Topic: Pick An OS, An OS For My MJ (Read 3762 times)

Alonso N · « **on:** February 02, 2002, 07:28:14 am »

My mojo ain't workin. Well.

The old NT needs a re-build. It's getting kinda funky & unstable, can't run MJ8, and just plain time.

My thoughts on (MS) OS in (current) order of preference, please advise:

1. Win98SE: PRO: The beast that I know. Stable for what it is, highly compatable, middle of the road, good for the next couple of years. CON: No NTFS, about to be killed.

2. Win2000Pro: Logical upgrade from NT, but is it worth the learning curve?

...

8. WinXP: Too new still? Hold the old NT install together and wait for ServicePack_X?

9. WinME: Just Win98SE with new bugs and mug-the-user 'features' from MS.

The machine is a Dell Dimension with PIII 500, 256mb, SB Live, AT I32mb AGP video, and I want to wring the maximum performance and stability from the platform w/o upgrading hardware. And play and burn happily w/ MJ.

This might not seem like the right forum for this discussion, but given the fervor that y'all bring to the religious nature of what we tend to discuss, it fits.

Come one, come all, render an opinion.

-E

KingSparta · « **Reply #1 on:** February 02, 2002, 07:40:43 am »

I like Windows XP Pro

Win95 (Noah's Ark Version) Crashes To Much
Win98 (RMS Titanic Version) Crashes To Much
Win98SE (USS Saratoga Version) Crashes To Much
WinNT (USS Bismark Version) Crashes To Much

There is a theme there

zevele1 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 02, 2002, 07:44:25 am »

Only my subjective opinion
Windows 98SE,maybe the most stable for home users
WindowsME as a clean install,not an update,is in spite of all you may read,a very good OS
If you do a lot more than surf and mp3,take 2000 and keep it for years.But if you have an old computer,check for the drivers before
XP ,if you think that ME "mug-the-user"features" from MS,i wonder what you will think of XP

kitfox · « **Reply #3 on:** February 02, 2002, 07:47:12 am »

2000/xp pro

learning curve: 3-15 minute sessions at most

xp pro's more fun though

make sure your hardware fits the stringent criteria for an upgrade

we'll help you

or not, if we're in a chitty-chatty bantering kinda mood

if that's the case--we'll help you later (after you've asked a couple'a times)

Michael (unjust Michael)

Doof · « **Reply #4 on:** February 02, 2002, 10:29:22 am »

XP Pro all the way.

dragyn · « **Reply #5 on:** February 02, 2002, 10:55:01 am »

I 2nd that.

Nikolay · « **Reply #6 on:** February 02, 2002, 10:59:02 am »

MJ was developed on Win XP and Win 2000 so it's more stable on these OSs.

Nikolay

Deathrider · « **Reply #7 on:** February 02, 2002, 11:51:42 am »

I ran a dual boot with Win 98SE and XP PRO till I got all the drivers I needed and now am full XP PRO with absolutly no regrets, converted over to NTFS and it is great. Either I am getting forgetfull or crashes are now none existant on XP, havent had one but did have one program lock up and it was quite easy to close it without having to reboot to get all my background tasks back up and running.

Robert

Cmagic · « **Reply #8 on:** February 02, 2002, 12:06:38 pm »

Recently moved from 98SE to XP-Pro and MJ runs smoooothly..
Though I am an Unix guy (mainly @work), I must admit that XP is
quite stable. Ok, you have to tweak all sort of things right after install
but once you've done that it's quite OK, managing memory & stuff nicely.
A big change from W98SE.

So I think I'll recommend XP to you. I think your hardware can handle it
mine is Duron 700 / 512M DRAM / ATI 32M / SB Live (quite close to yours)
and it runs smoothly..

JimH · « **Reply #9 on:** February 02, 2002, 03:10:29 pm »

Unix -- a real OS.

KingSparta · « **Reply #10 on:** February 02, 2002, 03:14:39 pm »

remember the days when people did not want to let go of MSDOS 3.2

Doof · « **Reply #11 on:** February 02, 2002, 05:13:56 pm »

"Unix -- a real OS."

Where's that Unix/Linux port of MJ?

I'd like to see a OS/400 port, myself... Next Page

msc3 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 02, 2002, 05:49:38 pm »

Doof said: "I'd like to see a OS/400 port, myself."

Me too, I would love to see the visualaztions on a 5250!

KingSparta · « **Reply #13 on:** February 03, 2002, 02:28:16 am »

Doof

>>Where's that Unix/Linux port of MJ?

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to ask

the first time I saw Unix 1988 looked a bit to complex for the end user.

maybe IBM can pump in some cash for a OS2 Warp Upgrade To OS3 (Code Name: Space Dock)

JimH · « **Reply #14 on:** February 03, 2002, 03:44:09 am »

Alonso,
We see problems with all versions of Windows, so there's no entirely safe bet. NT 4.0, which I believe you have, is probably now the weakest. This is probably due to its age since a lot of the MS dll's may not be entirely compatible.

Win2000, WinME, or WinXP would now be your best bets. And mainly because they're the latest and likely to be compatible farther into the future. I use all 3 regularly and don't see much to complain about with any of them. Win2000 may have a slight edge, but then it will probably be "obsolete" first.

Alonso N · « **Reply #15 on:** February 03, 2002, 06:44:24 am »

Thanks Kids!

I'm a bit surprised by the level of enthusiasm for XP. Would have thought that savvy Windows users would have wanted to wait a bit.

Those of you who like Win2000 over XP: Why?

Some questions with re. an upgrade to XP:

1. Where is the pre-install system checker that looks for compatible hardware and tells what drivers to get?

2. Where is the good setup/tweak info. I'd prefer a good reliable source than then 'n-th degree' ragged edge of stability.

3. Is there an XP sysprep equivalent to 2k?

4. Is the built in defrag adequate?

5. What about the built-in DRM? Is it likely to get pesky?

-Nef

KingSparta · « **Reply #16 on:** February 03, 2002, 06:52:44 am »

>>1. Where is the pre-install system checker that looks for compatible hardware and tells what drivers to get?
when you go to install it will prompt you

>>Is the built in defrag adequate?
Yes

I think windows XP is Windows 2000 (with recent service pack) with a face lift, and bug fixes

Severian · « **Reply #17 on:** February 03, 2002, 07:15:04 am »

Alonso--
I'm in agreement with the XP enthusiasts, it's happening. WHY you'd choose 2000 instead? From my experience (I run 2000 server at work, and XP pro at home), the 2000 interface tends to hide less from you, putting less of a pretty face on it, and would be more similar to NT if that's a major issue.
When I want to tweak some stuff, sometimes the wrapping paper on XP makes it a little hard to find, so if you're an under-the-hood-all-the-time kinda guy, you might stick with 2000. But for home I'm sold on XP. The System Rollback feature alone made it worth shelling out for, I thought. It's saved my butt a couple of times.

Doof · « **Reply #18 on:** February 03, 2002, 07:35:04 am »

Yeah, System Rollout is nice. But it's got a lot of really nice features. Some are really small, but very useful. There are too many to really name.

As for the XP "wrapping paper" (good term, by the way). It's easy enough to get rid of it, if you find you don't like it. There are just a few different places you'd need to disable it.

1. The overall theme (Display Properties).
2. The Start Menu (Start Menu Properties - Choose the classic start menu).
3. The Control Panel (there's a link on the left hand panel to switch to classic view).

You may find that you like it after a while, though. The new theme and start menu are nice. But I've switched to the classic Control Panel, because I just find that I can navigate it a lot more quickly.

I switched to XP from 2000 for a few reasons.

1. I thought it was pretty.
2. I like new things.
3. I knew I was going to have to support it at work so it would be nice to learn it.
4. My 2000 installation had a meltdown a couple of days before XP was released (no nothing sinister - just a major screwup on my part).

I've never been happier with an OS purchase as I am with this one. Seriously. I've been working on PC's since the Win3.1 days, so I'm well aware of the service pack rule (don't upgrade until the first service pack is out), but I honestly believe that XP is the one exception to that rule (the exception that proves the rule?).

And another nice bonus for XP users is that skinning is part of the OS now. So there's no need for any unstable third party apps to skin the OS for you. Instead you need to download a nice little app that just changes the theme for you (StyleXP) and the OS does the rest. Since the OS now uses bitmaps to display the various Windows controls, all StyleXP needs to do is replace those graphics (no reboot required) and the OS chugs away nice as can be. This pretty much brings back MEGA-ME skins for those who wanted them. They're just a little different than the ones I'd seen in the past for MJ. And there aren't a ton to choose from right now (~25), but I'm sure that will change with time. StyleXP is shareware ($19.95), but that's not too high a price to pay, in my book.

KingSparta · « **Reply #19 on:** February 03, 2002, 07:47:06 am »

Doof

I Did the same thing, Got Rid Of The Windows XP "wrapping paper", and the System Restore is turned off also (Living On The Edge).

So i have a Plain Jane System, Straight Forward - Like My MediaJukebox (No Skins Thank You).

I played with Windows XP, beta, RC1, RC2 for 5 months Very Stable and out of all the systems I have played with since 1969 the best.

One thing i did not like is the Windows XP Pro Box, Cheep Cardboard, for $200 i think they could have thrown in A CD Jewel Case. i had to cut the box up and make my self a Jewel Case To Put The Dang Disk In.

Alonso N · « **Reply #20 on:** February 03, 2002, 07:54:46 am »

ME: >>1. Where is the pre-install system checker that looks for compatible hardware and tells what drivers to get?
KS: >when you go to install it will prompt you

I'd prefrer to do the reading & research, prep for the install, and get it right the first (or second or third...) time.

KingSparta · « **Reply #21 on:** February 03, 2002, 08:03:47 am »

Alonso N

I was thinking there may have been a system checker program on Microsofts website (maybe in the Windows XP area).

at least i think there was one there

I just searched, there is some info here

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/

Doof · « **Reply #22 on:** February 03, 2002, 08:12:05 am »

Quick little screenshot of what XP & StyleXP can do for you.

KingSparta · « **Reply #23 on:** February 03, 2002, 08:18:49 am »

Here is the page, Upgrade Advisor is what it is called

www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp

Doof · « **Reply #24 on:** February 03, 2002, 08:29:44 am »

Rule of thumb that I've heard is, if you haven't already upgraded to 2000, go straight to XP. If you have upgraded to 2000, then XP isn't crucial.

But it sure is nice. Next Page

Jaguu · « **Reply #25 on:** February 03, 2002, 08:59:21 am »

Doof,

>>Service pack rule: don't upgrade until the first service pack is out

Some rules are hard to die, but since Windows2000 I think this rule does not apply any longer to Microsoft's operating systems. Both W2K and WXP were stable right from the beginning and service packs in W2K just corrected minor issues.

Be aware that the greatest challengers of new Microsoft operating systems are the older Microsoft operating systems (NT4, W2K) themselves. So Microsoft has to put a lot of effort into new versions to convince users and companies to move on, because in most cases there is no real need for it. And one of the largest effort is reliability and in the future maybe security Next Page

So this service pack rule is something that people repeat like a mantra for ever without having real value any longer.

Jaguu

georgev · « **Reply #26 on:** February 03, 2002, 11:31:23 am »

XP & DOS?

I have a couple of games (smile if you like) and my CAD program (Generic Cadd) which I would hate to loose. I have looked at other CAD packages but for my needs (self employed carpenter/renovator) Generic Cadd fits the bill. I really don't want to learn or pay for a new program?

Any advice would be appreciated. Is a dual boot system feasible/possible?

1 ghz P3 256MB
SB Live 5.1 OEM
Nvidia Geoforce2 400MX 64MB

Thanks

Doof · « **Reply #27 on:** February 03, 2002, 11:58:55 am »

It's possible that they might run just fine under XP, in a DOS window. I've got a couple of old DOS games that run fine under XP. Sound may be an issue, however, as the way that DOS handles sound and the way that XP does are vastly different.

You could probably set up a dual boot system. Or even just create a DOS boot disk that has all of the startup settings you need, DOS drivers for sound, etc. And just pop it in before you boot up to use those programs. Dual boot would be cleaner, but it's more difficult to set up.

You'd want to make sure that you installed those programs onto a FAT partition, though.

INTERACT FORUM

Author Topic: Pick An OS, An OS For My MJ (Read 3762 times)

Alonso N

zevele1

kitfox

dragyn

Deathrider

Alonso N

Severian

Alonso N

georgev