[Sungirl]

THANKS TO ANY AND ALL FOR ADVICE.

[sushiman]

I am using XP at home and have had absolutely no problems whatsoever .

[Maceman]

I use Windows XP Pro for my home office, with no network. It is TERRIFIC!!!!!

I would strongly urge you to reconsider. It is fast, and VERY stable.

[JRandomFreeper]

Ping for your expertise.

[BibChr]

XP.

Get me one, too. (c8

Dan

[afraidfortherepublic]

I like Win 98 Second Edition. I have a whole network on it -- but I don't think you can buy it anymore. I think you have to go with something later, unless you can purchase a copy with a license from someone privately. (You need the license in case you need to reinstall it some time in the future.) I would avoid Win ME. Don't like it at all.

[jude24]

Get either Win2k or WinXP Pro.

[PatriotGames]

Get Windows 98SE. Windows 2000 is still full of security holes.

[egarvue]

Why is Win XP out? It is very stable and solid, and is very easy to use. I've been using XP now for 3 months solid, haven't turned my PC off (I use it for programming work here at home), and I've yet to experience a system crash. That's saying a lot for Windows. If you are adamant against XP, then for simplicity's sake I would go with Windows 98 2nd Edition. Do NOT, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, get Windows ME. You will be just buying yourself hours and hours of pain and misery. Seriously, I would re-think your opposition to XP, you would be doing yourself a huge favor by getting it.

[LibWhacker]

I jumped to Windows 2000 last year, in part because I was sick of rebooting every couple of hours. Win2k is a lot more stable than Win98. I've only had to reboot Win2k a couple of times in six months of constant use.

However, you do pay a price if you're a gamester: namely, many games will not run under Windows 2000. If I had my druthers, I'd go with Linux, but not all of the major software packages have been ported to Linux yet, so I'm kinda stuck.

[Still Thinking]

Windows 2k (aka NT 5.0). Very crash resistant, and without the nanny-ware features of XP. ("eXPect MS meddling")

[US_MilitaryRules]

Windows 2000 Pro

[pushforbush]

Get Windows XP if you are a home or home office user. I have it and it works well. Every Windows system has problems, but this is the best (least worst) of the lot for a home user. It's more stable, for example, than the Windows 98 and Windows ME boxes that I also have in my house. If you plan on having your computer for longer than a year, you will find that all the other systems will be considered "legacy" systems and the vendors and Microsoft will stop supporting them and the new software and software will be written to be compatible with Windows XP, not Windows ME or Windows 98. For example, you will want to be able to use the newly developed USB 2 standard, Microsoft will upgrade Windows XP for that, but not the older Windows.

[Windsong]

Well that depends..are you using it for purely business apps, or games? Its usually either one or the other, as most mpegs and avis will run on anything. Games..stick with win98. If you ever get into the Emulation scene (SNES, Sega Genesis, IMPACT, Mame, Gameboy Advance etc etc etc), you will thank me. Windows 2000 is better for business. Yes, it has games support, but every once in awhile you will come across a game that is a MUST buy..and it wil only run on win98. Abandonware? Again, win98. Yes, your system will crash if you have a quirky system setup running 98, but the compatibility in my view is worth it, and I have been an avid gamer for 20 years.

But at all costs..avoid XP like the freakin PLAGUE. The BLACK Plague. I uninstalled/deleted/formatted/whatever-you-want-to-call-it the day after I got it. Bill Gates is one sick ba$tard for invading privacy, and if you use XP for games..you will eventually live to regret it. Hope this helps.

[Rebelbase]

Dos 3.2, get rid of that pesky mouse.

[MississippiMan]

First, why is XP out? It's a great OS. If you've been hoodwinked into believing that it's a terrible thing that's gonna take over your computer and your life, then go with Windows 2000 for sure.

MM

[MotleyGirl70]

BTTT

Great post for me in the near future. I will need advice also. BOOKMARKED!

[pointsal]

Hey--- XP is great either Home or Pro....

[Bush2000]

Easy. If you don't want XP, get Windows 2000. It's solid.

[Mr. K]

My experience: I have a computer I was just about to toss in the wastebasket, because it ran so poor and crashed all the time. It was running win95, then upgraded to win98. It is a VERY INCOMPATIBLE off brand P.O.S.

Then last week I installed win2000 (professional) and it is like a new machine. Much faster, MUCH more stable. Anyone out there know if XP is better than this?

[Cicero]

I'm planning on getting XP on my next computer. But if you are really against it, then Windows 2000 is second best. The only problem I've found is that it won't play one or two of the old DOS games. But it's very stable. Third best is Windows 98, 2nd edition. Windows Millennium is an abomination.