Computer OS question

I have had my current PC for about 4 1/2 years and my OS is Windows 98, 2nd edition. I have a copy of Windows XP Pro that I got from work.

My question is if Windows XP Pro is alot better than Win 98, I'm wondering if I should do the upgrade. I am a bit reluctant because I am so accustomed to my current OS, I know where everything is and not sure if I should change it.

What are the advantages to Win XP Pro, if any? Is it so much better that it would be worth upgrading or is it a very slight difference, like just appearance.

Any help would be appreciated.

Well if your gonna put WinXP on the comp you should do a clean install of XP. Backup all the stuff on Win98 and install XP right over it. If you just upgrade youll still have the FAT32 file system which isnt as good as NTFS. WinXP isnt too different that Win98 about where everything is located. Its set up pretty much the same. WinXP is mose stable then Win98 and you dont get half as many BSODs. WinXP is more compatible than Win98 meaning that all the upcoming games and hardware will be made for XP. Also Microsoft has stopped updating Win98 except for the very critical updates. Thats another reason to upgrade. I saw backup all your important files and do a clean install of WinXP.

www.microsoft.com...
Common Windows 98 tasks are made easier with XP. - Article from Microsoft.com. There are clips (video) to show differences on why XP is better than 98.

I'ved used both 98 and XP Pro. I like XP A LOT. It's got mare security features, and is just A WHOLE LOT EASIER TO USE. While it does crash, (WHAT A SURPRISE!) it doesn't crash as much as 98. I have XP Pro on all 3 PCs in my house and I don't have a problem. Plus, XP Pro is better than XP Home for networking.

I have never used UNIX, Linux, Lindows OS, or Apple so I'm not gonna comment on those.

I'd go with Windows XP Professional. JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SERVICE PACK 1 (OR 1a)!!!!! IT'S VERY IMPORTANT!!!!

Ok. That's MY 2 cents. Hope I was help to you.

[STAY COOL)
-prophetmike

EDIT: I just read dreamlandmafia's post, and EVERYTHING HE SAID IS TRUE. Microsoft has toned down the updates for 98. XP's compatibility is MUCH BETTER than 98's concerning games and peripherals.

GO FOR THE PRO! Windows XP Pro!


[Edited on 24-1-04 by prophetmike]

Yeah go for Windows XP, it's the best thing Microsoft invented.

When they made it they kept the newbies in mind, so it will be a lot like 98.

The only thing I can think of right now, that i didnt like, was they moved the device manager. Only requires one extra click to get there, but for me that's one too many

XP is on a rock solid foundation. Mine hasn't crashed. it doesn't gradually get slow and eat up alot of resources like Win9x did.

Thanks very much for all the advice, it was definitely helpful.

It sounds like it would be a good idea to go with the Windows XP Pro, now I'm just wondering if that will screw anything up with my ISP. About a year ago I had some problems with my PC and I reformatted the Win98 and my ISP had to send someone out to reinstall the software. I think if I just do a quick upgrade then I might avoid having to deal with my ISP again.

Then again, as dreamlandmafia said I would be able to upgrade my file system to NTFS. It suggests only using NTFS if your hard drive is bigger than 32 GB, mine is not. Matter of fact I just noticed I've been using the FAT16 file system. I'll upgrade that to FAT32 whether I upgrade my OS or not.

Originally posted by prophetmike
JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SERVICE PACK 1 (OR 1a)!!!!! IT'S VERY IMPORTANT!!!!

Hmm, I'm not sure what service pack I have, sounds like I better figure it out.

Thanks again guys for your help, I'm leaning towards the quick upgrade but still not 100% sure. I'm a believer in "if it aint broke, dont fix it", but it seems like the advantages may be worth it.

I really like the pro version....but my understanding is that the Home version is the same, but only 'client' side. The pro version is what you would want if using on a lan, as it provides 'admin' features and functions, to your lan setup, but home is client only.

My understanging of it at least.


But XP is a cool tool in comparison to other win products, and very stable.

The differences between XP Home and XP Pro are:

XP Pro has better support for networking - LAN, WAN, Serial, etc.
XP Pro has the IIS services - Which include the IIS Web Server, Mail Server (SMTP, not POP3) and FTP Server - thoug they are very buggy, so for a web server, and you had to use Windows, I would use Apache.

XP Pro has all of XP Home, plus those mentioned above.

One warning about networking - Windoze XP has taken away the support for direct link connection using paralell cables. For a direct link connection you need to use serial cables (null cable).

Oh, also XP Pro has more options for installing Windoze from what I have seen and heard.

For instance... With the Pro version you can select what partition to install Windoze too, and also with the setup program (when booting from disk) it has a partition manager sort of program - which lets you customize the layout of your hard drive, customize the partitions, etc.

I don't think XP Home has this, but I may be wrong.

WHICH XP IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

www.microsoft.com... - ANOTHER article from Microsoft.com which explains differences between XP Pro & Home.

I read this to decide which XP I needed for my laptop. Ultimately, XP Professional was my decision.

www.microsoft.com... - AND HERE IS THE COMPLETE FEATURE LIST FOR XP Professional.

ENJOY!

[STAY COOL)
-prophetmike