Member Avatar for todd

I have an Asus a7n8x-x board with a Duron 750 processor(soon to be upgraded to xp2500+), 256 megs of ram, 32meg video card, currently running Me.

All I really do is surf, not much gaming at all. I have a choice of Me, 98Se, or Windows 2000 Server.

Can someone please tell me which OS would be best for me? Stability is a concern after running Me. Will be a while before I can afford XP.

Also, if I decide to go with 98SE, I don't know how to get rid of Me first, so I can then install 98.

Thanks.

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Dani AI

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Windows 2000 Professional is the best fit for the hardware and use described: it runs well on a Duron/256MB system, is far more stable than Me/98 because it uses the NT kernel, and avoids the server-focused overhead of Windows 2000 Server. That aligns with and 's suggestions — the Professional edition gives desktop features without the administrative complexity of a server SKU.

If legacy DOS programs or very old device drivers are the real requirement, Windows 98SE is the only reasonable 9x choice. Downgrading from Me to 98SE is not an in-place operation: a clean install is required. High-level steps are: back up mail/bookmarks/documents first; obtain chipset, LAN, audio and video drivers (have them on removable media); boot from a 98SE startup disk or CD to remove partitions and format as FAT32; then run the 98SE setup for a clean install. Keep in mind many modern (for that era) motherboard drivers are supplied for 2000/XP first, so driver availability may drive the choice.

Practical install tips for Windows 2000: use NTFS for reliability unless a 9x dual-boot is planned (FAT32 required for 9x). If planning a dual-boot, install any 9x OS first, then Windows 2000 (NT installers handle multi-boot more cleanly). After OS setup, install chipset and network drivers before anything else so online updates and additional drivers become available. Preserve the original recovery/driver media in case a device needs a specific 9x driver.

Linux live CDs were suggested by as a no-cost way to test hardware and browse without changing disks, but they have a learning curve. Avoid illegal copies (warez), as noted by . Useful details for targeted follow-ups: exact video-card model, modem type, and whether original driver CDs are available.

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Member Avatar for WEATHER CHANNEL

I have an Asus a7n8x-x board with a Duron 750 processor(soon to be upgraded to xp2500+), 256 megs of ram, 32meg video card, currently running Me.

All I really do is surf, not much gaming at all. I have a choice of Me, 98Se, or Windows 2000 Server.

Can someone please tell me which OS would be best for me? Stability is a concern after running Me. Will be a while before I can afford XP.

Also, if I decide to go with 98SE, I don't know how to get rid of Me first, so I can then install 98.

Thanks.

Well, if all you do is surf, I will suggest linux. Or freeBSD I just wrote a thread on how to install it. But if you want to jump into linux.........here is the download site till you can afford XP home OEM. www.LinuxISO.org I will suggest libranet.

Member Avatar for caperjack

I have an Asus a7n8x-x board with a Duron 750 processor(soon to be upgraded to xp2500+), 256 megs of ram, 32meg video card, currently running Me.

All I really do is surf, not much gaming at all. I have a choice of Me, 98Se, or Windows 2000 Server.

Can someone please tell me which OS would be best for me? Stability is a concern after running Me. Will be a while before I can afford XP.

Also, if I decide to go with 98SE, I don't know how to get rid of Me first, so I can then install 98.

Thanks.

Assumming you ,like me don't want to use linux because of the learning curve,If I were you I would go with win 2000.

how to format and reload a computer .

http://www.nmt.edu/~armiller/win2000/win2000rf.htm

Member Avatar for viperman224

deffinently go with windows 2000 or linux both are very stable and dependable

Member Avatar for Monte

what about xp :|

Member Avatar for WEATHER CHANNEL

what about xp :|

Will be a while before I can afford XP......written by todd

Member Avatar for Dani

I would go with Windows 2000 out of those three. Why Win2k server? The professional version is fine and a hell of a lot cheaper :)

Member Avatar for Epro

Mandrake Linux 4 Lyfe!

Member Avatar for cody_e

How bout you hook up with a free WinXp at www.warezfreaks.com. Just don't do it on your school network.

Member Avatar for oalee

I don't think using warez would be the best idea.

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