Windows 2000 pro or XP pro?

ChuteTheMall · 07-31-2004, 09:16

What are the differences? I've used only Windows 98, and I've been offered Windows 2000 Pro or Windows XP Pro. What's Pro?

Can I keep my Windows 98 as is & available in case I prefer it, and add either or both 2000 & xp as options to play with from time to time?
How simple is this, I'm no pro?

***HerrGlock*** · 07-31-2004, 09:46

Depends on what you want to do and how much you want the mothership to know what you're doing.

XP - installation requires talking to MS. Change out hardware more than a handful of times and you'll be talking to their support people renegotiating your license.

2Kpro - no talking to the mothership and you can change out hardware every day for life and it doesn't care.

There are technical differences but to the standard home user, they're about ignorable. They're both more stable than 98, better separation of userspace and kernel space and more secure generally.

DanH

BLiTzNicK · 07-31-2004, 13:29

Quote:

Originally posted by HerrGlock

XP - installation requires talking to MS. Change out hardware more than a handful of times and you'll be talking to their support people renegotiating your license.

DanH

I have heard this time and time again, but have never seen it personally. I have at least 200 XP Pro machines at work, and have replaced nics, video cards, sound cards, etc with parts from our "graveyard" machines, and never have had to call Microsoft.

I just replaced the CDROM, Video Card, Nic, and an STI Caller, on one machine (water damage), and did not have any problems, other than finding the driver for the STI caller (older version).

Is it just an XP Home problem, because I've never had to replace hardware in one of those systems?

***HerrGlock*** · 07-31-2004, 15:10

Quote:

Originally posted by BLiTzNicK

Is it just an XP Home problem, because I've never had to replace hardware in one of those systems?

I believe it's a Home thing. I'll check it out but I've had people at work who have had to do this. I'll ask them what version they're using.

DanH

PlethoraGreen · 07-31-2004, 15:21

Quote:

Originally posted by HerrGlock
I believe it's a Home thing. I'll check it out but I've had people at work who have had to do this. I'll ask them what version they're using.

DanH

Both the retail versions of Home and Pro require activation via internet. If you've gone over your allotted number of activations then you have to call to activate. I've done it, it was surprisingly pain free.

With the 200 or so machines I'm sure there's a site license being used in which case there is no activation. That's what I use at work too.

***HerrGlock*** · 07-31-2004, 15:33

Quote:

Originally posted by PlethoraGreen
Both the retail versions of Home and Pro require activation via internet. If you've gone over your allotted number of activations then you have to call to activate. I've done it, it was surprisingly pain free.

That's what annoys me. It's none of their business after I have paid for the license, what machine it was on, that I changed out stuff a bazillion times, or anything else. I'll stick with WIN2K Pro for my vmware boxes.

DanH

chevrofreak · 07-31-2004, 16:17

2K > XP

berniew · 07-31-2004, 17:00

There is a difference between the 'box' version of XP Pro and the "Open License" or "Enterprise" version (site license). IIRC only box (retail) versions of XP require activation.

For the home user, get W2k Pro and Sygate firewall

***Tennessee Slim*** · 07-31-2004, 17:31

IIRC, activation is required for all except (site licensed) corporate XP. Also IIRC, you can upgrade 6 components before reactivation is triggered but just 4 components if one of them is the NIC. No matter how many times you change video card, that’s still just 1 component, 1 upgrade. If you change HDD or reinstall the OS, all bets are off.

BLiTzNicK · 07-31-2004, 21:25

Well, that explains it. Thanks.

BLiTzNicK · 07-31-2004, 21:27

Quote:

Originally posted by HerrGlock
I'll stick with WIN2K Pro for my vmware boxes.

DanH

Not to drift too far off topic, but VMWare has got to be THE BEST piece of software ever written.

ChuteTheMall · 07-31-2004, 21:28

Thanks for all the replies; looks like I should go for 2000.

Now, should I overwrite my Windows 98 or try to have both?

berniew · 07-31-2004, 22:06

Quote:

Originally posted by ChuteTheMall
Thanks for all the replies; looks like I should go for 2000.

Now, should I overwrite my Windows 98 or try to have both?

Any games dependent on Windows 98? How old is the system?

The best way to go is do a clean install (backup all data first, make sure you have all drivers and software handy)

You do not want to do an in place upgrade and dual boot is possible but IMO usually best avoided if possible.

chevrofreak · 07-31-2004, 22:08

Quote:

Originally posted by BLiTzNicK
Not to drift too far off topic, but VMWare has got to be THE BEST piece of software ever written.

just dont try to uninstall it

***Tennessee Slim*** · 08-01-2004, 00:32

Quote:

Originally posted by ChuteTheMall
...Now, should I overwrite my Windows 98 or try to have both?

I agree with berniew. Unless you have certain need for Win98, blow it away.

There is an upgrade path from Win98 to Win2K so you can install it on top of Win98 and retain the apps you already have installed. Unfortunately, it has to make compromises to support this backwards compatibility so you’re left with an OS installation that isn’t as good as it otherwise could be. Best to copy your important data elsewhere, blow away the original install and let Win2K start with a clean slate.

***HerrGlock*** · 08-01-2004, 05:49

Quote:

Originally posted by chevrofreak
just dont try to uninstall it

It uninstalls just fine:

rpm -e VMware-Workstation

and *poof* it's not there.

I think they sacrificed goats to get it to work as well as it does.

DanH

Harlequin · 08-01-2004, 06:20

Quote:

Originally posted by ChuteTheMall
Now, should I overwrite my Windows 98 or try to have both?

I went from 98SE to 2K and haven't found a single piece of software I used with 98 that didn't work with 2K.

chevrofreak · 08-01-2004, 06:35

Quote:

Originally posted by HerrGlock
It uninstalls just fine:

rpm -e VMware-Workstation

and *poof* it's not there.

I think they sacrificed goats to get it to work as well as it does.

DanH

I uninstalled it on 2k twice and both times it destroyed my network connectivity. Kept getting errors that were something like "An action was attemtped on something that was not a socket" or some such bs. Pissed me off.

BLiTzNicK · 08-01-2004, 13:56

Quote:

Originally posted by chevrofreak
I uninstalled it on 2k twice and both times it destroyed my network connectivity. Kept getting errors that were something like "An action was attemtped on something that was not a socket" or some such bs. Pissed me off.

Hmm, I'm like HerrGlock on this one, it's never given me a problem. I've installed it on RH7 and 9, and also on 2KPro and Server, as well as XP Home and Pro.

***HerrGlock*** · 08-01-2004, 15:31

Quote:

Originally posted by chevrofreak
I uninstalled it on 2k twice

I think we found the problem...

DanH

chevrofreak · 08-01-2004, 19:51

Of all Windows versions I find 2000 pro to be the best. I'm too stupid to use Linux, and, not many games written for it.

***HerrGlock*** · 08-02-2004, 04:38

Quote:

Originally posted by chevrofreak
Of all Windows versions I find 2000 pro to be the best. I'm too stupid to use Linux, and, not many games written for it.

I use WIN2K Pro when I want to open an office document that someone has sent that cannot be opened in abiword, kword or OpenOffice. That's about all

On the second part, I cannot agree with you. I would accept that you don't want to learn Linux, that you are more comfortable in WIN, that there are fewer games written for OSs other than WIN, or a handful of other reasons and/or excuses, but I do not accept that you are too stupid. I've read some of your posts.

DanH

0100010 · 08-02-2004, 07:09

Quote:

uninstalled it on 2k twice and both times it destroyed my network connectivity. Kept getting errors that were something like "An action was attemtped on something that was not a socket" or some such bs. Pissed me off.

Sometimes removal of VMWare will do that on a MS box, seen Virtual PC do it once too. Rebuilding the stack - "netsh int ip reset log.txt" should get you back.