To XP or not to XP?

winME is not very stable, i know ppl who havent ever got any problems with it and ppl who havent got anything else but problems.
I would suggest win2000, ive heard that winXP is crap, dont know bout it but win2k is the most stable of all.

 

Windows 2000 is very stabile and rather bugfree. Win ME has a lots of bugs and a problem with sucking up your memory (all of it!).
Windows 2000 also has a nice management part that win 98/ME lacks rather bad.

One of my friends installed win XP, and he says that if he had known how it was, he wouldn't have installed it, though the difference isn't that big, so he didn't care to go though the trouble reinstalling win2k again.

WINDOWS 2000!!! All the way baby!

PS: I use win2k as well

[This message has been edited by Lokken (edited October 23, 2001).]

 

OK Tal, get ready for some reading

Windows XP: 0K, most important is the game-compatibility. XP works with almost all games made after 2000, providing you have the hardware. However, any legacy software does not work, or works with some serious impediments, such as graphical glitches, slow frame rate, no sound, and occasional lock-ups. The interface is distrubingly cartoonish, and annoying, though it is largely customizable, the annoying hint applets are everywhere. The OS is cutomizable as much or more as any prior version, but it is more user-friendly, in other words any idiot could customize it as well as any computer wizard. As for the internet/online use, XP is superb, it tends to connect faster, load faster, and is more efficient in storing temporary files, as well as getting rid of them. I would say go ahead and buy it if you aren't gonna use any "classic" software. I do not know what the difference between home and professional is.

Windows ME: This is a terrible OS in my opinion. It is compatible with almost all software, legacy or completely new. Internet/online capabilities are lacking, and it tends to connect you at as little kbps as possible, and does not seem to support some java applets, and in-browser games/programs. The interface is exactly like 98 except for a few minor tweaks. This OS is bug-ridden, and tends to lock-up a lot, and loads just about all programs extremely slowly. Just stay away.

Windows 2000: The best of the three would be Windows 2000 in my opinion. As compatible as ME, but as streamlined as XP. I will admit that was a slight overstatement, but in all seriousness 2000 performs best in an overall sense, and should be more familiar as the interface is not different from ME/98. Micro-management is no issue as the defaults are very good. The internet/online capabilities are great, and unlike ME uses connections to their highest potential.

[This message has been edited by Azirath (edited October 23, 2001).]

 

I have been running an install of XP on my Dell laptop for a month now. I don't see any advantages in terms of stability. There are a few compatability problems with certain drivers that have not been XP-optimized...

The Dell came with WinME installed and I upgraded it automatically with no game incompatability problems, bombs or problems many other people have reported. I guess it is just a question of keeping on top of things.

On my primary desktop machine, Win98SE has served me quite well....Few bombs or bugs and fewer game incompatability.

My backup desktops have variously run WinNT, Win2000, WinME and Win98SE, Win98 and Win95 at various times for various purposes. If I had to or wanted to run the same OS on all of them simultaneously, I'd choose Win98SE for its speed vs bombs ratio as well as the relative lack of problems I have necountered with it.

Now, I am not saying it is the best. Just that my personal experience is that this is the one that has caused me the least problem (though my father complains bitterly about his machine every time I see him and it is running a Win98SE setup that I personally installed.)

Just 2 cents worth.

 

I have ME too...and I don;t like it at all! I always get memory errors that my system is low on resources!!! It's annoying! Is Microsoft replacing ME for its cutomers that are reporting problems...that would be nice...

My advice: Stay away from ME

 

Oh, I forgot.. the one reason that I am going to uninstall WinXP and revert to the WinME that came with my laptop is due to anti-virus program issues. None of the AV software that I currently own is has been verified on XP. And cost is always an issue..... so, I'd have to buy additional new software rather than just running what I already have and have paid for.

 

I've had no experience with XP, nor have I heard enough about it.

Of all the others that I've dealt with, Win2000 is definitely the best. As you are networking, Win98 and WinME are secondrate choices for sure. I've heard plenty of bad things about ME anyway, although I've never run it.

 

I personally would stick with Win98, it is the most reliable and has the least bugs. I have a homenetwork with my cable connection and two puters. I am only using win98, i have had no problems what so ever. It is easy to do.

WinMe i have heard nothing but bad things about dont recommend it.

 

Let me ditto most people here.

I'm running ME at home. Very unstable, very bad at running things made for Win 98. I've also noticed the memory problems above.

I'm running Win 2000 at work. Very stable. No problems running things made for earlier Windows versions.

 

I'd recommend XP. It's rock stable, at least on my machine. I have no problems running my games.
Another thing to note is that XP supports broadband (ADSL, cable, etc) connection sharing, a feature lacking in other previous incarnations of NT (and 9x as well).
XP is also super-fast to boot up and has nice skins
Windows XP also has this handy compatability mode function to enable it to run programs made for win9x and win2k.
Make sure you find drivers for all your hardware before you install though.
Yeah, M$ really managed to put together a decent OS this time around.

[This message has been edited by Azardu (edited October 24, 2001).]

 

As long as you go the NT route, you really can't go wrong, Taluntain. It's very customizable, and stable (as compared to win9x).

Either NT5.0 (Win2k) or NT5.5 (WinXP), and you're set. There's some tweaking to be done, but it just a few registry entries, especially for DSL/Cable.

 

Go for Windows 2000 Pro. It's easy to share connections, it's stabile and almost every game works . Windows XP is just stupid. You have to go through a walkthrough just to share a folder.

 

LUNIX! LUNIX!1 it is grate you will be a haxor! Bill Gates sux!1!!

 

Bel, to quote you,

"My advice: Stay away from ME"



Consider it done!

 

I have 98 for a few years now (probably since '98) and I never had any trouble with it. If you ask me all those different versions of windows (ME, 2000, XP etc.) is just a way for mr. Gates to make a few extra millions. They just make some minor changes and say it is the latest version of windows, improved and bug free. I haven't seen ME, 2000 or XP, but how many can they change, they all came out in one year.

 

I use WIN98 at home. Under certain "too much" restrictions for safety with NT and 2K that I really don't need here, plus unstability of ME that I want to skip (these I use at work), I've decided not to change my OS at home.
It is not perfect, but definetly not yet ready to be deleted. Not even for some so called XP. XP? Right.
XP (experience) with what?
New AI that says "you can't do that"? New type of OS crashes? New gadgets? New set of backgrounds? New 3-times only install/uninstall? Excuse me, that thing has no place on my PC. Period.

 

What I have heard is that Microsoft, due to it's (more or less) monopoly on this kind of software, is getting unrealistically expensive. I have also heard that Linux is a very good operating system, but I imagine (though I haven't heard anything supporting this) that "Windows-All-My-Life" people will need to be familiarized with it. From the various Windows operating systems mentioned above, I'd say: get Windows 2000. More or less the best of both worlds.

 

Just ordered a new PC this morning - with Windows XP. Been using 98 thus far, and generally without a problem (although is does like scanning my F drive now), and had a little experience of ME on my parents machine.