[mlmr]

Does W2K mean windows 2000? Do I have to buy a copy for each machine?

[Cicero]

I love Windows XP. I've used Windows 2000, and it's also very stable, but it's not as tolerant of other programs or as easy to work with.

[Iris7]

Yeah, sorry to be obscure, by W2K I mean Windows 2000 Pro. W2K is about the same thing as XP with the first two or three so called "easy to use" layers not there. I think XP is awkward, and every time you install XP you have to get it activated by Microsoft, and satisfy them that you are doing things their way. Windows 2000 Pro has none of those hassles. Many people use their CDs on all of their machines, though don't try it if you are corporate!

If you buy W2K at retail it is expensive. If you buy a used machine with no operating system installed, as I suggested earlier, most used machine dealers (ask an enthusiast to suggest a good store near you - can't help unless you are in Southern Wisconsin!) have a license to sell, as part of the sale of a machine with no operating system, a complete cd set from Microsoft of W2K for about $80. You might need help loading drivers, but probably not. Most desktops from major brands have good drivers as part of W2K. Many laptops need special drivers. This is not hard, but there is a learning curve.

Buy a machine coming off of lease about two or three years old. The corporate guys lease a lot of PCs and there are tons of them available, I mean hundreds of pallet loads. Most go overseas because Americans always insist on brand new. Buy them for $110 to $220. A thirty day warrantee is the usual. Get the machine running right away and make sure all functions work and then run it constantly during the warrantee period. These machines likely have many years left with little or no maintenance. Most failures happen early in the machine's life cycle, then comes a usually long period of no problems, then after that failures pick up again.

There are many ten year old machines out there that work perfectly, but require special hard to find drivers if you get earlier than what is called Phoenix Bios 4 version 6. This is a gadget inside the machine that installs the initial program so that the machine can do stuff like read the hard drive, keyboard, and such like.

[ThePythonicCow]

Do I have to buy a copy for each machine?

Yes. With earlier Microsoft Operating Systems, such as Windows 98, it was easy (not legal, but easy) to cheat and have one copy that you put on each home system.

With Windows XP, it "phones home" to Microsoft, and will prevent you from running one copy on two machines.

If you want these systems to run for five years, then you pretty much have to get Windows XP. That's the only one that will likely be supported with security patches for that long. The others such as Windows ME and Windows 2000 will probably be end-of-lifed inside of five years from now.

Running a Windows box on a DSL line without up-to-date security patches would be like living in Harlem 20 years ago without a lock on your door.

And if you haven't already, be sure to use a firewall. Something like the Netgear Model RP614 4-Port Cable/DSL Router, available at Newegg.com for $40 after rebate. See this reviewed at CNET Review: NETGEAR RP614 cable/DSL Web Safe router gateway .