Which OS to choose?

[JayE]

Hi everyone,

I know, being an XP forum, everyone here will probably be biased !! .

But when replacing PCs in our office, which currently run Windows 98, is it best to go to for XP Pro or Windows 2000 Pro.

I was going to go for XP Pro, but an IT professional says it's not stable or secure enough for him to recommend it. He says that IT professionals go for Windows 2000 Pro NOT XP, they don't trust XP.

I know that Microsoft have brought out a Service Pack for XP, and many people have had problems with their systems since installing it.

The server is currently running SBS 4.5 with Exchange 5.5.

What it your view?

Regards,
Jay/UK

 

[bigicebear]

If you upgrade your workstations (add memory, change hard disks, video cards, etc.) in any regular fashion, you may want to run 2000 Pro since you wouldn't have to re-activate it after 2 or three changes. Your IT professional probably hasn't worked with XP enough - XP is stable - and service packs don't have to be applied (especially when they're new) if you apply the individual critical updates.

 

[JayE]

Hi,

Thanks very much for your reply.

We would look at replacing older PCs to new ones with the highest possible spec (P4, 512MB, 20GB+ HDD) and then keeping them until renewal (maybe upgrading RAM if needed, but nothing else).

Regards,
Jay/UK

 

[JLSigman]

So far, in my experiences with Windows 2000 SP2 and Windows XP, they are about equally stable. I have NOT messed with 2000's SP3, and I have run far far away from XP's SP 1. It will probably come down to what your applications will run on. Some older things will not run on XP yet. Jennifer Sigman
1/2 of the IT staff (does that make me assistant manager?)

 

[mithrilhall]

I currently run Win 2000 Pro (SP2), Win 2000 Adv. Server (SP3), and Win XP Pro (SP1) and have not had a problem with any of them other than with Win 2000 (SP3). The problem I had was, after installing SP3 I was unable to use Microsoft's update site. A small download fixed the problem.

XP Pro is just as stable as Win 2000 Pro as far as I've noticed.

You could always go the way of Linux for a desktop OS unless you need certain apps that won't run under Linux. ====================================
I love people. They taste just like
chicken!

http://mithrilhall.redirectme.net

 

[jhowley58]

HI,

I was corrupted by the idea of a remote desktop.

I've just spent 3 full days playing catch up after upgrading from 2000 to XP pro.. So far its been a nightmare. Spent lots of time searching for xp drivers on the Web. Had to buy a new Modem card card because the download just didn't work.

My local network just doesn't anymore.

This is costing me a fortune in lost productivity!!

If I could go back to 2000 easily I would do it like a shot.

I would just like to curse Gates for this sort of I.T. scam. It really sucks.

John...

 

[michigan]

Hello Jay -

We have some older programs running at our office. Running Win98 currently on most all. I would have liked to XP'd our network - however I discovered the following:

XP - the software we use pretty much set the pace. XP was not supported. I spoke with the software tech support, and asked every possible question/concern about the upgrade before even presenting it as an option to staff. Remember - even if they present one thing as a "possible issue", that's the issue that will come back and bite you in the %$!@. ((IT rule #14))

XP - Many in the IT world are staying away from XP for security threats. Numerous issues documented.

XP - Most development is focusing towards the new ".Net" PC (tablets) & servers - which are due out in 2003. Many are looking to hop right over XP and go directly to the .Net OS.

Good Luck.

 

[dcowboysr1]

My company if currently in the process of migrating over 6000 customers to Windows XP Pro. Being on the production team I can say that I have been quite impressed with the stability of Windows XP. One important piece of advise that I would give is to test,test,test before the migration. A migration is not something that you just want to jump into. Make sure that you document all of your findings so that you or the person after you will not run into any possible problems that you did. Good Luck.