Will XP be an *upgrade* ?

[sean2002]

Will Win XP be a upgrade to Win2K like Win ME was to Win 98, you know more bloat, resource hog, and less reliable ? I'm running Win2K pro now and wonder if after XP comes out will Microsoft still support it with service packs and such, ans will software companys still support Win2K, or will we need to *upgrade* ?

 

[HansXP]

WinXP is basically Windows 2000 plus some new features for your grandma. It uses a little more in the way of resources, but not that much. Drivers made for XP will also work under 2K, and vice-versa. Microsoft will continue to support Win2K for years (they're still supporting NT4 now), so I don't think you'll be forced to upgrade.

 

[sean2002]

Cool, I think I'm going to stick with Win2K then. Not one crash in over 4 1/2 months.

 

[Shudder]

If you already have 2k, then upgrading to WinXP will be like going from 98 to ME. However, if you only have 98 or ME, upgrading to XP will be like going from 3.1 to 95.

 

[Raincity]

Can we get somebody to post that is actually running the stuff than just more second hand I read about in another thread information.

Rain

 

[Dually]

It is an upgrade. I ran beta1 for a while but found it to be dumb. I like the new color scheme but the login method sucked.

I will get the final release once sp1 for it is out due to inceased features like better multi monitor support and such.

 

[HansXP]

Yeah, that new login screen looks awkward! I'm probably going to stick to Win2K, at least until MS has everything worked out.

 

[Noriaki]

For drivers and programs, Win2k vs WinXP is going to be like Win98 vs WinME. Drivers are software should be exactly the same.

You lose the new look...you don't get system restore...XP apperntly has better Digital Camera support...a few things like that....nothing major though. By and large Win2k = WinXP for drivers, and software/hardware support.

Windows 95, 98 and ME = Windows 4.x. Most companies still support windows 95 just fine in their WinME programs.

Windows 2000 and XP = Windows NT5, I'm sure all companies will support both.



<< wonder if after XP comes out will Microsoft still support it with service packs and such >>

I'm not sure if I should tell you this, but I know a guy that is on the Windows 2000 project team for my company (we are at NT4 still), and he tells me, this:

Windows NT4 (and I believe Win9x/ME as well) support ends as of 2003.
Windows 2000 supports ends as of 2004.

So I assume that means Microsoft will continue to produce patches and service packs. And if they are making them for bigger corps, I'm sure you can get your hands on them for the average consumer.

I think it's safe to say Win2000 has several years of life left in it.