‘Slow, clunky, and just plain annoying in ways I’d completely forgotten’ – I switched from Windows 11 to Windows XP for a week, and it was a disaster

The world was very different 25 years ago. We ushered in the new millennium wearing low-slung denim, watching The Lord of the Rings, and listening to MP3s on iPods.

This was also a time when even the launch of a new operating system was as exciting as GTA 6, and with Windows XP, Microsoft shed its staid roots and created something aimed at everyone rather than just business users.

I was intrigued to see how Windows XP would hold up today. Windows 11 has become so eager to please and overstuffed with AI bells and whistles that it’s lost its purity. I’m not the only Windows user who feels this way: Microsoft is currently attempting a massive course-correction to get users back on track with Windows 11, bug hunting big issues with important things like File Explorer and even booting the damn ...