Hi Conrad, > I'm getting close to replacing my Win98 machine, so I'm taking all these > things and pondering them in my heart... I've thought about migrating to Linux, but I have too many applications I really NEEED that are Windows only. Although the Linux folks like to think they have adequate equivalents for these programs, they don't -- not by a long shot. (Yes, I've dabbled in this OS.) I've also thought of going to a combined Linux/Windows network environment, keeping Windows FAR, FAR away from the Internet. However, the Windows environment has gotten so entangled with the Internet that even this would be a bit difficult. I would like to think that Microsoft would come up with a Windows ST (for "Sherman Tank"), but this is only a dream. So what do we all do? <sigh> Are you upgrading your machine, or just the operating system? Almost new machine you get will come preloaded with XP. Dell also sells some business systems with OSs of your choice. If you have your own OS on a CD, you might consider getting a system with FreeDOS and then installing whatever you have. You can also get systems with RedHat Linux preinstalled. I recently ordered a Dell with XP/SP2 preinstalled. This was necessary in order to get the higher performance hardware, which was not available with other OSes. My intent was to install Win2000 Pro, which is on my other machines. Technically, this would be a downgrade, but it's really more of a lateral move. Even so, XP wouldn't let me do it! I couldn't do a direct install. I couldn't reformat. I couldn't repartition. I couldn't do anything useful from the XP startup disk. Nuthin! Of course there's a way, and I actually found it previously on another computer -- but forget what I did. Anyway, XP is a pretty Stalinist control-freak sort of OS. Rather than to fight it, I decided to become assimilated. It's not a bad OS, really. I just would have preferred operating from Win2000 Pro, but it's doing fine. If you're going to buy an OS (i.e. a CD from your local computer software retailer), you should be aware that XP can only be installed on ONE computer at a time. XP is very smart and profiles your computer. Your installation/access key that Microsoft gives you over the phone is hardware-specific. Change the hardware, and you'll need to phone in for a new key. Try installing XP on two machines, and Microsoft will likely figure it out. Of course you could have two machines configured with EXACTLY the same hardware. By contrast, Win2000 is the latest (and probably last) OS that can be installed on multiple machines of any configuration. Contrary to my expectations, WinXP gets along just fine on a network with Win2000, and it can actually be configured to be a relatively serious operating environment -- not the cutesie environment from out of the box. Overall, I don't see any real benefit over 2000, though. They're both based on NT4, just with different user interfaces. XP is rumored to be more stable than 2000, but to my eyes, they crash about the same. I hope some of this info is useful to someone... Peace, Sarah PS Cy, I think SP's firewall can be disabled. I configured my system to run with Black Ice, and I have no difficulty with file sharing between computers. PPS Y'all, if you buy a Dell, DO NOT deal with their home computers division. Deal with the business computers section. The folks in business sell the same hardware and more. Moreover, they know something about computers. The home folks know little/nothing, their department is a mess, and when they screw up your order, you'll go through hell trying to get it straightened out, becuase nobody does what he/she says he/she will do (like cancel an order), and nobody takes responsibility. DAMHIK!
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