Microsoft's Top 5 Failed Operating Systems

Lets just face the facts, Microsoft NEVER does anything right the first time. Here is a list of their top five botched product launches.

Exhibit A -- Windows 1.01:

There was never officially a version 1.0 of Windows released to the general public. Due to rumored keyboard issues, version 1.01 was released in fall of 1985. Most consumers didn't actually buy into the Windows phenomenon until version 3.1 Keep in mind this is not version 1.0 or even 2.0. Bill Gates and his clan of minions had to go back to the drawing board three times before they got it right.

Exhibit B -- Microsoft Bob:

Who thought this was a good idea... honestly? The pitch was simple, take the successful Windows interface and scrap it completely. Now replace the menu system with a cartoon version of your home, complete with creepy cartoon pets that like to talk to you.

This concept was half-baked pipe dream that proved to be abortion from very the start. Bob was so bad that Microsoft offered all users vouchers for a free copy of Windows 95. Just one look at the creepy Urkel equivalent of the Wal-Mart logo, would have been enough to make me say, "Hell no..."

[jack who]

Windows 98? failled? but not windows ME?

[GodsHand]

I am surprised window ME, did not make that list. I use to use it, but it was pretty stable for me. But I've read it was blue screen of death prone.

I really hated, them removing DOS support. I know it is still there, but it lacks the functionality it use to have.

[uie4rhig]

i think XP should be scrapped from that list and be replaced with ME..

and LOL @ microsoft Bob xD

[lsujester]

Well, no version of Windows has came out of the gate a perfect piece of software. It always requires patches, SP's, or even a redux(I'm looking at you, 98).

While everyone is quick to bash Vista, there are plenty of us, including me, who haven't had the first problem with it. I had many more problems with 98SE than I'm having now. And even some of the most-discussed issues have been present in previous OS's. I distinctly having to upgrade some of my stuff just to get it to work on XP. That whole "run in 98 mode" was a lying sack of crap.

And yeah, I miss DOS. "Format C:" FTW!

[Mukiwa]

Yeah why the hell wasn't ME on this list? That OS was truly dreadful! A mate of mine used it and it just never seemed to stop giving him troubles of one sort or another.
Also I quite liked XP, certainly prefer it to Vista which is frankly ok but not really my cup of tea.

[rebirthofcaos]

well i work giving support to that peice of crap OS and all the people say the same windows is crap believe it or not

[Bladestar]

they say you become what you do... it tells a lot about a person that work with a product that he believe is crap... shouldn't you be working for a company that works with OS that you believe on?...

Seriously you company should consider replacing you with a better candidate... I can imagine what's your major excuse when you fail to fix an issue, "uhhh... sorry it can't be fix.. because the OS sucks..."..

In the company I work we have linux admins and windows admin.. we don't put windows haters to work on our windows servers...

seriously you can only become as good as the trust you have on the product you work with... you should consider changing job.. or at least work with an OS you trust... or let me guess.. you are not good enough to actually find a job doing that you like doing...

[Willio]

No need to bash someone because he/she isnt happy at their jobs. The majority of the world dont have their dream job anyways. It pays the bills. Just consider yourself fortunate.

[TheExodus]

@Bladestar: Everyone with a pulse knows that the MS logo is a trademark for cr*p, beit software or hardware. Problem for IT is that 98 percent of all computers shipped in the last 20 years all came with a preinstalled flavor of MS cr*pware on them which forced management to absorb the enormous cost of Windows' support while IT "dealt with it." Good news for IT is that the rise of Linux in the late 90s quickly broke Windows' stranglehold on corporate servers & with Apple chipping away at Windows' desktop monopoly Gates' may actually live long enough to see his reign of terror over IT come to an end.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

edit...in retro I read the article and realized he was talking about problems out of the gate. Still...I think for the "majority" of users out there, these OS's worked more than fine for their needs. It's only the super users that really found faults with them. The masses didn't care and/or just didn't know about the issues.

[darkequitus]

I wish I sold OS's that failed like those did - LMFAO as I walk to the bank

[InfiniteUnfloppery]

All of them are Flops

[Montrealien]

Mini-Disc = Flop

Sony Dynamic Digital Sound = Flop

Multi-Media Compact Disc = Flop

Music Clip = Flop

HiFD = Flop

Super Audio CD = Flop

Universal Media Disc = Flop

Blu-ray disc = Success

[caffman]

betamax

[UltimateIdiot911]

This article is crap. Window XP is on the list instead of Window ME. Window ME was terrible, I hated that OS so much. BSOD laughing at me every so often.

[Beg For Mercy]

xp and 98 was great ME should be on the top that crap crashed all the time vista is not that bad its just not compatible with everything and its a memory hog.

[Montrealien]

98 SE and 98 are two different things, people forget the millions of lines of code that had to be re-written for SE. I do agree though, ME needs to be in this sort of list though.

the article does have a point, 98 sucked balls at launch, 98 SE om the other hand, was one of the best Operating systems I ever had.

[bgrundman]

Yes I do realize that Windows ME could and even should be on the list. That said, I left it off for one simple reason: I didn't consider it a NEW product launch. In all reality it was a glorified update to Windows 98.

But as many have guessed, I agree that the ME stands for Mistake Edition.

[Altered_Soul]

Glad other people are pointing out the glaring omission, which is the exclusion of Windows ME, a product so bad that Microsoft's pretty much denies its existence.

98 SE was the good 98, not the original, so hes got that down. I also agree with the initial version of XP, and even today, if you don't have XP Pro, you don't have a very good version of XP. Luckily pretty much everyone has Pro now.

[DarkSniper]

The Xbox 360 dashboard is in strong contention of one of the biggest flops in Microsoft history.

$niper

[Montrealien]

Do you eve try anymore?

*cries*

[Lumbo]

HUH ???

HE put on WindowsXP and skipped the abysmal WindowsME ????

sure WindowsXP had driver troubles at start, but compared to WindowsME it was the heaven of stability.

windows versions in chronological order rated imho:

Win3.x (crap, better use DOS, my Word for MSDOS was x times faster than the Win3.x stuff *shudder*)

Win95 (ugh, bugfest and unstable, but the first with the new 'look' better use OS2 for working though)

NT4 (good for work, stable and fast, but worthless for gaming)

Win98 (ok, better than Win95, but not much, the SE version would take the crown of first good Windows around)

Win98SE (first good consumer Windows imho, great for gaming and rather stable for a MS OS)

W2K (great business OS, gaming was not that good though, still way better than NT4 for that )

Windows ME (crap, plain and evil CRAP, gamers simply ignored it for the way better Win98SE and business people did not even touch it. Luckily it did not sell that long, cause it was a sales flop and people where getting angry for getting a gimped OS after only a year it was followed by:

WinXP (even though it started rough because of the complete changed driver model it became the most stable MS OS to date. Great for work and for gaming)

Win2k3 (server OS, and actually quite good for that purpose, pointless for gaming though)

Vista (ugh, do like the business people, skip it and wait for Windows7. WinXP is better atm and no point in updating, first MS OS to feature the retarded countless flavors of feature-castrated version hell. Lets hope Windows7 finds the way back to sanity and releases in only 2 flavors, 1 consumer, 1 server)

Windows7 (will see next year when the beta is expected to appear)

[user858621]

only xp was their greatest success

downgraded my vista laptop to xp thats how much vista sucks!!

[vdesai]

3/4 were not failures. They are 1.01, XP and 98 were all successful. The only difference is that casual users did not buy PCs until XP came out.

[kenshin22up]

wtf are you smoking..?

[kevnb]

He must of forgot about windows 3.1, 95, 98 and 2000.

[dan88123]

You forgot the Xbox, and the Xbox 360.

[Yamato]

nothing more to say...Linux is a true operative system.

[Montrealien]

"true operative system"

lol

[Zulwarn]

that the so called top 5 failed OS list was made by a droid

win98? xp? vista? WTF?!

this guy must run on the cell

[kevnb]

so much so, microsoft still has a monopoly in the pc os business.

[Naked-Snake]

XP ? WTF

[nieto]

ME it's the same as Windows 2000?

[TheExodus]

No, ME was a bad upgrade for Windows 98 while 2000 was a good upgrade for Windows NT.

[DFresh]

It should be 6 where's the Xbox?

[Yamato]

thats a good one!! 360 burns houses to aches what a mess Microsoft....LOL

to montrealien:
linux is a true operative system more than 10 years to find a weak point, in windows people find a weak point in a couple of hours.