XP Pro or 2kPro?

RickRock · 11-29-2004, 04:40 AM

I'm building a new pc and I was wondering which operating system to install XP Pro or 2k Pro, can someone help?

**jgvernonco** · 11-29-2004, 06:13 AM

I'm a devout W2K guy, so you know what I am going to say, in the end.

It really depends upon what you want. XP Pro is going to give you many features that you will need to add on to W2K. In this respect, XP Pro is much more user-friendly than W2K.

I settled in with W2K because I didn't mind doing a lot of things myself. I have also found that W2K is a lot more stable than the other MS OSs; it can really take a beating and still function.

Another thing which may or may not matter to you is that MS has stated that they will discontinue support for W2K in 2007; this would mean no more security updates, etc. This doesn't matter much to me, as I really depend on my other lines of defense much more than I depend on their service packs, etc. It might, however, matter to you.

I guess my last comment is that, from my experience, XP leaks memory at nearly the same rate as ME; when I installed W2K, my system performance went up, immediately and visibly.

W2K is a real do-it-yourself deal, while XP Pro has a lot of built-in bells and whistles, which are very, very convenient.

If you do not go with XP, you really should load a non-MS browser (eg Firefox) and get used to it, while you are at it. MS will only support the XP-based IE from this point on, so there is no reason to have IE running on a non-XP machine now.

RickRock · 11-29-2004, 07:02 AM

when u say memory leaks, can u explain more. How does 2Kpro do for gaming? Also wha kind of add ons are u taking about. As far as support by the time 2007 hits I will have probably switch to Lonh Horn (maybe).

Javora · 12-01-2004, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickRock

when u say memory leaks, can u explain more. How does 2Kpro do for gaming? Also wha kind of add ons are u taking about. As far as support by the time 2007 hits I will have probably switch to Lonh Horn (maybe).

A memory leak is a bug in a program that prevents the program from freeing up memory that it no longer needs. As a result, the program takes up more and more memory until it finally crashes because all the memory is used up.

As for Gaming I have never had a problem playing games on my Win2000 box. Even the kids Tomb Raider AoD plays well and it warns of problems with Win2000 on the box. Everything just seems to work with Win2000 and work well. At the same time a friend of mine is reformatting/reloading his WinXP box because it is acting so buggy. His box was formatted and installed less than a year ago. I just finished reformatting/reloading my system after 18 months with the same install. I could have gone longer but I wanted to clean out the registry after so many installs/uninstall. IMHO Win2000 is just so much more stable than any other OS I have ever used. Plus Win2000 is a couple hundred dollars cheaper than WinXP, You can find good deals at Newegg.com.

I think what jgvernonco is talking about as far as add-ons, is stuff like CD burner programs and the like. WinXP has better networking controls, making it easer to configure. Hyper-threading able WinXP is going to be more compatible with your new system. IMHO the stability of Win2000 and the lower price makes Win2000 the better buy though. However I would also advise you to Ask the same questions on the WinXP side of this forum to hear their side of the story. Hope this helps.

ICFire · 12-01-2004, 09:33 AM

As a long time W2k user and now a confirmed XP Pro person I don't see stability being an issue. My own experience is that I've had few problems with blue screens with XP than 2000. Fact I'm not sure I've had any with XP since I made the change several months before its public release.

Think of it this way...2000 is 5 years old. They have stated that on March 31, 2005 they are ceasing any further security patching for 2k.

11-29-2004, 04:40 AM	#1 (permalink)
RickRock Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 34 OS: XP Pro	XP Pro or 2kPro? I'm building a new pc and I was wondering which operating system to install XP Pro or 2k Pro, can someone help?

11-29-2004, 06:13 AM	#2 (permalink)
jgvernonco Old Timer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Northern Arizona Posts: 7,958 OS: Vista Home Premium, SP 27	I'm a devout W2K guy, so you know what I am going to say, in the end. It really depends upon what you want. XP Pro is going to give you many features that you will need to add on to W2K. In this respect, XP Pro is much more user-friendly than W2K. I settled in with W2K because I didn't mind doing a lot of things myself. I have also found that W2K is a lot more stable than the other MS OSs; it can really take a beating and still function. Another thing which may or may not matter to you is that MS has stated that they will discontinue support for W2K in 2007; this would mean no more security updates, etc. This doesn't matter much to me, as I really depend on my other lines of defense much more than I depend on their service packs, etc. It might, however, matter to you. I guess my last comment is that, from my experience, XP leaks memory at nearly the same rate as ME; when I installed W2K, my system performance went up, immediately and visibly. W2K is a real do-it-yourself deal, while XP Pro has a lot of built-in bells and whistles, which are very, very convenient. If you do not go with XP, you really should load a non-MS browser (eg Firefox) and get used to it, while you are at it. MS will only support the XP-based IE from this point on, so there is no reason to have IE running on a non-XP machine now. __________________ Donations keep TSF moving forward. Please help. http://www.myspace.com/speedbumpthecelt Last edited by jgvernonco; 11-29-2004 at 06:16 AM.

11-29-2004, 07:02 AM	#3 (permalink)
RickRock Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 34 OS: XP Pro	when u say memory leaks, can u explain more. How does 2Kpro do for gaming? Also wha kind of add ons are u taking about. As far as support by the time 2007 hits I will have probably switch to Lonh Horn (maybe).

12-01-2004, 09:33 AM	#5 (permalink)
ICFire Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bloomington, Indiana Posts: 268 OS: XP Pro	As a long time W2k user and now a confirmed XP Pro person I don't see stability being an issue. My own experience is that I've had few problems with blue screens with XP than 2000. Fact I'm not sure I've had any with XP since I made the change several months before its public release. Think of it this way...2000 is 5 years old. They have stated that on March 31, 2005 they are ceasing any further security patching for 2k.