Win98SE --> WinXP = Yes/No?? 1

[Ryath]

Hi all,

Do i move to WinXP??? currently my main uses of me PC is Creativity using 3DStudioMax, Mechanical Desktop, and loadsa of other programs and Games of course anyone bin having any problems or glitches that shld make me think otherwise??
And wots the difference between XP Home and XP Professional?? and which is better for my purposes?
Thx All
Will

 

[Jakespeare]

There is not enough information posted about your software, that is, not a comprehensive list of what you want to use, or are going to continue to use to make a professional evaluation, and therefore a recommendation.

You say, "loadsa" software. What is that ?

However, with the limited amount of information at hand, I would recommend NO.
When you say, "loadsa" software, your probably including a lot of programs that are NOT XP Compatible.
GAMES!, heck no; if they are not real new, they are problematic.

You don't even mention what kind of computer you have.
We are not psychic. Without a lot more information, the best somebody can do is guess, so the answer from me has to be no.

> You option is to find out about your software, and your hardware, and to determine from that if your computer is ready to run XP, and if your willing to quit running OLD (sometimes just a year old, and older) software in order to have a stable XP.

Start here to do the research in order to see if you meet the XP standards.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/default.asp

Also, you can do a complete list of XP compatibility tests on both your hardware and software.
You can search the site, and enter your software apps / programs and game titles and see if they are compatible.
If you don't like what you have to give up, then you shouldn't use XP.

Is your printer new enough to be supported by XP ?
Scanner ? Periphreals ? etc.

It will take some time to sort out, but your the one who will have to make the decision. Only you know what your software needs are. (and as of now, only you know what kind of computer you have)

 

[bobdylan]

I think the answer is quite simple really - IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT...

 

[edfair]

Or unless you're into S&M. In which case you will be perfectly happy. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[allankirk]

Stay with 98... XP can be a bit querky ... If 98 is working fine and you have no other reason to upgrade the os then don't.,, onmly coz yourself hassle...

 

[crows27]

STAY AWAY FROM XP. If you want to upgrade from 98SE go to w2k Pro. Other than that stay away from any other MS OS.

Testing XP it's crashed more times in a few weeks than 2k has to date (0 times)

 

[spacekowboy]

no.

as everyone above says...
it is more stable but u pay for it in compatiblity in your case, others have other compatibility probs-software or hardware...

it will load drivers for you. there is a repair mode from the cd and some think its prettier. i think its a swamp poisonally....

i still use 98.

:-Q x->

 

[prescot9]

Ryath,

I must agree that if there is no CLEAR reason to upgrade, you may have more trouble than it's worth, but try this:

From the "i386" folder on the XP cd-rom, run this file, with the following argument:

winnt.exe /checkupgradeonly

this will run the XP installer, but will only generate a report on your harware/software compatibilities, and such. It is a worthwhile report!

You can expect to see HP printer drivers come up with an information symbol, but these are not "show-stoppers". Most HP printers will work with the XP drivers for them.

Pay close attention to the software incompatibilities first, if there are none that worry you, have a close look at hardware incompatibilities, again, if none, go ahead and upgrade, choosing to save your old system files, if disk space permits.

XP, like it's older brother, Windows 2000, is VERY stable in the corporate environment, and a lot easier/less costly to support, but for serious gamers, I have NO clue.

Good Luck, and let us know!

 

[Ryath]

Woaaa judging by all the responses maybe XP may not be a good thing... i got XP Prof on CD but will upgrade if 98SE goes bonkers thx for advice!!

 

[Jakespeare]

He'll be upgrading anyway, hah, hah.
2 months from now, we'll be asked to supply support on his XP issues

Why won't my DOS games play anymore ? Why doesn't my 1998 version (16-bit / 32-bit hybrid) software work anymore ?


Personally, for my computer, I can not run Win 98 SE anymore. My machine is too new, and I have too much RAM.
Just for an experiement, I tried to run WIN98 SE,,,,,, it runs, ( I have a seperate HD with Win 98 SE on it, for emergency use) but I have to reboot 5 - 10 times per-day !!!
I think it's the 1 - GIG of RAM.

 

[cdogg]

Perfect solution...Setup "Dual Boot"


I'm assuming you have enough free disk space (at least 2GB, but preferably 5GB+). Put XP on its own partition separated from Win98. Keep 98 around for all those old 16-bit apps you still like to use and the occasional games that just won't run in XP.

To be honest, I haven't had any problems running most of my games from the last 3 years in XP...

 

[Ryath]

But i heard that old dos games that didnt even work on 98se works better with XP?? or actually works in XP?? hmm.... still wont be able to get TieFighters or X-Wing working then o well... what is the max ram for win98se?? i've got 768 in it atm.... is that a problem?? i do sometimes get random lockups :/ dunno if its the ram tho

 

[Jakespeare]

In my last computer, I did have a true Dual Boot system, with Win 98 SE & XP Pro.

I ran an AMD XP 1600+, and 768 RAM. I did not have a Windows 98 RAM problem. I think it was the same as running 512 RAM.

However, with this i850 Chipset, and 1 GB of RAMBUS RAM, Win98 SE won't work (without major glitches). It is also possible, that the advanced design of the P4 Northwood, along with the RAMBUS is just too fast for old Windows 98 SE, which is based on Windows 95 core. That is pure specutlation though, but it sure was buggy.

As far as running older programs on XP, I have not been very bold and experimental. I have heard mixed results though about running older programs.

 

[Ryath]

Hehe, got my m8 to try it first he also had win98se, he got Athlon 1.4ghz 256mb... now he has lots of bugs and annoying problems!!! hehe hes not impressed with it and decided to stay it it for now hoping that some program and XP fixes come out soon. o well me sticks with 98SE thx all
Will

 

[crisc]

Regarding the question about RAM and Windows 98, cdogg has written a very good FAQ about it. Take a look if your still curious:

http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?spid=615&sfid=1638&CFID=52803317&CFTOKEN=93806002

 

[Kjonnnn]

Is it me or are most people especially some of you (no offense) severely OVERpowerd?

 

[cdogg]

Thanks crisc for the compliment! Just glad somebody found it useful!


If that link doesn't work for you above (because it has a "CFTOKEN" at the end of the URL which expires), try this one:
faq615-1638

 

[prescot9]

Yeah, I think some of you guys are too young to remember the days when having a 20 MEGABYTE hard disk drive was "Top Flight"....1 Gigabyte of RAM? Sheesh! People like you should get paid handsomely for making your CPU cycles available on line!!!

 

[reghakr]

I'm running it because I'm one of those persons that has to have the latest toys.

Here are some links and info to look over. I must stress this first...DO NOT upgrade, do a "clean" install.

Windows XP Home Edition Product Documentation

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/...XP/home/using/productdoc/en/pss_hsc_intro.asp

Test Your Apps for Windows XP Compatibility:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/techinfo/deployment/appcompat/default.asp

Feature comparison:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/guide/featurecomp.asp

All About Windows XP

http://www.zdnet.com/products/stories/reviews/0,4161,2809517,00.html

John Savill / April 2, 2001 : from windows2000faq.com:
Q. What is the difference between Windows XP Professional Edition and Windows XP Home Edition?

A. With Windows XP, the two Windows OS lines merge, so we'll no longer have Windows 2000/Windows NT and Windows Me/Windows 98—just Windows XP. However, we still have two different types of users: the office user and the basic home user with one machine. Hence the two versions of Windows XP: Windows XP Professional Edition, for those accustomed to Win2K Professional/NT Workstation, and Windows XP Home Edition, for those accustomed to Windows Me/Win98.

Although the XP Pro and Home Editions share the same common core code, they don't have the same features. The right version for you depends on the functionality you need. Think of XP Pro as a superset of XP Home. Below is a short list of supported features:

Backup—XP Pro has the standard Win2K backup program; XP Home has no backup program.
Dynamic Disks—XP Pro supports dynamic disks; XP Home doesn't.
IIS—XP Pro includes IIS; XP Home doesn't.
Encrypted File System (EFS)—EFS debuted in Win2K and lets you encrypt files on an NTFS partition, a very useful feature for mobile machines. XP Pro includes EFS; XP Home doesn't.
Multiple Monitors—XP Pro supports up to nine monitors; XP Home supports only one monitor (Windows Me/Win98 supported multiple monitors).
Multiprocessor—XP Pro supports up to two processors; XP Home supports only one (as did Windows Me/Win98).
Remote Assistance—Both editions support Remote Assistance, which lets someone from a Help desk connect to the client desktop to troubleshoot problems.
Remote Desktop—XP Pro adds to Remote Assistance by letting any machine running a Terminal Services client run one Terminal Services session against an XP Pro machine.
Domain Membership—XP Pro systems can be domain members; XP Home systems can't, but they can access domain resources.
Group Policy—XP Pro supports group policies; XP Home doesn't.
IntelliMirror—XP Pro supports IntelliMirror, which includes Microsoft Remote Installation Services (RIS), software deployment, and user setting management; XP Home doesn't support IntelliMirror.
Upgrade from Windows Me/Win98—Both XP Pro and XP Home support this upgrade.
Upgrade from Win2K/NT—Only XP Pro supports this upgrade.
64-bit Support—Only XP Pro will have a 64-bit version that supports the Itanium systems.
Network Support—XP Pro includes support for Network Monitor, SNMP, IP Security (IPSec), and the Client Services for NetWare (CSNW); XP Home doesn't.

If you'd prefer Windows 2000, which is a good idea:
Deciding Whether to Upgrade from Windows 95 or Windows 98 to Windows 2000 (Q256070)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q256/0/70.ASP

reghakr