Windows 2000

[pcslookout]

Does anyone here still use Windows 2000 ? It was a great OS the first time it came out and one of the best Microsoft OS ever.

 

[Stern]

My uni used it until last year. Then they upgraded to XP. And didn't patch it. Hilarity ensued(to a certain extent)

 

[pcslookout]

Originally posted by: Stern
My uni used it until last year. Then they upgraded to XP. And didn't patch it. Hilarity ensued(to a certain extent)

How did you like it compared to XP ?

 

[Stern]

I didn't notice very much of a difference, they upgraded the PCs too so I can't really give a performance comparison. 2000 and XP are very similar though, in terms of looks and layout though. (I always set my XP to windows classic look). From some quick google searches it seems most people consider 2000 to be more stable than XP aswell.

 

[pcslookout]

Originally posted by: Stern
I didn't notice very much of a difference, they upgraded the PCs too so I can't really give a performance comparison. 2000 and XP are very similar though, in terms of looks and layout though. (I always set my XP to windows classic look). From some quick google searches it seems most people consider 2000 to be more stable than XP aswell.

Yep and thats the truth. Windows 2000 was the ultimate Microsoft OS. The only reason I never could stay with is because for some reason whenever gaming it would freeze after a few seconds. Though that was with my older video card. May give it another try again sooner or later. I know windows 2000 doesn't have any support anymore but it is still a fine OS and very light on resources. Best OS to use because you don't have to strip stuff out it to make it fast its fast out of the box. Do you think I should try going back to windows 2000 even if its just for a fun back in time trip ? Who knows I may even stay with it.

The only thing I can think of that people disliked about windows 2000 is the bootup time.

 

[Stern]

It depends on what you want to do I guess. I wouldn't recommend continued use of an unsupported microsoft OS though, and I've installed XP so many times now that I can do the "stripping out" in my sleep

Don't know anything about the bootup time but XP's bootup time accumulates pretty badly too I've found(or maybe I'm just unlucky).

 

[pcslookout]

Originally posted by: Stern
It depends on what you want to do I guess. I wouldn't recommend continued use of an unsupported microsoft OS though, and I've installed XP so many times now that I can do the "stripping out" in my sleep

Don't know anything about the bootup time but XP's bootup time accumulates pretty badly too I've found(or maybe I'm just unlucky).

I done the same with Windows XP. I know I reinstalled that OS at least 20 to 40 times now. Maybe more. Do you strip out the stuff you don't need with another program or do you do it manually ?

Why would you not recommend continued use of an unsupported microsoft OS ? What if I still use a virus scanner though and a limited account?

 

[Stern]

Originally posted by: pcslookout
I done the same with Windows XP. I know I reinstalled that OS at least 20 to 40 times now. Maybe more. Do you strip out the stuff you don't need with another program or do you do it manually ?

Why would you not recommend continued use of an unsupported microsoft OS ? What if I still use a virus scanner though and a limited account?

Well, I'm far from a security expert. But Windows does seem get alot of security flaws patched every month/year and knowing that a system hasn't been patched for any new security flaws found in the past, say, year is worrying.

Then again, using safe settings, a decent firewall, AV, limited user account goes a long way. I still wouldn't do it personally, no point really.

 

[lxskllr]

I use 2kpro on my bedroom computer. I like it pretty well, but I prefer the newer O/Ss. I think every new Windows is better than the last(ME is a possible exception :^P). 2kpro is the oldest Windows I'd voluntarily use. I'd use Linux in preference to anything older.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Stern
It depends on what you want to do I guess. I wouldn't recommend continued use of an unsupported microsoft OS though

As a point of fact, Windows 2000 will be supported until mid-2010. Microsoft Support Lifecycle info But I agree that there are security benefits to later versions.

 

[htne]

Over a period of time, it gradually gets harder and harder to install an older OS on newer hardware. Nearly all new motherboards have multiple SATA ports, and only one (if any IDE) port. XP with SP2 slipstreamed has no problem installing on these newer motherboards, with a SATA hard drive (except for AHCI, and let's not go there). To install Win2K, you would have to have drivers on a floppy. The newer the operating system, the fewer the drivers you will have to find and install after installing the OS. I can already see where it is gradually becoming easier to install Vista on new hardware over XP. (This may get better for XP when we can slipstream SP3.)

Don't get me wrong, I loved Win2K and was using it exclusively when most of the world was running Win98SE or ME. Heck, I was running NT4 when most of the world was running Win95/Win98.

 

[kethanp]

I agree that it would be somewhat troublesome to install Win2k on newer hardware. It is great for older hardware though. I have an old Duron 1.6ghz that I used to run 2k on (until I switched to Ubuntu) and it was fantastic. If you do choose to install Win2k, there are a few apps and tweaks I picked up to get it working nicely. Some are critical, others are just for personal preference.

48-Bit LBA Support - so you can address more than 137GB on larger hard drives (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=305098)
Transparent Utility - to make desktop icon text transparent (http://www.annoyances.org/exec/software/transparent)
256 Color Patch for System Tray - you get it.. (http://www.dr-hoiby.com/TrayIconIn256Color/index.php)
Tray Pilot - to collapse the tray pseudo-WinXP style (http://www.pcworld.com/downloa...oads/description.html)

 

[Dadofamunky]

I stuck with win2k for a long time before finally giving up and running XP Pro as my main OS. I believe I've only used XP for about 2 1/2 years. I did so because XP had terrible teething problems for a long time (people complaining about Vista should really get a clue, this happens every time). I had to bag 2K because of its weak USB support.

Vista is basically the same as win2k, it's just based on 2K's successor kernel of Win2003 server.

Win2k is way too long in the tooth at this point for me. for running apps it's fine; but it just doesn't give you a lot of flexibility in device support anymore in my experience.