Is Win2k still usable on new systems?

[nemo]

I have been using Win2k on my computers for some 5 or more years. I
like the fact that when I upgrade the hardware I don't have to buy a
new OS license. I am about to build a new computer and it occurred to
me that maybe Win2k is not supported by the hardware makers so much
now. If I buy all new components, will I be able to find Win2k
drivers for them?

I have heard little except bad about Vista, so I guess I might be
willing to give XP a try if I have no other choice. Vista is actually
the reason I want to build a new system rather than buy. Dell's
prices are not much higher than a DIY machine, but it looks like they
only provide Vista and not XP anymore. Any thoughts on Vista?

 

[rjplumer]

I have been using Win2k on my computers for some 5 or more years. I
like the fact that when I upgrade the hardware I don't have to buy a
new OS license. I am about to build a new computer and it occurred to
me that maybe Win2k is not supported by the hardware makers so much
now. If I buy all new components, will I be able to find Win2k
drivers for them?

I have heard little except bad about Vista, so I guess I might be
willing to give XP a try if I have no other choice. Vista is actually
the reason I want to build a new system rather than buy. Dell's
prices are not much higher than a DIY machine, but it looks like they
only provide Vista and not XP anymore. Any thoughts on Vista?

I too have been using Win 2000 for a couple of years now. I also use
XP Pro on a different machine and I'm quite happy with it. I see no
compelling reason to got with Vista. They're still working the bugs
out it and I'd wait until the first service pack comes out.If I were
you I'd just go with XP for the moment. If your going to build one
just make sure the components are Vista ready.

 

[Marcel Overweel]

I have been using Win2k on my computers for some 5 or more years. I
like the fact that when I upgrade the hardware I don't have to buy a
new OS license. I am about to build a new computer and it occurred to
me that maybe Win2k is not supported by the hardware makers so much
now. If I buy all new components, will I be able to find Win2k
drivers for them?

I have heard little except bad about Vista, so I guess I might be
willing to give XP a try if I have no other choice. Vista is actually
the reason I want to build a new system rather than buy. Dell's
prices are not much higher than a DIY machine, but it looks like they
only provide Vista and not XP anymore. Any thoughts on Vista?

No problem yet, I'm running it on a new quadcore machine (together with xp
on dual-boot).
a seperate nvidia 8600 and a s-ata harddisk.
Lan and sound are on the mobo.

Don't know how long you will be 'safe' though, I guess hardware vendors
will drop win2000 driver support quickly.

From what I've tested, most games will run fine because they don't need
anything else than a up-to-date directx version.

XP is good too.
Almost as good as win2000
New directx 10 games will become a problem, they will (probaly) need
vista.

I don't know much about vista at this moment.
Heard a lot of negatives and also people saying it's just a question
of learning how to use it, but for now, the negatives rule.


Talking about the harddisk: don't forget to turn on BigLBA or whatever it
is called. If you don't you ruin your data if you've got more than 137GB.
(http://www.48bitlba.com/enablebiglba.htm)
And make sure that your boot partition is less than 137GB in size.


regards,
Marcel

 

[bushwhacker]

I have been using Win2k on my computers for some 5 or more years. I
like the fact that when I upgrade the hardware I don't have to buy a
new OS license. I am about to build a new computer and it occurred to
me that maybe Win2k is not supported by the hardware makers so much
now. If I buy all new components, will I be able to find Win2k
drivers for them?

I have heard little except bad about Vista, so I guess I might be
willing to give XP a try if I have no other choice. Vista is actually
the reason I want to build a new system rather than buy. Dell's
prices are not much higher than a DIY machine, but it looks like they
only provide Vista and not XP anymore. Any thoughts on Vista?

Been running xp since 2002 on the same machine. Upgrade every year with new
hardware. All it takes is a call to microslop to get it re-activated. They
have no problem as long as you are only running it on one computer.
Also been playing with ubuntu for a couple of years now to. It is far
superior to anything Microslop puts out and it is completely free.

 

[nemo]

I too have been using Win 2000 for a couple of years now. I also use
XP Pro on a different machine and I'm quite happy with it. I see no
compelling reason to got with Vista. They're still working the bugs
out it and I'd wait until the first service pack comes out.If I were
you I'd just go with XP for the moment. If your going to build one
just make sure the components are Vista ready.

Thanks for the info. I would much prefer to use W2K if that is a
viable option. Of course the software doesn't go bad with time, but
if it is not supported by the hardware vendors, it will be a PITA over
the next few years.

BTW, I am using Google Groups and it says there are four messages in
this thread. But it only shows me two. So I might not be reading all
the useful info that has been posted. Hopefully the other two
messages will show up shortly.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the info. I would much prefer to use W2K if that is a
viable option. Of course the software doesn't go bad with time, but
if it is not supported by the hardware vendors, it will be a PITA over
the next few years.

Win2K is being kept alive by the business sector, many of
whom ignored XP and are currently ignoring Vista. Myself,
I've been running the same installation of Win2K since 12/99
on three different hardware platforms and have no plans to
"upgrade" anytime soon. It's rock solid, it runs everything I
throw at it (which is quite a bit) and I don't need to get MS's
permission to change my own hardware.

 

[nemo]

Win2K is being kept alive by the business sector, many of
whom ignored XP and are currently ignoring Vista. Myself,
I've been running the same installation of Win2K since 12/99
on three different hardware platforms and have no plans to
"upgrade" anytime soon. It's rock solid, it runs everything I
throw at it (which is quite a bit) and I don't need to get MS's
permission to change my own hardware.

My understanding is that MS has dropped "official" support of W2k and
that manufacturers were therefore going to stop writing drivers for
new products. Am I mistaken about this?

Maintaining W2k on existing platforms is not the same as hosting it on
new ones.

 

[Guest]

My understanding is that MS has dropped "official" support of W2k and
that manufacturers were therefore going to stop writing drivers for
new products. Am I mistaken about this?

You're correct on that first part, but my point is, as long as
Win2K is in widespread use (which it still is and will continue
to be in the foreseeable future, at least in some sectors)
hardware developers will continue to support it.

 

[Bob Fry]

I use XP Pro on a desktop machine and W2K on a laptop. They both work
fine which you'll rarely hear about Vista. If you like W2K you'll
really like XP Pro, but if W2K will run on your new system there's
really nothing wrong or obsolete about it that I can think of.

 

[nemo]

I use XP Pro on a desktop machine and W2K on a laptop. They both work
fine which you'll rarely hear about Vista. If you like W2K you'll
really like XP Pro, but if W2K will run on your new system there's
really nothing wrong or obsolete about it that I can think of.

Thanks for the reply, but that's the sticky wicket now isn't it,
whether it will run properly on a new system given the potential lack
of support.

One poster has indicated that most developers are still supporting W2k
even though MS has dropped "official" support. I am also a bit
concerned about potential security issues considering the way that MS
writes their software letting the virus writers perform security
testing for them. If MS stops providing security updates, I guess I
will have to go with XP.

 

[Gert Elstermann]

You're correct on that first part, but my point is, as long as
Win2K is in widespread use (which it still is and will continue
to be in the foreseeable future, at least in some sectors)
hardware developers will continue to support it.

The 'extended support' ends on July 13, 2010!

<http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=3071>

So, until mid-2010, you will get critical updates for W2k.

(And then you may be 'testing' Windows 7 Beta, too;-)


Gert

 

[Gert Elstermann]

Thanks for the reply, but that's the sticky wicket now isn't it,
whether it will run properly on a new system given the potential lack
of support.

One poster has indicated that most developers are still supporting W2k
even though MS has dropped "official" support. I am also a bit
concerned about potential security issues considering the way that MS
writes their software letting the virus writers perform security
testing for them. If MS stops providing security updates, I guess I
will have to go with XP.

The 'extended support' ends on July 13, 2010!

<http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=3071>

So, until mid-2010, you will get critical updates for W2k.

(And then you may be 'testing' Windows 7 Beta, too;-)


Gert

 

[Guest]

The 'extended support' ends on July 13, 2010!

<http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=3071>

So, until mid-2010, you will get critical updates for W2k.

True, but Extended Support doesn't include driver updates
and bug fixes, just critical security patches:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy

 

[Charlie Wilkes]

Thanks for the reply, but that's the sticky wicket now isn't it, whether
it will run properly on a new system given the potential lack of
support.

One poster has indicated that most developers are still supporting W2k
even though MS has dropped "official" support. I am also a bit
concerned about potential security issues considering the way that MS
writes their software letting the virus writers perform security testing
for them. If MS stops providing security updates, I guess I will have
to go with XP.

I installed win2k on a machine that was new about a year and a half
ago... my experience has been that it runs all the software I want to
use, but I have run into glitches with some hardware, most notably my HP
photosmart 7350 printer.

Microsoft is using various ploys to discourage consumers from using
win2k... for example, if you want to make lossless .wma files from your
audio CDs, you have to upgrade from win2k to XP.

But, having said all that, why not start with Win2k and buy a copy of XP
if you decide you need it?

Charlie

 

[Bill Eversole]

I have been using Win2k on my computers for some 5 or more years. I
like the fact that when I upgrade the hardware I don't have to buy a
new OS license. I am about to build a new computer and it occurred to
me that maybe Win2k is not supported by the hardware makers so much
now. If I buy all new components, will I be able to find Win2k
drivers for them?

I have heard little except bad about Vista, so I guess I might be
willing to give XP a try if I have no other choice. Vista is actually
the reason I want to build a new system rather than buy. Dell's
prices are not much higher than a DIY machine, but it looks like they
only provide Vista and not XP anymore. Any thoughts on Vista?

Dell still has the XP OS option on their small business line of
computers.