Windows??? 98 or 2000?

liquidrliquidr
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I received an old Compaq Presario 1275 for free a while back. It's been gathering dust for the past year but I'm dusting it off. I plan on trying to install an ethernet card soon and using it as a server for my Xbox for an online service through xbconnects.



My question is, which is more stable 2000 or 98? It already has 98 on it but I want to do a clean install b/c the machine pops up with some weird error messages about missing files. It's just annoying.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    A while ago my brother and I reformatted our PC and he wanted 2000 and I wanted 98. Since he wanted support for newer games we installed 2000 and I regret doing that. I was familiar with 98 and it was more "simple". Stability has not changes for me much (still crashes at the worst possible time) so I would base the decision on the type of software you plan to install.
  • Reply 2 of 15
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    Windows 2000 is the best version of windows I've ever used. That's not saying a lot, but if I had to use one, it'd definitely be 2k.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    liquidrliquidr Posts: 884member
    Specs for this monster machine.



    I don't plan on gaming on the machine. My ibook handles most of my computing needs. I just want to put the Compaq to use. Make it earn it's keep.



    So, if anyone has any other suggestions to what I can do with it currently other than my above mentioned plan and a paperweight, that would be terrific.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    one thing to keep in mind if you're going to be connected to the net though is that windows 2000 is going to be targeted more often than a 98 box. i would guess the vast majority of new worms and viruses are going to exploit win2k and winxp holes.



    in part it will depend on how much effort you want to put into keeping it clean.



    98 also requires less juice to run, but is less stable.
  • Reply 5 of 15
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    I would go 2k, just because of NTFS. I've had way too many issues with FAT.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Would you be comfortable putting Linux on it?



    I would go for 98se -- 2000 demands alot. And as for stability 98se is much more stable than 98.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    i use xp pro but i like 2000 a lot better, less crap so if you need to run windows, make it 2k, it beats 98 and xp both, imho, unless you want movie maker
  • Reply 8 of 15
    crusadercrusader Posts: 1,129member
    Dual boot: 98 & 2000



    Personally I prefer 2000, but I like 98 more. So far 98 is the best Windows, with 2000 running a close second. The code exploit on the 2000 systems have me worried however, so 98 might be a good choice for security measures. Though 98 is traditionally lacking in security, it won't have the massive code exploits now possible with the source leak. That new IE 5 crack from the source happened FAST.
  • Reply 9 of 15
    scavangerscavanger Posts: 286member
    WTF are you talking about. Windows 98 is a pile of crap. Automating tasks is a joke, stability is crap, and the fact that you can't run services as easily is horrid.



    If you want stability from a workstation/production class OS, take 2000. If you keep it patched and virus scanned it'll be fine.



    Suggesting 98 is horrible.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    joeyjoey Posts: 236member
    I agree... 98 (or 98SE) is one of the most unstable Windows versions out there (well... maybe second to ME). Windows 2000 will run pretty well on any machine that'll run 98. It's much more secure and probably Micorosoft's most stable OS (it's been out long enough for the patches to actually help). There are some games that won't run on 2000 though (I'm not sure I ever found out what it was about 2000 that was incompatable with some games... but most newer stuff should be ok).
  • Reply 11 of 15
    scavangerscavanger Posts: 286member
    Most of the games on 2k were fixed with DX9 I believe.
  • Reply 12 of 15
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Joey

    I agree... 98 (or 98SE) is one of the most unstable Windows versions out there (well... maybe second to ME). Windows 2000 will run pretty well on any machine that'll run 98. It's much more secure and probably Micorosoft's most stable OS (it's been out long enough for the patches to actually help). There are some games that won't run on 2000 though (I'm not sure I ever found out what it was about 2000 that was incompatable with some games... but most newer stuff should be ok).



    I am so confused by the Windows 98 love fest.



    Windows 98 is, indeed, a pile of crap. I honestly think XP is the best, but don't bother running it or your system. 2000 is like XP without as good driver support and without anything remotely pleasing to the eye. But it's no uglier than 98 and it's 1000 times more stable (It's NT, 98 is not).



    I don't think there's any plan of running games on this thing.



    Put a chunk of RAM in the machine, which is super cheap, and run 2k on it. It will be fine. Don't be an idiot and download all sorts of virus email. I still use Win 2K on the SGI 320's I salvaged a few months back.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    cowerdcowerd Posts: 579member
    Quote:

    I am so confused by the Windows 98 love fest.



    Yup. At least Win2k doesn't crash everytime the wind changes direction.

    Quote:

    2000 is like XP without as good driver support and without anything remotely pleasing to the eye



    It's also XP without MS's new 'the OS knows better than you' interface. Win2k == less wizards and less aggravation.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    thuh freakthuh freak Posts: 2,664member
    i would normally say 2k, in a match between 2k and 98, since 98 is an utter and total piece of shit. but nothing from ms is going to be good really. and considering the recent code leak of 2k, you may not be too happy about the security situation, especially if this box is going to be on the internet (a robust firewall infront of the pc would help to quell any fears, i suspect).



    but really, i think you should throw a gnu/linux distribution on there. its a lot more fun, and more stable. i don't know about the xbox thing, but i'm sure theres some kind of program that can run on a gnu/linux system that can do whatever xbconnect does. if not, you could probably run it through wine.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    joeyjoey Posts: 236member
    You can always pick up this excellent OS at Fry's for a mear $200



    http://shop1.outpost.com/product/2811884



    I can't believe they even try to sell this crap anymore... Even Microsoft tried to bury this major blunder of an OS. Based on '98 but totally unstable (made '98 look stable... I actually went back to '98 after using this just so I could use my machine for more than a few days without major problems).



    Stick with 2000
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