Running Windows 2000 - Do I need Windows XP?

Intel · Post by **Intel** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 8:54 am

When I bought Windows 2000 I was told that it was the future, and then Windows XP replaced it. Perhaps someone who moved from Windows 2000 to Windows XP could tell me if I would get any benefits by using Windows XP. Would you say that seeing as I am using Windows 2000 Professional that I should use Windows XP Professional?

fearfox · Post by **fearfox** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 10:13 am

I would recommend to stay with windows 2000, theres slight changes between both operating systems. Its interface is more user friendly and easier to use. There are some programs that require patches, also i heard for gaming some people have trouble running some games on xp that ran great on windows 2000.

Just my 2 cents.

Sean · Post by **Sean** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 12:16 pm

They are both almost exactly the same.

Get XP if you want:

- Stupid annoying wizards that ask or guide you thru every step, even to search your dang HDD
- Fancy colorful gui with faddings effects and whatnot
- A locked taskbar (my favorite feature

)
- Windows XP Repair feature.

there are other things, those are SOME major ones. I disabled all the fancy fading effects, but I do like the Silver GUI, pretty cool.

It all depends on what you use the OS for too, if you know computers real well, doesn't make any sense to upgrade to XP, 2000 is just fine.

I'm sure FP can come in and explain in way more detail than me.

b-man1 · Post by **b-man1** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 12:25 pm

XP has a few nice features that are not included with 2000...built-in burner support (works quite well for me), restore feature, better plug 'n pray, firewall (for what it's worth), and it's "pretty" if that matters to you.

.02

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 12:43 pm

There's nothing XP you NEED or can't get in 2000 with a 3rd party add-on.

Unless you can get XP for cheap, I'd stick with 2000.

The only really nice benefits are System Restore, Driver Rollback, and the abilty to swap motherboards without having to re-install XP by using the OS Repair option.

DoPeY5007 · Post by **DoPeY5007** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 1:05 pm

Originally posted by FlyingPenguin
an get XP for cheap, I'd stick with 2000.

is $99 to much?

Linky

You get a bundle of software for $200 less than the original package price of $299. The package includes XP Pro, 2K3 Server, 2K Advanced Server, Office XP, MS SQL and more. Just use the code MHQ062 to get $200 off.

nexus_7 · Post by **nexus_7** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 2:04 pm

2k.

Greg

DocSilly · Post by **DocSilly** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 3:14 pm

Win2k all the way.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 3:15 pm

I would have installed 2K in my workstation this last time around if I hadn't had a small problem that was fixed by using XP.

2K is XP without the bloat. Lean and clean.

Absolut Talent · Post by **Absolut Talent** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 4:42 pm

stick with 2k

XP is nothing but 2k hopped up on pixie sticks and mountain dew.

Cheway · Post by **Cheway** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 6:57 pm

If you'd like the opinion of a certified Windows 2000 MCP, I'd reccommend switching to Windows XP. Although Windows 2000 is a fantastic operating system, there are several advantages to Microsoft's newest offering, such as an integrated firewall, integrated CD burning, and amazingly accurate plug and play support. Although a great feature if you were ever in a bind, I would actually disable System Restore under Windows XP, as it gobbles an enormous amount of hard drive space by default. Gaming is typically much faster under Windows XP, and XP offers support for a number of older applications and games that won't run under Windows 2000. I've ran both operating systems over the last few years, and have been impressed by the reliability and security of both, but prefer XP for the aforementioned features.

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Mon Jun 16, 2003 11:05 pm

Actually I've found gaming to be slightly faster under 2K without XP's code bloat.

I agree System Restore is a space hog, and if you have Ghost is not necessary, still it's handy (I have to test a lot of hardware and software for clients). I selectively disable System Restore on all partitions except my Boot partition though.

MegaVectra · Post by **MegaVectra** » Sat Jun 21, 2003 3:21 am

While I agree with most that has been said, I'll say this. I switched from 2k to XP on one of my older systems. By older I mean, not my newest system. When running 2k I had to update just about everything in order for it to work properly. SP1, SP2, SP3, drivers here, patches there. I like to format, what can I say. I like that fresh install feel.

Since installing XP everything works fine "out of the box" as they say.