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Author Topic:   Windows 2000

MajiK6pt5 posted 08-10-99 12:08 AM ET
Is Win2000 just NT 5, or can u use it if u are a home computer user, dont' have a small business (or a large network), and can u actually play games on it? In other words, I have Win95, and I was thinking about upgrading to Win98, but does it make more sense to upgrade to Win2000?
Wyarian Pryde posted 08-11-99 11:20 AM ET
There is a home addition to Windows 2000, but I wouldn't get it, it completely eleminates DOS
- WVPryde -
sandworm posted 08-11-99 11:28 AM ET
I am not giving up my DOS games for Bill Gates or anyone else!
Question: Can you upgrade directly from 95 to 2000 or is it a whole new OS?
MajiK6pt5 posted 08-11-99 12:52 PM ET
well, I don't have any old DOS games, threw them all out by now,
and, by the way, I've also got the same question as sandworm
Spoe posted 08-11-99 02:15 PM ET
We've upgraded a Win 98 box to Windows 2K RC1 so you should be able to do Win 95 -> Win2K
Of course, based on the release candidate, you need 589 Mb free space just to install the damn thing.
Also, though we haven't done any quantitavie testing yet, Win2K "feels" slower than Win98.
I'd not be too worried about losing DOS -- two words: "boot disk"
Wraith posted 08-11-99 07:23 PM ET
Windows 2000 (heretofor known as W2K) is equivalent to NT 5 (more or less). It is supposed to laregly be the mainstream OS, replacing NT 4. Whether or not it'll replace 95/98 is another question, since M$ is coming out with Windows Millenium (basically 98 SE mark 2). I think W2K will be more in use than WM will, since W2K will have DirectX 7 (and the only reason I've still got 95 around is for games).
I haven't done this personally, but I assume an "upgrade" between 95/98 and W2K is the same nature as between 95/98 and NT Workstation (in which it doesn't really upgrade, but replaces without totally trashing the rest of your directories).
However, I've got to deliver a warning about using products that even M$ thinks are too unstable to be sold. One of my friends recently tried to install W2K RC1 on his machine, and when it tried to format the partition in NTFS it destroyed his HD. I mean destroyed. Format, fdisk, and more were totally helpless in the face of a W2K screw up. The HD had to be replaced.
Wraith
"Trying to explain his technological approach to divisive issues, Al Gore has to delay a telephone interview twice because of problems with his cell phone."
-- Wall Street Journal
Dreadnought posted 08-11-99 09:03 PM ET
I heard that Win2000 will actually try to inject some humor. Such as if you run out of ink it says something like,
"Printer out of ink, got a pen a paper handy?"
Any truth to that?
GaryD posted 08-12-99 05:02 AM ET
Wraith: you are joking about the hard disk right ? Hell what can software do to screw up a piece of hardware ? Are things so crap these days that the disk obeyed a command to gouge out a chunk of its surface, or something ? Tell me you're "pulling my leg".
Wraith posted 08-12-99 07:57 AM ET
Hail,
Not sure about the humour, but I'm telling the truth about the HD. It doesn't take physical damage to total one. Attempting to low-level format it will have the same effect. I'm not sure what W2K did, but it destroyed the MBR past repair (which takes some doing).
Wraith
We all live in a yellow subroutine.
Spoe posted 08-12-99 11:51 AM ET
Wraith:
Indeed. The only reason we were doing it was to confirm compatability with our company's software products.
Also, you a correct about the upgrade, but note that if you are worried about trashing your hard drive it is possible to install on FAT32. I should probably add that my speed impressions were based on a system that we have not yet converted to NTFS; we're doing that next week.
MajiK6pt5 posted 08-12-99 11:41 PM ET
so then I should probably NOT upgrade?
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Author	Topic: Windows 2000
MajiK6pt5	posted 08-10-99 12:08 AM ET Is Win2000 just NT 5, or can u use it if u are a home computer user, dont' have a small business (or a large network), and can u actually play games on it? In other words, I have Win95, and I was thinking about upgrading to Win98, but does it make more sense to upgrade to Win2000?
Wyarian Pryde	posted 08-11-99 11:20 AM ET There is a home addition to Windows 2000, but I wouldn't get it, it completely eleminates DOS - WVPryde -
sandworm	posted 08-11-99 11:28 AM ET I am not giving up my DOS games for Bill Gates or anyone else! Question: Can you upgrade directly from 95 to 2000 or is it a whole new OS?
MajiK6pt5	posted 08-11-99 12:52 PM ET well, I don't have any old DOS games, threw them all out by now, and, by the way, I've also got the same question as sandworm
Spoe	posted 08-11-99 02:15 PM ET We've upgraded a Win 98 box to Windows 2K RC1 so you should be able to do Win 95 -> Win2K Of course, based on the release candidate, you need 589 Mb free space just to install the damn thing. Also, though we haven't done any quantitavie testing yet, Win2K "feels" slower than Win98. I'd not be too worried about losing DOS -- two words: "boot disk"
Wraith	posted 08-11-99 07:23 PM ET Windows 2000 (heretofor known as W2K) is equivalent to NT 5 (more or less). It is supposed to laregly be the mainstream OS, replacing NT 4. Whether or not it'll replace 95/98 is another question, since M$ is coming out with Windows Millenium (basically 98 SE mark 2). I think W2K will be more in use than WM will, since W2K will have DirectX 7 (and the only reason I've still got 95 around is for games). I haven't done this personally, but I assume an "upgrade" between 95/98 and W2K is the same nature as between 95/98 and NT Workstation (in which it doesn't really upgrade, but replaces without totally trashing the rest of your directories). However, I've got to deliver a warning about using products that even M$ thinks are too unstable to be sold. One of my friends recently tried to install W2K RC1 on his machine, and when it tried to format the partition in NTFS it destroyed his HD. I mean destroyed. Format, fdisk, and more were totally helpless in the face of a W2K screw up. The HD had to be replaced. Wraith "Trying to explain his technological approach to divisive issues, Al Gore has to delay a telephone interview twice because of problems with his cell phone." -- Wall Street Journal
Dreadnought	posted 08-11-99 09:03 PM ET I heard that Win2000 will actually try to inject some humor. Such as if you run out of ink it says something like, "Printer out of ink, got a pen a paper handy?" Any truth to that?
GaryD	posted 08-12-99 05:02 AM ET Wraith: you are joking about the hard disk right ? Hell what can software do to screw up a piece of hardware ? Are things so crap these days that the disk obeyed a command to gouge out a chunk of its surface, or something ? Tell me you're "pulling my leg".
Wraith	posted 08-12-99 07:57 AM ET Hail, Not sure about the humour, but I'm telling the truth about the HD. It doesn't take physical damage to total one. Attempting to low-level format it will have the same effect. I'm not sure what W2K did, but it destroyed the MBR past repair (which takes some doing). Wraith We all live in a yellow subroutine.
Spoe	posted 08-12-99 11:51 AM ET Wraith: Indeed. The only reason we were doing it was to confirm compatability with our company's software products. Also, you a correct about the upgrade, but note that if you are worried about trashing your hard drive it is possible to install on FAT32. I should probably add that my speed impressions were based on a system that we have not yet converted to NTFS; we're doing that next week.
MajiK6pt5	posted 08-12-99 11:41 PM ET so then I should probably NOT upgrade?