HarryTri

Thanks for the clarification!

That's the sad truth but yet there are the virtual machines.

Yet it is an abandonware case.

This is being done automatically when you revert to a restore point.

You mean that it runs on Windows 8?

Does it really offers something more than the direct upgrade? I think it isn't one of Microsoft's directives.

Maybe MTP or PTP are for transferring files? I have the vague impression that MTP is for something like that and PTP is for transferring photos. And I am right! Have a look here: https://www.howtogeek.com/192732/android-usb-connections-explained-mtp-ptp-and-usb-mass-storage/

I have an android phone with Android 7 Nougat and Windows recognizes it as USB storage unit without any problem. I don't know if you refer to Android 8 Oreo of course, I hope they didn't do something so stupid.

Backing up your system is the best strategy, yes. I use AVG Free as antivirus (AVG was bought by Avast so it's almost the same) and I use Macrium Reflect Free to backup my system (except for the Data partition). I make one full backup every month and a differential every week. These backups have saved me from great trouble (e.g. reinstalling from the recovery partition) several times.

Or reinstall Windows XP from scratch if you have the courage (you can attempt a repair install with the Windows XP CD too).

This happens on Windows 8 too and is a maintenance activity.

Have you tried that? In fact it is the same thing, of course if they contain commands not valid for Windows 98 this is another thing.

Virtual Box also have guest additions (they were separate but now they are contained in the installer).

I connect my Android devices to the PC and transfer files without any special drivers (they do exist but for more complex tasks). Rooting is intentionally difficult with Android too and every new version makes it even more difficult, I suppose the same goes with iOS.

If you connect an Android phone to a Windows computer with USB Windows "sees" its storage space and you can transfer files from and to it through Windows Explorer. When you connect the iPad doesn't it appear in Windows Explorer in some way?

Is there any hotfix for the issue that you stick in the log-in screen when you try to log in to an account? I have KB3132080 from Windows Server 2012 but it doesn't help very much.

I haven't seen a MS OS that doesn't do it so far (I don't know about Windows 10).

Have you tried the "Run as Administrator" option? This gives you elevated rights in comparison to just using the (any) Administrator account.

I synchronize the time manually once a month on Windows 8. In the event log I find complaints about the Time Service not being able to contact the Time Server in cases that I don't have the internet connection enabled. That's all I can say.

In this case you should install Update 1 (it has no telemetry and it corrects a bunch of Windows 8.1 bugs).

All the post SP3 updates are signaled in this way so as to be deleted if an SP4 was ever released. It's in fact something typical, Microsoft never planned to release SP4 for Windows XP.

Perhaps the Intel's microcode update is for your processor too (if you haven't checked)? Counting on Noel's reports it seems to me that in fact the newest the CPU the bigger the impact. I don't know your exact observations on the matter of course.

Try to disable these tasks as Tripredacus suggested.

Even in this case you still need VSS.

If the subfolders/files are in blue then they are compressed and there is no difference if the main folders are grey or blue. Are you sure they were really blue? Anyway you have no real problem, you can just let the whole thing as it is now.