever again, hear that gentle "doo doo doo... daahh dooooo....."

>>you will never meaningfully organize your desktop shortcuts again
>>everyone just presses windows key to search for the application by name

Software development has worsened and become dumbed down since the creation of the iPhone

>>11827038
the minute high technology ended up in the skinnyjean pockets of normgroids, it was over.

>>11827026
Instantly searchable SSDs really killed the need to organize files in general.

>>11826948 (OP)
No.
>>11826978
This.

>>11827060
>>11827026
What, do you just helplessly keep a "downloads" folder full of all your trash just because "that's how things are now"? Organize your shit. Shortcuts still exist (You can keep shortcuts of your Steam games, you're not forced to use the gay ass launcher). Get yourself an alternative file browser while you're at it (because Windows' default one has always sucked, even in XP and earlier)
We have more options now than we ever did.

>>11827105
I'm not either of those guys but I can only assume they're lamenting how the average user has become more retarded and inefficient in their use of computers, not referring to themselves specifically. I agree with you, though. SDDs and search bar improvements have only had a positive impact on me.
>absolutely no icons on desktop or task bar, everything downloaded goes immediately into the downloads folder
>install Winstep Nexus
>have every program I use frequently in the nexus dock, or an icon that links to a folder in C:\Program Files with categorized programs for specific purposes
>debloat system, turn off all telemetry, delete all cucked MS apps from Edge to Office 365 using Geek Uninstaller and Absolute Uninstaller, use Glary Utilities to limit startup programs only to essential services so my PC boots in 5 seconds and has absolutely nothing running in the background other than what I want
>no start menu tiles, place curated, direct shortcuts to every single program on the computer in "All apps" menu with no folders so I can easily access anything that's not already in my dock with a single click or search
I have achieved gnosis.

>>11827127
>Geek Uninstaller and Absolute Uninstaller
Is there a need for both? I just installed Absolute and it's pretty good.

>>11827154
Awhile back, MS updated certain apps to be basically unremovable. Absolute used to let you delete shit like Edge but now it doesn't. Geek does though, strangely. I still keep Absolute around because I like it better for deleting benign things, I find it a tad easier. One nice thing about Geek though, is that it not only removes the program but can wipe all of the registry entries, empty folders etc.

>>11827127
teach me senpai

>>11827026
Really? I just have big folder on my desktop with 1 thousand and a half shortcuts, much handier since searching could take more time (and I don't remember exactly EVERY game I have)

>>11826978
Came here to say this, an ad on your computer was s sign of a virus, not shit Microsoft intended

>>11827171
If what you want is to have full control over your PC while making it easy and enjoyable to use, then I will show you the way.

First off, if you're using Win11, get rid of that shit and use Win10. If you can't, then most of what I'll say still applies (since Win11 is largely just Win10 with some faggy graphics slapped on), but still.

Start with a fresh install of windows. Now, download ShutUp10. This program lets you easily disable ads, telemetry, automatic updates, etc. However, there are a few things it's missing, so I'd recommend further going into the system settings, category by category, and disabling absolutely everything non-essential. Location, camera, voice data, inking and typing services, the whole nine yards.

Next, you're going to download Geek uninstaller. Use it to delete any shitty hard-coded apps. Your computer will run just fine without Edge and MS Edge Webview for example, but the standard control panel won't let you delete them. If you aren't sure what's okay to delete, then look it up first. By the end, you should have only the bare necessities like drivers and very simple apps (paint, wordpad, etc.) installed.

1/2

>>11827246
2/2

Now download Glary Utilities. This is one of those "PC tuner" type programs, except this one isn't glorified malware and actually works. You can use it to disable startup apps so you don't have a bunch of bullshit hogging your resources, delete redundant registry entries, and so on.

Next, optimize your interface. Disable stupid taskbar features, get rid of the tiles in the start menu, remove the cortana and taskview shortcuts, etc. Basically, disable as many extraneous visual features as possible and add shortcuts where necessary to make accessing what you actually use as easily as possible.

You have now achieved computer 0. You have a blank slate with no ads and popups and annoying quirks. At this point, it's just a matter of installing what you want, and potentially re-enabling certain features that you need for work or play (e.g. voice and video if you have to do conference calls for work).

The only other thing I'd recommend, if you want to keep life simple, is learn how to disconnect from DRM and subscription services. If you pay for spotify, learn to rip mp3s from youtube or elsewhere and have the music downloaded on your computer instead of streaming it. If you pay for netflix or hulu, learn to pirate videos similarly. Don't use steam, pirate what you can and have a dedicated games folder with shortcuts to each game .exe. If you insist on paying for games, gog is a much better option. So on and so on.

At this point, you will have a modern Windows PC that offers an experience which is altogether inseparable from XP at its best, but faster and more efficient. This whole process might take you a whole lazy afternoon, but once you do it, you'll never need to do it again and the hours you spent will be nothing compared to the untold amounts of frustration and wasted seconds you'll avoid thereafter.

>>11826978
This is disingenuous. Back in the day we lived full of ads, not on the actual desktop but you couldn't browse the internet for one second without ads filling your screen, popups, sounds and worse, and if you weren't careful/savvy enough you would end up full of toolbars too. And now? I haven't seen an ad in YEARS. Any idiot can install uBlock, it's not secret tech that only power users know about. And for those who do want to bother a little more, there's uMatrix to make sure 4chan is not connecting to whatever "danbo.org" is. This shit is magic that we didn't have back then. And they're available on Android too.

Imagine using an operating system that collects data, spies on you, and sends intrusive ads on your own machine.

If you’re still using winblows in 2025, you’ve only got yourself to blame. Just make the jump to Linux already.

>>11827261
No thanks, I like to play videogames on my computer.

>>11827261
All of the surface level spyware and adware can be disabled. The issue of deep telemetry is not exclusive to windows and the US government has forced chip manufacturers to include hardware backdoors in all CPUs made for the last 15+ years. Linux is doing the same thing, it's just more subtle about it.

Win95 came with a ton of awesome bundled games like skifree and chips challenge and jezzball and M$ got rid of them all except for hearts, minesweeper, and solitaire, because Esther would be playing games on the office computer instead of working

>>11827248
>Next, optimize your interface. Disable stupid taskbar features, get rid of the tiles in the start menu, remove the cortana and taskview shortcuts, etc.
I recommend OpenShell here as a start menu replacement.

>>11826948 (OP)
>dedicated benchmark corner
insecurity

>>11827261
Guy with linux using google, youtube, twitch, 4chan, aliexpress, amazon think he's inmune to data collecting. There is no escape no matter what you use.

>>11827273
That's all optional, it ends when you close the browser.

>>11827261
Linux will never replace Windows, every distro is a different flavor of shit. With some you get more useless shit, with others you get nothing at all.

>>11827279
>That's all optional
So is choosing to let the Xbox app send you popup notifications on your desktop

>>11826978
ahem

>>11827267
No, it didn't. Prebuilt PCs from the likes of Compaq and Packard Bell did often come bundled with games like those and others, but that was on the manufacturers, not Microdick.

>>11827038
>>11827039
It’s more that smartphones and tablets turned computers into appliances vs tools. When it was just PCs, you at least had to know a few things to use one successfully.

>>11827294
>Attempted to turn your desktop into a webpage

It's crazy how from 98 to XP they actually dialed back the faggotry.

>>11827334

>80s and 90s: Computers are expensive shit for enthusiasts or used for work, the common mortal can live without it
>00s: Everyone has a home computer even if just to check on Messenger
>10s and 20s: Computers are expensive shit for enthusiasts or used for work, the common mortal only needs a phone

It's crazy to think about.

>>11826948 (OP)
They made Windows Media Player Skins for the OG Xbox and several exclusives for it, but that's it and they were optional downloads, not something included with your computer by default.

>>11827263
Everything /vr/ can be played on Linux, that's not an excuse here.

>>11827294
Its an optional feature. Its not something they forced on you.

>>11827263
anon i been using linux for games over 3 years
once you give linux try you will never want to use windows again and dont go to youtube for guides
full of bad info like cant game on older pc cos of no vulkan!!! here the truth dont install steam
install wine instead from there site winehq and by default it uses opengl i have bad desktop that cant go over gl2.1 and it works fine played lot of retro pc games on it note lots of older pc games needs a 32bit prefix

>>11827897
>bro just install a fucking windows emulato- sorry, """application layer""", to use windows programs, and then you won't ever want to go back to windows because you'll be able to use windows programs with additional input lag and glitches
BWAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Ohhh... ooohhh... haha.... oh man, oh, hahahaha.... ohhh.... man....

>>11827912
not all games work but most do il take some games not working over force updates bloat and ads

>>11827897
I've never liked the linux way of doing shit
Windows is like unga bunga there's the root of your drive, put your shit wherever. Where to get shit? Just scour the internet for it or something, fucking google it, it's your problem if that exe you got is a trojan, while linux is all "sudo apt get no gf"

>>11828007
>over force updates bloat and ads
you had a guy in this very thread explain how to completely rid windows of "bloat" and "ads". that is a you problem. it never ceases to amaze me how linux users will justify needing to distill the philosopher's stone to launch a notepad program but take issue with exerting the smallest a mount of effort to mitigate windows' easily solved issues.

>>11828020
Look at this shit, it's pure faggotry. I don't wanna deal with this. Sure, windows makes me a user folder by default; I don't use it. I can just go to my root and make a folder called MYSHIT. Plug in more drives? they're right there on E: F: and so on
I already have to deal with this shit or something similar on android and i'm never truly sure if I'm on the internal memory or the SD, you keep going upwards and it loops around because it's like one drive mounted on the other and then back on itself

Deep under the unnecessarily bloated GUI experience, Windows still functions like plain-ass DOS and I like that.

>>11828027
doing a lot of hoops remove some of windows problems dont really help its still more bloated then it needs to be and poor hardware support on older pcs

>>11828041
>I can just go to my root and make a folder called MYSHIT
holy fucking thank you, finally somebody who isn't retarded. you literally just disable dumb features and then make a folder in C:\ to put your stuff in. linux users are diseased.

>>11828051
>doing a lot of hoops
more like doing the needful, please learn to speak english. there are no more hoops involved in making windows a pleasant operating system than the absolutely retarded shit implied in using linux. i won't even address the latter half of your statement because i have no idea what you're talking about.

>>11826948 (OP)
God every single one of these games is a masterpiece. But I can't imagine how awful it is to play Enter the Matrix on mouse and keyboard.

>>11827294
Did anyone ever use Active Channels?

>>11828052
You can do that in linux too

>>11826948 (OP)
What's the DMC4 one?

>>11827294
another day another active desktop crash

We used to call in-OS ads malware
Now only some of us call it that