which os do i get?

[isus]

the main question is obviously, which os should i go with?

and the secondary question is: what are the main differences between winxp home and server 2003?

[Psilaxs]

If your not a power user keep winXP home.

Frankly i hate windows XP home, and would recomend XP pro, or even Windows 2000. if you want absolute rock solid stability windows 2000 Pro is the way to go.

WinXP isn't far behind, but since it is a newer operating system, and they changed just enough about it to cause headaches for software developers you will find slightly more problems with it with some programs.

Just depends on what you want, and what type of user you are.

[Sockfulloflove]

Get Windows XP Professional. I have never had a crash with it, very stable.

If you have the time and patience to learn Linux, then I guess give it a try. I use Mandrake 9.1 and I've never had a crash with it aswell. But it's much more complicated then Windows.

[Krypt0]

If you like windowz, then I would highly recommend Windows XP Professional. If you hardly ever play games, then Windows 2000 Professional.

The difference between Windows 2003 Server & Windows XP, is obvious. Windows2k3 Server = Server, and WindowsXP is targeted for corporations & end users.

(mostly the same difference between Windows 2000 Advanced Server & Windows 2000 Professional) The Server has advanced & more user-adjustable server options/features.

hehe the only 2 reasons why I use Window$ instead of linux are

1) too lazy to switch the o/s on my computers
2) more compatibility with software..

...that's just my 2¢ worth

lateeeeeeee!
[http://romp.com/]

[Psilaxs]

Originally posted by Krypt0
If you like windowz, then I would highly recommend Windows XP Professional. If you hardly ever play games, then Windows 2000 Professional.
[http://romp.com/]

Windows 2000 professional runs all the newest games just fine. It will run all but the oldest of games which i am fairly certain Isus has no interest in playing.

And a lot of the older games such as command and conquer red alert have patches you can download to run them on Windows 2000 professional.

So, Windows 2000 Professional is a very viable gaming platform.

[isus]

Originally posted by Psilaxs
Windows 2000 professional runs all the newest games just fine. It will run all but the oldest of games which i am fairly certain Isus has no interest in playing.

And a lot of the older games such as command and conquer red alert have patches you can download to run them on Windows 2000 professional.

So, Windows 2000 Professional is a very viable gaming platform.

hmm... old games... i have ms flight sim 2000, nfs2, driver, starcraft... the sims, simcity, and some other stuff. as you can see, i'm no hardcore gamer. lol.

[Psilaxs]

Those games will run just fine isus, in fact i fired up sim city just to make sure and it runs fine :) (yes, i am talking the original version 1.1 from 1989 - 1992.

[isus]

Originally posted by Psilaxs
Those games will run just fine isus, in fact i fired up sim city just to make sure and it runs fine :) (yes, i am talking the original version 1.1 from 1989 - 1992.

lol... i dont have anything that old... i have simcity3000. lol.

thanks :)

[Psilaxs]

Originally posted by isus
lol... i dont have anything that old... i have simcity3000. lol.

thanks :)

LOL, yeah, it will run that just perfect.

I used to have Simcity 3000 great game. Ever play Sim City 4??

Great game, just fantastic in its detail, but absolute murder on your computer. though they have released some patches that fix some those problems.

Like a typical Sim City game, it takes a computer that is 6 months to a year newer then the game(yes i said newer as in, specs that aren't out yet)

[isus]

lol, no, but i wanna try it.,, eventually. lol.

at the moment, i don't think a lot of games would be happy with my computer. i was glad enough to be able to play nfs2 at decent framerates.

i have an nvidia gf2mx on a pci bus. lol.

[Sephiroth]

Originally posted by notbob
trade it in and get a mac, fanboy

If you cant post something without it being insulting then dont.

[PowerMan57two]

I would keep Windows for starters. Than for what Windows OS to go with, I would say XP Pro. I also have XP Pro on every computer but my laptop and have had nothing but problems. I have XP home on my laptop and see no difference. It is just as stable for me. But if you want to *buy* a copy of XP Pro, give me a PM I have a very, very, very, very, very cheap place to get your hands on a *real* copy*)

[isus]

thanks for the offer powerman572, but i'll stick with home. i don't need all the extra gooey features of pro.

i dont know... i am torn between win2000 and xp now. lol.

[FrozenShadow23]

XP Pro (corp ed) rules. lol at the mac, bad choice, tho i need to learn to use them better.... XP pro is stable, pretty (though I know that doesn't matter to everyone), and can be fast (not as fast a linux, but eh, oh well). Linux is fast and customizable, but not so easy to install or use for longtime windows people, tho there is LOTS of help avaliable online. If you do go with Linux, make sure you don't have a WinModem, that causes LOTS of problems... Personally, I duel boot Linux Mandrake, and Windows XP Pro.

[RACKnRAIL]

If your computer has the resources, why not try a dual boot and have the best of both worlds? Dual boot (http://www.mozillaquest.com/stories_01/DualBoot_PqMagic-01/MQ-Mag_01_DualBoot_Story-01_01.html)

[RACKnRAIL]

Okay...I'm blind and didn't read all the posts. I just thought it was a good idea...before I read FrozenShadow23's post.

[Sephiroth]

Originally posted by notbob
it's an inside joke

we aren't all mortal enemies here you know

i can't expect you to understand, as you don't seem to have any sense of humor whatsoever

Right its my fault that i didnt find you insulting someone else funny..

Which its a "inside joke" now.. I doubt that it was when you posted it so save your excuses for some other time because youll need them.

[XtraNtnse]

Originally posted by americanbitch
windows xp home- xp media edition- & xp pro edition are all the fucking same thing there is no diference

Agreed. There really is no significant difference.

[12345678910]

Originally posted by XtraNtnse
Agreed. There really is no significant difference.

Are you sure about that??

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.asp
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp
http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/windowstips/story/0,24330,3354933,00.html
http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/windowstips/jump/0,24331,3355451,00.html
http://www.freelists.org/archives/pctechtalk/03-2003/msg00041.html

Windows XP Pro has the following features that Home Edition doesn't :

* SMP support (multi-processor support)
* Roaming user profiles
* Remote desktop
* Access control
* Encrypting file system
* Offline files and folders
* Remote installation service
* Windows server domain support
* Group policy
* Software installation and maintenance
* Multi-lingual user interface support

Lata,
12345678910

[jolton]

Go with windows xp pro corp. edition, hell just get all of 'em! Then just try em all out and see wich one u like the best. or don't . Fine! I see how it is...be that way then. just remember; when u wake up in that ice filled bath tub in that cheap hotel room with your kidney missing, you'll ask yourself: I wonder if anyone'll notice.

[begoodbebad]

Can't see many reasons to change from XP, the only problem I have with it is I can't (it can't) specify/allocate RAM to particular tasks, merely occasionally prioritise it (kind of, occasionally, if you are lucky).
From your posts you seem very tech so maybe you would enjoy linux and get something out of it (beyond an inability to ever play your games again lol). I think it's a good option for people who want to get very involved in how their PC works as opposed to how a Windows OS works so if you have the time it might be worth trying it as dual boot (back up your XP OS first!!!!). I tried Mandrake 9.0 and hated it very fast but I can see why people persevere through the learning stage (well almost). And the fact that you post the question shows you are not a fanatic OS fundamentalist so maybe it would be interesting to hear some threads about Linux from a (probably) sane person who can make reasonable comparisons with Bill's Best.

[isus]

Originally posted by notbob
it's an inside joke

we aren't all mortal enemies here you know

i can't expect you to understand, as you don't seem to have any sense of humor whatsoever

i took it as an insult...

add a flaming smile face or something alter to clue me in.

sorry :-P

[cpugeniusmv]

i'm going to give you my opinion on all of these.....

keep winxp home
i think this is your best option...xp hope was meant for the end user, you're an end user...use it

find win2000
this is your second best option, if you just can't live with xp...try 2000

find ms server 2003
this is a server operating system, it wasn't intended for end users...unless you're running a server, why do you need it?

find a leak of longhorn
it's an alpha, enough said.

some version of linux
unless you're willing to dedicate some serious time to learning how to do EVERYTHING differently, i wouldn't recommend it. if you wanted to put this on another machine (ie not your main one) and fool around with it from time to time, that would probably be a better option.

[strestout1]

i'm gonna have to disagree with everyone else here, and clear up some things as well. I don't believe Windows is the best choice, though if you do decide to go with Windows i would recommend XP Pro (as the most stable Windows version). I am a Linux user (Red Hat 9, actually) and have been for about a month and a half. Before that I've used Windows since Win 98 was first released. I have had zero problems getting used to Linux, and while there is a learning curve, it's not as steep as everyone would have you believe. Even my wife, who is totally computer illiterate has had zero problem adjusting to the change. I recommend a flavor of Linux, especially an easier one to use such as Red Hat, Mandrake, or Suse. My pc has been rebooted once in those 6 weeks (and just because my wife thought the computer would freeze if she left it on).

If you do a lot of PC gaming, then Windows is a more obvious choice, though you can use WineX to play those Windows games in Linux (or many of them).

Just do whatever works for you.

[REDO]

Originally posted by strestout1
i'm gonna have to disagree with everyone else here, and clear up some things as well. I don't believe Windows is the best choice, though if you do decide to go with Windows i would recommend XP Pro (as the most stable Windows version). I am a Linux user (Red Hat 9, actually) and have been for about a month and a half. Before that I've used Windows since Win 98 was first released. I have had zero problems getting used to Linux, and while there is a learning curve, it's not as steep as everyone would have you believe. Even my wife, who is totally computer illiterate has had zero problem adjusting to the change. I recommend a flavor of Linux, especially an easier one to use such as Red Hat, Mandrake, or Suse. My pc has been rebooted once in those 6 weeks (and just because my wife thought the computer would freeze if she left it on).

If you do a lot of PC gaming, then Windows is a more obvious choice, though you can use WineX to play those Windows games in Linux (or many of them).

Just do whatever works for you.

I am currently running an XP Pro/Red Hat 9 Dual boot. I didn't want to totally loose the compatibility with the rest of my applications, so I decided to go with the dual boot. I decided to use linux because it is a good OS to develop code on.

I am impressed with Linux thus far, and have found the learning curve to be small at best. There is a lot of terminal commands that I have yet to learn, but with patience comes knowledge.

[ROMANTICGUY50]

Originally posted by isus
the main question is obviously, which os should i go with?

and the secondary question is: what are the main differences between winxp home and server 2003?

I still like Windows Home XP the best. So far is is really great. Must better than Windows ME. That OS sucked. Blue and Black screen of death all the time I really don't know much about sever 2003. IF someone else knows more great. I voted for XP because I have had very few problems with it.

[BloodStraw]

Actually, games run BETTER with win2k.

[Psilaxs]

Originally posted by BloodStraw
Actually, games run BETTER with win2k.

I have noticed that as well, but it is dependant on the game also.

[isamoor]

I'd recommend giving Knoppix a try. It's a linux that runs off of a CD. Takes no work from you to get it up and going. And you can just reboot and take out the cd if you don't like it. If you like the look of linux (well, KDE or gnome would be more technical) then try my distrowatch link in my sig.

If you don't like Knoppix, I'd say by far the best windows is XP Pro. Very stable. And you can select legacy compatability for any app that gives you trouble.

Later,

Isamoor

[Winphuk]

Win2k pro gives you the best of both world.

A) consumes fewer resouces than XP so it's mad fast.(especially if you have alot of RAM)

b)Solid as a rock. I've been running it for almost a month now without a reboot.

My PC came preloaded with Windows XP home, which I used over a year, but I like Win2k pro so much better. You need to find out what's good for you because because some people swear by XP.
Being a former MAC person, your probably into graphics and Windows XP definetley has a prettier interface.

[isus]

Originally posted by Winphuk
Being a former MAC person, your probably into graphics and Windows XP definetley has a prettier interface.

not the default playskool thing... blech. i like watercolor.