2000 or XP

Topic

New Reply

I need to upgrade 25 computers in my office. Most are running Win98, some 98SE, and two NT Workstation 4.0. We’re on a Novell network and use Outlook for email. My inclination is to upgrade now to 2000–I hate the idea of upgrading to the 1.0 version of an OS. Is there a compelling reason to wait and get XP instead?

Reply | Quote

Replies

Edited by DaveA on 20-Aug-01 15:03.

At the end of June 2003, Microsoft will end support for Windows 98, NT and 2000 (one more year of “limited support” announced). For details see http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-58572…tml?tag=rltdnws

Reply | Quote

That’s pretty good to know. Thanks for the tip.

Reply | Quote

Hi
There are pretty compelling reasons not to go for XP Personal. Steve Gibson has lengthy articles on Raw Socket security issues.
Quotes:

Reply | Quote

Since I’m in a corporate environment, I would only consider XP Pro. But my larger question is this: does the community think that XP Pro will be ready for the corporate environment at launch? Many users have been burned in the past buying versions of Windows the first day they become available. Would it be better to buy Win 2000 Pro now, wait 1-2years to upgrade to XP, or should I just wait a few months and buy XP?

Reply | Quote

MerC:
Have you used and or installed Windows XP?
If not what is your source(s) of XP knowledge?

jhamilton,
As for waiting, I would get a report from Novel and their beta testers at how XP interacts with it(Novell Network). They have been running it for some time. They (Novell) may NOT release any information until later. If you have a REAL need to upgrade NOW, yes go to Windows 2000, but if not I think one could wait until the end of this year or first of next.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

Reply | Quote

How’s about merging this thread in either the Win XP or Win 2000 forums? It’s from same poster.

Reply | Quote

Merging is fine with me. Mea culpa on the cross posting–I just wasn’t sure where to put the question.

Reply | Quote

Hi Dave

I’ll be frank : I can’t say I particularly like your loaded questions. I haven’t noticed many other posters being questioned on their sources of knowledge. Does it matter how I’ve arrived at my opinions? Or are you suggesting I’m just mouthing off? In which case, you and half a million others would be on the one side, and I’d be more or less alone on the other. Is that the case? I think not.
I’ve never had personal experience of scrofula, but I’m quite prepared to accept medical opinion, and that of its victims, as to what its effects would be on my body. I don’t need to suffer it to know I need to avoid it.

I have a copy of Windows XP RC1 waiting to be installed on my primary system. I want to construct a triple boot environment. However, I first need to back up my current set-up. This is proving more difficult than it should. I have backed-up several times to 4 CD-RWs, but the fourth one (physically a different disc each go) refuses to verify. Until I sort that one out, the XP CD stays in its jewel case. My secondary and tertiary systems are not suitable for experimentation of this type.

I know enough about XP to want to try it. I’m not some sort of cyber Luddite. Just the opposite in fact. If my system breaks, I may cry a little, but my livelihood won’t go down the pan. It might even improve my social life. Our original questioner may not be in a position to take such risks. A corporate environment wants a rock-soild computer base, and whereas there may be no such animal, we can at least present the facts fairly. I don’t feel, in pointing out the potential pitfalls of the XP system that I’ve read about, that I’ve breached the principles of constructive debate.
I don’t think we need a high tech discussion here – but if you want one, hang around until I’ve got it up and running. That’s the point at which first-hand knowledge comes into its own – general issues are a different matter. I keep myself informed via the computer press. I have a subscription to 3 professional magazines, so I feel I get a fair picture of most issues. I use PCs both stand alone and networked every day of the week. I have built systems and installed various Windows flavours on occasions too numerous to remember. I contribute to a variety of more or less technical bulletin boards, in one case as an administrator. I also look to people I’ve learned to trust, such as Steve Gibson. His advice on other versions of Windows has always been red-hot and spot-on. I see no reason to contradict him on the XP Raw Socket and other issues – which is why I quoted him in my last post. There is also the vexed question of Microsoft’s raised profile, a question of cost-effectiveness, and one of field experience. No issue of Windows to date has been adequately tested before being released for sale. (Mind you, if it had, we’d still be waiting for 3.11).

Finally a quote from a well-known author of computer hardware books in answer to a question on his bulletin board : ” As far as I can see, XP is…Windows 2000.1, and all the “enhancements” are things that benefit Microsoft and the music/movie industry to the detriment of users. I certainly won’t ever run it, except on a test-bed system for screen shots and so on for the book.”

All in all I feel I am able to see the position of XP in the overall picture. As things stand, I can’t say I like it.

At this time, I do not feel able to recommend XP either to the corporate environment, nor to any of my clients whose machines I build and sell. Give me Windows 2000 any day[/b]

I’ll stand by that for the time being. You may prefer to differ.
Use your hands-on experience to convince me I’m wrong.

Rgds

Reply | Quote

I haven’t used or installed XP. I have very limited experience with 2000, daily use of NT Workstation 4.0 and Win98.

Re: Novell, good suggestion, but I’m trying to deal with this slightly differently–I’m asking my IS department if they have a recommendation.

By the way, the 2 reasons I’m interested in upgrading are:
1) Reduce crashes and lockups on 98 machines
2) Correct a Powerpoint bug. Bear with me. I’ve created some presentations in Powerpoint 2000 on my Nt Workstation machine that will not display properly on any of the Win98 machines in the office, but look okay on the other NT and Win2000 machines. No idea what’s going on except some weird OS/video driver incompatibility. Haven’t found anything in the MSoft Knowledgebase about this one–Woody’s lounge doesn’t have a solution either.

Reply | Quote