windows xp or 2000

[kramer]

im currently running windows 98 second edition. im building a new pc with a athlon xp 2400+ in it. is it smart to use windows xp with a 266 mghz processor or should i go with 2000 its a step up either way. or any other sugesstions will help.

[kram 2.0]

How much RAM do you have and what type is it (SDRAM, DDR RAM, RDRAM [Rambus], etc)?

kram

[kramer]

ddr ram 512mb

[glc]

Either will work just fine, it's personal preference.

[imbest123]

Originally posted by glc Either will work just fine, it's personal preference.

Yep.

[HAL9000]

It's a personal preference, but I would prefer XP.

[Nuclear Krusader]

XP.

[ghost2003]

Never tried 2k but by what I see, 2k is more do it yourself and XP is more automated.

[Edave]

I vote for XP

[Urban Earth]

Kramer, I'm a little confused. Are you asking what OS to use in your new system (Athlon) or your old system (266 Pentium?)?

AJ

[glc]

Ghost hit the nail on the head - and the automation comes with a price.

[kramer]

new system the 266 was suposed to be fsb

[patrickt]

I haven't used W2K in a couple of years. When I did I had significant driver problems. I don't play games on the computer but I understand XP has better support for games. Either way you'll have to get some new programs.

I would suggest WindowsXP. I would get the Home version if you're a stand-alone and Pro if you're going to network.

[hobey19]

another vote for xp here. the ease of use is worth it in my opinion

craig

[kramer]

ok now its between home and pro whats the difference

[hobey19]

pro allows for domains, and networks with more than ten computers i think.

craig

[patrickt]

Here's the link to a Microsoft page discussing the differences.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp

I have used both but on my stand-alone system at home used only by me, Windows XP Home Edition is just fine.

[kramer]

im going for home dont need all that pro stuff. quick question can you reinstall it back to the way it was when you bought it. A clean install.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Yes, you can.

[patrickt]

Get the WindowsXP Home Upgrade. The upgrade simply means you have to have a CD with Windows 98 to qualify for the upgrade. Other than that, it's identical to what people call the "full install".

You set your BIOS to boot from your CD, insert the CD, start the computer. As it sets up it will ask what partition or drive you want to use to install Windows XP and do you want to format. Assuming you've backed up your data, you format and off you go.

People who install XP on top of 98 so they can avoid backing up their data always seem to have serious problems and, sooner or later, they format and reinstall anyway.

XP will install and will probably install all the drivers necessary. You might want to download updated drivers for some hardware but it probably won't be necessary. The only two things I need drivers on a CD for are my sound card, which is newer than XP, and my DSL router, which is an odd brand from Europe that came with my DSL line. Oh, and my NVidia-based graphics card doesn't work until I install a driver from either Nvidia or Microsoft. I've used both with no problem. Again, my graphics card is newer than my Windows XP CD.

Then you have fun changing all the things you can change and tweaking everything you can tweak and in a month you're reinstalling it to get back to where it was before you buggered it by changing too much.

I'm not a pro so anyone who wants to correct anything I've said should feel free. Certainly won't hurt my feelings. And, have fun with your new operating system.

[kramer]

i dont have a 98 windows cd

[glc]

If you buy an OEM copy of XP with your hardware, you won't need a previous version and it costs about the same as a retail upgrade.

[patrickt]

I assume since your machine is running Windows 98SE then you had a disk at some point, or a friend had a disk, or the bag boy at the grocery store loaned you one or something. All the WindowsXP upgrade disk does is peek and see that you have a Windows 98SE in the CD-ROM drive for inspection. So, borrow one and don't ever, ever, ever whinge about Product Activation.

[ghost2003]

Originally posted by glc If you buy an OEM copy of XP with your hardware, you won't need a previous version and it costs about the same as a retail upgrade.

lol, my OEM cost 1 cent more then a upgrade

[IntegraGSR]

I vote 2000, simply because I find it to hog less RAM and play games better. I gained many an FPS when I deleted XP and installed 2k, not to mention more stability and less problems with the automation processes with XP ( I like to CONTROL my operating system). My $.02

Edit: Oh yeah, and you don't have to ACTIVATE Windows 2000 every time you upgrade your computer too much in a short span of time. Less intrusive, less crap.

[mairving]

On a new machine, I would rather have XP any day. Better driver support and maybe a hair more stable. Just make sure that you turn off some of the nagging that XP likes to do.

[Nuclear Krusader]

True. Go to www.blackviper.com for more info about what to disable and some other tips to get Windows OSes running smoothly.

[patrickt]

I like Blackviper and The Elder Geek does an even better job explaining things. I've gotten much more conservative in what I disable, though. All of my reinstalls have been because I tweaked it so much it didn't work well and the more I tried to "fix" it the worse it got. Now I disable a few security problems and leave the rest alone.

[kbkatz]

I would have to vote for XP. I have 2000 at work and XP at home. I find myself trying to do something at work that only works on XP.