So whos going XP?

[miller]

I've been thinking about getting this OS since im getting more and more outdated with my win98se OS...and im wondering who is or has moved over to Windows XP, and how they like or expect from it?

[Skamp]

Im sticking with 98 till i hear alot of good things about XP,and till you can get XP device drivers for everything!!

[Alakazam]

I hope to move up by the end of the year, we'll know a lot more after next month about XP. Of course, we won't hear about all the installs that went ok, just the bad ones. I'm running 98se right now so it will be a large step up.

[AmStoned]

I'll certainly move to XP if it proves to be even more stable than the current OSs while maintaining compatibility with majority of the games I play, ie, EA Sports line-up. Do you know EA Sports games don't run on W2K, even with all the fixes and patches? So we'll just have to see.

[ImaginAsian]

As long as the activation crap is around, Im staying away :)

[Dramen]

Oops, sorry I'm in the wrong thread, thought you were talking about cpu's.;)teehee. Ahhh, you all know what I think anyway.:lol:

[miller]

AmStoned...

I've read (in Maximum PC) that Win XP has a feature where you can go into the computer game or program properties menu and then select a compatible OS you would like to run with it...ie Win95, Win98, Win NT 4, and Win2k. Looks like a very cool feature if you want to use all sorts of programs that support early and later versions of windows....

Quote From Maximum PC

"We were quite pleasantly surprised by XP's Compatibility settings. By configuring XP to mimic Windows 98, we were able to get XP-incompatible apps to run without a hitch"

[AmStoned]

Excellent! Thanks for the info miller. Now if I could pick up a copy dropping outta Lurch's truck.:D

[M.i.S. Nemesis]

I installed the RC2 version and I wasn't really impressed at all. I guess as long as you use Win2k, there isn't much difference.

[BitBender]

Ditto, M.I.S, Ditto, man!! :tup:

[lurch63]

hey db, i'd be interested got xp from a bud had a crack too, but would be cooler if i didn't need it, well me i'm waiting for a good while though to move over, we'll see, but thx for the offer, whenever you get around to it, lurch, stoner, my truck is always awaiting its next bump, you can have the version i got now if you want, next week i willl be spreading matlab all over the lab that i work in, i asked this one chick, so you want a copy of matlab too, she goes, well no i'm not really interested, how much you charging , me-nothing, why, oh then i'll have it , but why don't you charge, me-becuase i believe in the spreading of pirated software, , hehe, boy she had a confused look on her face, but more the merrier, lurch

[tim]

As soon as the new XP drivers for my SB Live! come out i'm going all XP. I have an EVAL version with the CORP files injected. This makes it the same Devils0wn version. :D

[KaraK]

I'm definately going to slap a copy of XP on my box but it will be in the form of an extra OS rather than a replacement (at least for now).

Win2k is likely to remain my primary OS for a while..

[JohnnyBra]

I'll be sticking with WinME for a while.. That whole Activation crap just makes me worry :(

[TheHeretic]

I may put it on one box jsut to see what the whole thing is about. But if there is the activation crap than I wont. I expect to buy something and it is mine to do with as I please. If I choose to put in on 200 of MY personal machines [Long shot but still possible {imagine the UD on those!!}] Than I should be able to. Once I buy something I dont want or need the manufacturer to tell me that I need to do this to it or that to it. Really kinda simple if ya ask me. OHHHH but wait we are talking about a company that cannot release anything with out at least a few thousand buggy lines of code.


TheHeretic

[muckshifter]

I will be moving up ... Activation or not ... been playing with it for a month now ... no problems, even got the kitchen sink to work. :p

:hat:

[Techvillage]

I will be putingt XP on one of my primary workstations, and will be activating it, but my servers, and remaining workstations are remaining on Win2k for the meantime.

I really don't like the idea of activation, so I'm reserving judgement. If, and it's a big if, by forcing activation, MS revenues were increased, than I would damn well expect a major, major reduction in the price.

"Yeah, and pigs might fly" I hear you say, but we as the users must vote with out feet and let them know what we want, not what they give us.

Take an example only 4 or 5 years ago antivirus software was selling for about £100 - now, you can buy the same software for £25 - and I bet you the revenues to the company are the same. It's now at a price where it's affordable and people can't be that bothered to get a pirate version.

So much software is so hideously overpriced that it causes piracy - manufacftureres should go on the principle of selling in larger quantities at a lower price, rather than less at a much higher price.

I know this is a rather simplifies it, and it's like looking at the world through rose tinted glasses, but it 's the way I feel.

[KaraK]

activation is definately something of a downer for me but I'm going to try and judge the OS on its performace rather than on any political issues. Yes I will be activateing my copy (I'm recieving a nice legal copy courtesy of the Academic Alliance program) but that doesnt mean that I agree wth the WPA system just that since at the time its no skin off my nose I may as well stay legal.

The latest date I've heard for the arrival of my copy is 25th Oct (then again it was SUPPOSED to be here a week ago originally) so I guess I'll find out then...

[martzweb]

i'll be staying away till at least sp1 .... xp is the work of the devil :D

[ImaginAsian]

Is there any OVERWHELMING reason to ugprade to XP?? From all the articles I have been reading...not anything special...especially if you have W2K already.

[KaraK]

thats why I'm giving it a trial run alongside 2k... then I'll know wether I personally have any good reason to migrate

[Orange Peel]

I'm gonna wait until more drivers become available before I load it onto my home PC. I have loaded it on one of my test PC at work and like what I see so far. It just takes a bit of time to get used to the new start bar format.

Hopefully new and improved drivers will soon be available.

[tim]

There are some reasons why XP is better than 2000 :

1) Registry constraints have been aleviated and performance increased.

2) Handling of hung apps has improved a great deal.
Example that I personally have : UT sometimes locks and stops responding (dunno why) in Win2K and needs a hard reset, but under XP I can just press the 'Windows' key and right click on the task bar icon to close UT down without a hitch!

3) For those that dislike the new task bar and stuff, it can all be turned off and made to look like Win2K. I did this straight away to reduce memory and CPU overhead of the fancy new graphic.

4) Plus lots more internal tweaks, a bit long and complicated to elaborate here but trust me, it's what Win2K should have been!

Like a said before, as soon as all the XP drivers are out for my hardware, I'm going all out XP :D

[tim]

Comes with 1.0.5.212 drivers so no need to load at install time with the F6 method. :)

[floppybootstomp]

And there's me trying to pluck up the courage to upgrade from 98SE to WIN2K! Heehee.... 'life in the slow lane' :)

[TheHeretic]

And there's me trying to pluck up the courage to upgrade from 98SE to WIN2K!


You and me both Flops!! I kinda subscribe to the JohhnyBra theory of "if it aint broke why fix it"


TheHeretic

[floppybootstomp]

Well actually I have upgraded to WIN 2K :) Coupla nights ago I loaded it on my K6-2 350 rig ;). Wiped the 4.2 HDD, tried to boot from CD - no go :confused:

Then explored the CD on this rig and realised I had to make 4 boot floppies. Doh :tooth:

After that, everything went without a hitch. WIN2K, on that old K6-2 rig, is so much more stable.

At first, I thought 'this OS is crap'. I couldn't find anything. But the more I looked around, found where things were and stuff, the more I began to understand it. It's good. Makes more sense.

I was talking to Martz on ICQ last night, he's given me loads of useful info on how to upgrade this, my KT7-RAID/Athlon 1.2 @ 1.320 system, so I avoid pitfalls. It's upgrade time soon folks!

THe Heretic: somewhere in this thread is a hidden message/coded info ;)

[JackDaniels]

I upgraded from Win2K Prof to XP.

Its a little too cuddly for me, I liked the crisp easy feel of Win2K. It also has some annoying cuties which are visual and serve no productive purpose. Worst thing is the way it screws my OUTLOOK 2000 up when I am connected through my staff VPN server and the bugs in IE6 which it ships with. I'm not sure MS have made a move in the right direction with XP, cynically it seems to be changes for the sake of change, time will tell.I'm sort of shocked at how quick XP has come along since Win2K and Me and the fact that MS expect it to kill off both. For home users on gaming systems I'd say stick with 98SE.

Ciao~

[Mad dog]

I hear you JD, the move from 2k to XP was too fast for it to be a real upgrade. It's more like the change between 98SE and ME. It lookss prettier, it's got a few bus fixed (but introduced more) and has a few extra features like the inclusion of the latest version of IE.

I think the real thinking behind the move to XP was to finally kill of the 9x platform and move to a unified platform that covers the whole range of sales.

Not that any of this will stop me from upgrading or anything, seeing as XP will be for free (while i'm at uni).

[martzweb]

Bravo mate, couldn't have put it better myself...... i'm gonna stick with what i've got for at least another 3 months....... maybe spend the boring part of xmas day upgrading to xp...who knows!

i use a hella lot of sw on this rig, so a re-install would take an entire day... not willing to do that while my mistress is running so fine... especially not for the ms pluspack for 2k... ooops... i meant xp :)

[Mad dog]

If your going to upgrade, then you should OS' then you should wait till te first service pack is released. Thats a rule many coprates go by. Let someone else find out about al the problems for you first.

[Techvillage]

Originally posted by Mad dog
If your going to upgrade, then you should OS' then you should wait till te first service pack is released. Thats a rule many coprates go by. Let someone else find out about al the problems for you first.

Nowadays I'm always a bit puzzled when some one says that.

Unlike the old days when beta testing was kept quite ( you didn't get to here the f'ups), manufacturers rarely put out any supporting drivers before launch, MS never put out easy to use software to interogate your pc to find out what will and won't work, MS websites chock full of info about the best way to upgrade. Nobody can claim not to know exactly what is going on about XP - it's had more write up's than any other MS OS ever.

You are absolutely right in that corporates don't roll out new OS's to their production machines, but hell the IT department is testing out OS's from the first beta till gold. However we are not in a situation that a corporate is in.

It's always good to get a heads up on a new OS, chuck it on a PC and see how it runs. Everybody here should be plenty capable of sorting out any mess they get into, unlike your average user.

Of course don't chuck XP onto your mission critical servers. But also, this has been very solidly beta tested, and all these beta testers have been saying what they think for a long time now, and the word is that XP is very stable. I have not heard one recent report saying that XP is too buggy and full of probelms. Now you can't ignore that can you.

You are more likely to run into a problem with your legacy hardware and a driver not being available rather than anything being particulary unstable and unbuggy.XP compatible drivers not being ready isn't MS fault. we should really not cloud the distinction between the two :)

[lurch63]

dookie, one thing i do know, if your going to do a duel boot, 9x and 2kpro or xp make sure you put in the 9x stuff first as it was not setup to install with another os and it will wipe out the boot sector from any previous os that you had in there, so you must put 9x in first and then the multi booting friendly os's after, flopps, am i right on that?.

tech, your right about that have a friend that has been using xp since everyone was still saying whisler2 and he says that its a very good os, i just can't get along with the way ms thinks of it customers or handles things, but yes it does seem to be a good os. lurch

[tim]

Some Win2K drivers are ok on XP and some are not! If you are brave enough (for 'brave' read 'stupid') you can just try and see what happens. Just make sure you have a good backup first :D

I know the HPT drivers are ok, dunno about the ASUS v7100. Is the ASUS card based on a Geforce chipset?

BTW SB Live! drivers for Win2K are NOT ok on XP 'cos they cause serious cause problems. I found out the hard way :cryol:

[Techvillage]

Originally posted by tim
Some Win2K drivers are ok on XP and some are not! If you are brave enough (for 'brave' read 'stupid') you can just try and see what happens. Just make sure you have a good backup first :D


Hi Tim, - some people may have to do just that, as some legacy manufactureres are being slow bringing out supported drivers, some say they won't, some say they should work but won't be supported.

Most people her know ho to do backups/ghost so what's the big deal. Too much doom and goom being spread.


Part of the learning with PC's, and we are all at this site coz we like tinkering with them, is we must never forget that the majority of the time we don't get much experience in fixing/ upgrading/OC'ing computers till we try something out/it goes wrong. All of you think back, and think about all the littles fixes that are hidden their in the gray matter that you have gained over the years.(except those members with less than 3 brain cells! ;))by trying things out.

Don't mustn't be scared of messing about with your PC - Just make sure that you have backed up/ghosted, be prepared for the occaisional bit of expense. This statement you can't apply to all PC users, but we here are enthusiasts, and this tinkering trying things out comes natural to us. If people need help, thenhey, there is a font of help right here at this forum.

[BitBender]

Originally posted by dooKie

Microsoft Office Setup Bootstrapper has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

I'd call that a Boot Scrapper! !!!

Kiddish ?? really ?? Howso?

[floppybootstomp]

dookie: really? well, think maybe I'll steer clear of that then.

Are there any options to disable that stuff?

All I can do right now to upgrade from 98 to WIN 2K :D

Maybe in 2003 I'll consider it, just as Windows PO is coming out, the 'Revolutionary new Microsoft OS that addresses all the bugs that came with XP'.

[tim]

3) For those that dislike the new task bar and stuff, it can all be turned off and made to look like Win2K. I did this straight away to reduce memory and CPU overhead of the fancy new graphic.

Does anybody read my posts? :confused:

[floppybootstomp]

And anuvver fing...

Was looking at the box for Windoze XP in a store today. It said on the box something like 'If you don't agree with this licensing deal return the product immediately to point of purchase for a full refund'.

Well, did you know? Some unscrupulous folks might just make a back up of that CD before returning it, then wait for one of those 'crack' type thingies to appear on that internet wotsit.

Terrible, isn't it? :D

[floppybootstomp]

Originally posted by tim


Does anybody read my posts? :confused:

Whooooooops! Yup, I did read that, I'm a little tired tonight, sorry mate.

Right now, I'm in the attic on a K6-2. Wife's got a week off, decided to hire an industrial sander to sand down living room floorboards. Everything's been cleared out :( I cannot access my beloved machine atm! :cryol:

I haven't got ICQ on this thing, I'm too lazy to do it right now, so, um, have no fears my man, your posts are noted with interest :)

It's my brain that's at fault...

[BitBender]

I just have an attitude about XP, is all :grr:

[AmStoned]

Originally posted by floppybootstomp

Well, did you know? Some unscrupulous folks might just make a back up of that CD before returning it, then wait for one of those 'crack' type thingies to appear on that internet wotsit.

Terrible, isn't it? :D

Now now, you don't have to publicize my plans. Bring it to the Viper Room.:D

[tim]

I am just about to vape to Win2K install (the one i'm on now) and go over to XP. Err....should see again you in about 2 hours :teeth:
I hope :sarcastic

[floppybootstomp]

Oh dear. 7.5 hours and counting. Wonder how the install went. I'm just about to go down that path myself.

Do you think I should wait until Tim comes back?

[tim]

It's not going well.

I'll give a full report when I have sorted out the mess :cry:

another vape is going down very soon :D

[floppybootstomp]

I just done the compatibility check, I gotta whole host of things to tend to. Most worrying of all is Partition Magic 6.0 isn't compatible. It has a problem with NTFS files, it says (I think The Heretic actually pointed that out).

I'm gonna try loading Partition Magic 7.0, if that no good, I'll try and sort it out under DOS, if I flummox that, it's format c: :grr:

[KaraK]

FBS: yup PM 6 is broken courtesty of the .1 revision change they made to NTFS... Dunno about 7

[KaraK]

AS: I'm not sure you could make a backup of the CD... previous windows versions had agreements such that if you opened the case then you agreed to it. Although haveing said that if the case isnt shrink-wrapped then you could just carefuly prise open the other end of the front cover (the hinges)

[tim]

Ok i'm back and working. Phew!

Ok, this was the problem : Via Bus master v3.0.14

DO NOT use the VIA Bus Master 3.0.14 that is supposed to improve performance on IDE1/2. It causes some strange lock-up problems. Stick with the default MS drivers and you'll be fine.

Also, the default HPT370 driver is version 1.0.5. It it crap and gives the well known mouse/system stuttering. Go back to the 1.0.3b drivers after install to smooth things out.

I'm off for a lay down now, that was stressfull.

[floppybootstomp]

Well, some good news. I've just installed Partition Magic 7.0 and Bootmagic 7.0, both working OK with my current partition setup, and XP seems happy with it.

I've uninstalled a whole load of stuff and I'm left with this lot:

HP Scanner: software update required.
Samsung laser printer: software update required.
Zone Alarm Pro - Not compatible.
Logitech Mouseware: New drivers required.
Nero Burning ROM: Uninstall and reinstall once XP loaded.
Imation LS120 Disk accelerator: Won't work.
Logitech i-Touch Keyboard software: Won't work (advise upgrade from manufacturer).
Microsoft Sidewinder Gamepad Profile activator and Profile editor: Won't work (advise upgrade from Microsoft).
Outlook 2000: Reinstall after upgrade.
Fix It Utlities four backup files: Will be lost.
WinDVD playback software: May be incompatible. Advise upgrade if available.

Phew. Beginning to wonder if it's worth the bloody effort :grr:

But, I shall persevere. If it wasn't for me wanting to preserve my Linux set-up, I think I'd have just wiped the Hard Drive, but there ya go.

[KaraK]

..so are you going to allow XP to upgrade over 2K? or clean install ?

[KaraK]

Originally posted by tim
Ok i'm back and working. Phew!

Ok, this was the problem : Via Bus master v3.0.14

DO NOT use the VIA Bus Master 3.0.14 that is supposed to improve performance on IDE1/2. It causes some strange lock-up problems. Stick with the default MS drivers and you'll be fine.

Also, the default HPT370 driver is version 1.0.5. It it crap and gives the well known mouse/system stuttering. Go back to the 1.0.3b drivers after install to smooth things out.

I'm off for a lay down now, that was stressfull.

it has to be said that the IDE drivers are something that concerns me about any possible move to XP, under 2k I had to install a a very paticular version of the 4 in 1 drivers in order to get DMA working on my DVD drive. I'm just hoping that the out-the-box MS drivers can handle it properly...

[floppybootstomp]

OK, this is driving me nuts. I'm considering upgrading from 98 to WIN2K first, changing my file format to NTFS along the way, then taking XP from there.

My question is, when WIN2K prompts me to load a RAID controller, what's the best version to go with?

[tim]

I got my XP setup running sweet now, I like it! Once you have all the correct drivers in place it is a much smoother eXPerience than Win2K :sarcastic

Flops you need v.1.11.0512 or higher to install Win2K, anything lower will fail to install properly.

Why don't you just go straight to XP from 98 huh? :confused:

[floppybootstomp]

Originally posted by tim

Why don't you just go straight to XP from 98 huh? :confused:

Dunno, really, I just had this half-assed idea maybe WIN2K would recognise all the things XP is not and then XP would recognise them.

Ho-hum. Maybe not :D

Yup, I think I'll go straight to XP. Got me some driver downloads to do, it seems.

I have actually loaded XP onto an old K6-2 350 - did I mention that already? :) - and I like it.

It's getting late now, brain not functioning, will return to this thing tomorrow.

Glad to see you got it up and running. Nice one :thumbsup:

PS: I'll e-mail you tomorrow about soon come parcel in the post ;)

[KaraK]

I have to say I'm still dubious about the whole upgrade thing... I've never seen a Windows OS upgrade work as well as a clean install. While not too experienced with XP the only upgrade install that I've seen wasnt too pretty still somewhat slow. Although it does have to be said that it was an upgrade over a copy of 2k that had itself been upgraded over a copy of ME so the 2K wasnt exactly the best install ever

[muckshifter]

There is no advantage to installing Win2K, in fact I would strongly suggest you DO NOT INSTALL Win2K. To install XP over Win2K you will need the XP Pro version, this is the version of XP I would suggest everyone thinking of “upgrading” gets

Go strait to XP from Win9x.

I also strongly recommend you CLEAN INSTALL XP ... XP has all the necessary drivers for your motherboard; you will NOT need any driver disk.

After installing go to the "Windows Update Site" and get the latest drivers/patches/critical updates.

as for this lot
HP Scanner: software update required. correct
Samsung laser printer: software update required. correct
Zone Alarm Pro - Not compatible. yes it is get the update it is Pro your using and not the free one?
Logitech Mouseware: New drivers required. I believe they are out now
Nero Burning ROM: Uninstall and reinstall once XP loaded. correct
Imation LS120 Disk accelerator: Won't work. correct you do not need an LS anymore
Logitech i-Touch Keyboard software: Won't work (advise upgrade from manufacturer). correct
Microsoft Sidewinder Gamepad Profile activator and Profile editor: Won't work (advise upgrade from Microsoft). correct
Outlook 2000: Reinstall after upgrade. correct
Fix It Utlities four backup files: Will be lost. correct So?
WinDVD playback software: May be incompatible. Advise upgrade if available. correct

Now you see why I suggest a clean install … you will NOT have “loose” drivers hanging around. :D

:hat:

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks for the info Mucks.

I've unistalled so much stuff now I may as well go for a clean install.

The only reason I wanted to upgrade was to keep my 5Gb Linux partition intact.

Do you think this would work?

I boot with a DOS start-up disk (or WIN98 start up disk) and use fdisk to confirm partitions.

Then format my 25Gb FAT32 partition.

Then boot from XP CD (it is bootable and it's the Pro version) and install into my 25Gb partition.

After install, load on Partition Magic & Bootmagic 7, and get that to recognise the different OS's and partitions?

What do you reckon the chances are?

[muckshifter]

Yes use a Win98 boot disk; it may be the better option.

Be careful when installing XP if you go for NTFS it will probably "format" the whole 30gig. :confused:

I cannot confirm this but Win2k used to do that if you where not careful … and it would format a second HD if you left the HD "connected".

Just to remind you that XP IS Win2K with bells on.

If there were nothing important on your Linux partition then I would suggest a "total" clean disk ... and start from scratch.

However, as long as XP keeps to the 25gb partition you should be OK to PMagic Linux.
I've uninstalled so much stuff now I may as well go for a clean install. And it left so much crap in the "registry" that you have "problems" and say "XP/Win2K/Me/Win9x is Crap, it don't work" … I wish I had a £1 for every time I heard that one, I'd be a millionaire. :D

:bomb: tick, tick, tick...

:hat:

[floppybootstomp]

OK, I'm gonna go for it. I'll try and keep my Linux, if I lose it, then c'est la vie, I'll have to reinstall it.

Now all I need is a few quiet hours to myself....:D

[Techvillage]

Originally posted by muckshifter
I cannot confirm this but Win2k used to do that if you where not careful … and it would format a second HD if you left the HD "connected".


Really Mucks - where'd you hear that from? The disks will alway appear as separate devices, unless of course they are setup ina RAID configuration.

[Techvillage]

Originally posted by floppybootstomp

Dunno, really, I just had this half-assed idea maybe WIN2K would recognise all the things XP is not and then XP would recognise them.


Hi Flops - XP, being the later OS that Win2k, will cover more of the hardware that has come out since Win2K. MS always throws in a generous amount of generic drivers just so that you can get going - of course that doesn't cover everything, but a fair bit.

Go Flops go - all part of the learning experince :)

[muckshifter]

As I said,
I cannot confirm this but Win2k used to do that if you where not careful … and it would format a second HD if you left the HD "connected". but I did have a "customer" complain to me that he lost everything on his "D" drive when installing Win2K. I can only assume he said yes to a question that allowed W2K to format his second HD. :sarcastic

I was merely pointing out to Flops to be careful.
I also strongly recommend you CLEAN INSTALL XP ... XP has all the necessary drivers for your motherboard; you will NOT need any driver disk.

[floppybootstomp]

OK, just gotta let me dinner go down, whip out the LS120 and try and remember where I left the blanking plate, then zero hour. I upgrade. Breaking out in a cold sweat here :?:

BTW Mucks, only reason I retained the LS120 is because we got them at work. I occasionaly do a back-up from work to bring home. I think I'll stick it in the K6-2 as it rarely gets used.

Here we go...... no safety net! :D

[muckshifter]

Good luck ... see you around 8pm. ;)

[Techvillage]

Originally posted by floppybootstomp
OK, just gotta let me dinner go down,

You have jsut finished your dinner and it wasn't even 6 o'clock - you lucky lucky bastard.

I'm just about thinking about leaving work then. Then I have to sit/stand on a train that was built in 1940, and hope that the train gets me home without, floods, the wrong kind of snow, a leaf being spotted on the tracks, the driver turning up for work, the guard turning up for work, landslides, the wrong kind of rain, signal failures, the trackman forgetting to bring their toolbox to repair a track point - yep these are all true excuses that have been given to me just this year alone by that crappy French company.. spit , spit, Connex South Eastern.

Now to get back on post - good luck with the upgrade Flopps, when you have finished it, you will wonder what all the fuss was about :)

[floppybootstomp]

Well, first of all Tech, I work for myself. I've done the commuting trip, used to work in Fleet Street, amongst other places, and I was never keen on that train thing. At the bottom of my road is a large green common. On the other side of that common is a secondary school. That's where I was working today. Packed up at 5pm, came home. Sometimes I'm lucky like that. Other times I'm 70 miles from home and it's 7pm when I finish. Other times, like a recent CCTV install at a restaurant in Kensington, I started at midnight on Sunday, finished 8am Monday. It's just the way it goes.

But, back to the install. I appear to have buggered my Hard Disk.

I was trying to preserve Linux on a 5Gb partition. Formatted my 25Gb partition to NTFS. Win XP booted OK, but I couldn't get Bootmagic 7.0 to work for some reason. So I thought 'sod this' I'll format the whole HDD to 30Gb for NTFS. And that's where I cocked up, I think.

I used a WIN98 bootdisk and entered fdisk. Deleted all the partitions, except I couldn't seem to get rid of that 5Gb partition with Linux on it. Thought I'd reboot and format the 25Gb partition anyway, then use Partition Magic 7.0 to do what I couldn't do in Fdisk.

When I re-booted, I couldn't even boot from the 'a' drive and the HDD light stayed on. So I swapped the HDD from IDE3 to IDE 1.

I could then boot from a floppy, but when I tried to fdisk, all I got was 'error detecting fixed drive'. I moved the HDD to this K6-2 rig, exactly the same thing.

I've tried all kinds of boot disks, Nortons, BootMagic, et al. They all tell me I have a partition error on my Hard Disk. Oh Fek.

Luckily, this IBM 30Gb still under warranty, as I purchased it last December and I still have the receipt (bought it from Simply Computers).

So, looks like I'm RMA'ing it, but it could be a whiles before I get a replacement. And I'm bloody skint at the moment, so buying a new one is out of the question for now. Ho-hum.

Can't be bad though, first real prob I've had in over a year. Time to get acquainted with the TV again. I think :)

Just thinking, if I can manage to afford it, if I get a replacement HDD, might buy another identical one and go RAID. Anybody know if XP OK with RAID? It should be, shouldn't it?

And one last thing. On the install of XP, I left all my cards in place and XP detected everything, the Modem, Graphics Card, Sound Card, no drivers required at all. I didn't have any USB devices connected, I decided to leave those until after install. But I thought that was pretty good.

I'm feeling a bit pissed off right now, but, that's the way it goes folks. As my mate Trevor says 'You can't beat a bit of bad luck' :)

[muckshifter]

Bugger ...

Flops, try this nice little utility from Maxtor ... "MaxBlast Plus" ... it does not matter if the HD is not a Maxtor drive ... I've used it on just about every named HD.

http://www.maxtor.com/products/DiamondMax/software/maxblast/default.htm

I use this little guy quite often especially as in your situation ... it's quite a gem.

Just may work.

[Techvillage]

Don't worry Flops, sound like your HDD MBS (master Boot Sector)has gotten a bit corrupted. Eminanently fixable.

Try Mucks idea of using the MaxBlast plus it's a good utility, used it many times myself.

What is your HDD? Most of the manufactureres provide a disk that with low level formats that sort any MBS corruption

If you still have problms in the morning let us knowand I can get you more info on sorting.

[floppybootstomp]

Maxblast worked! :) Thanks Mucks, Tech, think I'll add that link to the downloads section. Very useful.

And guess what I found afterwards in my floppy disk collection? Yup, V1.02 of Maxblast. Doh :hhead: It came with my 20Gb Maxtor I bought around two years ago....

So, I lost Linux but I'm now on WINXP. I hadn't gone near Linux lately anyways and when Mucks' HDD arrives I'll load it on that in a HDD Caddy for my other rig.

I formatted the disk with the slow NTFS format. So far haven't had any problems getting things to run. Amongst stuff I've installed are SiSoft pro version; Fix-It Utilities V4.0; Unreal Tournament and Chuckie Egg (of course!).

This OS is almost too easy. I left all my cards and modem connected for the install, all were detected and installed with drivers set-up. I'm using 3r BIOS and the default RAID drivers that come with XP. I plugged in three USB devices, whir, whir, whir - all set up. Two Sidwinder Gamepads - set up automatically.

I installed WIN.DVD 2.2 and tried a DVD movie, then realsied this OS comes with it's own built in DVD player. WIN.DVD worked OK though.

My first impressions are, oddly enough, that I'm not in control. This system seems to do everything for you. Gotta say, it's an ideal OS for those who don't have much computer knowledge.

I was convinced I'd lost my HDD last night. Nothing like one those panic-inducing moments every now and again eh? :hat:

Thanks again bruvs, have a few :beer: on me!

[muckshifter]

It's in the post ... :D

Now you have a lot of "tweaking" to do ... see some of my recent posts. Plug plug. :hat:

[KaraK]

just went XP... looking pretty funky so far, no major problems to report

[muckshifter]

Details ... your missing the details. :D

Don't tell me it was that uneventful and nothing happened and it “just worked”. ;)

[KaraK]

er.. what else can I say ?

I did a clean install to an empty 30Gb partiton on my drive (the other partitons are Win98 and 2k Adv Serv) All my devices detected straight off, I've downloaded new drivers for my Live! 5.1, am about to install those when I get a mo, have also downloaded new logitech software (am waiting on a reboot for it to start up) Have installed PSP 6, Office2000, Winamp 2.62, and Nero 5.5, and ICQ2000b so far, havent really tried PSP and Nero out yet will report back when I do. Tthe blue color scheme did my head in so I changed to the silver and I also made the title bars smaller to lose that kiddie feel. Nothing has screamed at me yet but then I havent really tried to DO anything yet. (I went out just after my last post and have only just got back)

Excuse me a moment while I go shoot Creative... I've just gone to their web site to dl the new XP versions of the Live! software (I need the mixer so I can get my 5.1 speakers going) only to find out that they now only do them on CD and that I have to pay the p&p.. BASTARDS!

[AmStoned]

Got a question guys, maybe I overlooked, but do I need to install any special driver if I were to upgrade to DSL for the DSL modem and NIC? And should I hook up the two items first and let the installation detect them, or install them seperately after XP's been installed?

[ImaginAsian]

InfoWorld is reporting XP runs much slower then 2K, the OS it was supposed to replace!

http://www.infoworld.com/articles/tc/xml/01/10/29/011029tcwinxp.xml

As if I needed anymore reason to stay with 2K :yes:

[floppybootstomp]

I wouldn't mind betting if it does indeed run a bit slower than WIN2K, it's because of all the automated extras running all the time and that if all these were to be turned off, it would probably run about the same speed.

Like I said earlier, this OS seems to do eveything for you, even make the coffee :)

And it's definitely faster than WIN 98SE.

I've only used 2K briefly, so I can't really give an honest comparison, but I'd say the only real advantage I've found so far is WINXP seems happy running some Games that WIN2K turned up it's nose at.

One other thing. If you're unlucky enough to have to use AOL as your ISP, XP won't run with AOL 6.0, only V7.0, of which only a Beta is available.

[muckshifter]

IA numbers, numbers ... yep initially it is slightly slower but as Flops has pointed out there are a few "bells-n-whistles" to sort out. If you like them leave them, if you need the extra speed then use Linux. :D

XP ... IS win2K with bells, dam I keep saying that, anyway if you run W2K there is no real reason to swap to XP.

KaraK know how you feel, it surprises me how so many "major" manufactures have not been able to get new drivers out on time. :confused:

Lady Muck has an HP PhotoSmart p1000 printer, it's less than a year old, and has already been superseded by several other printers. However, they do have XP drivers for it ... if you can find them after downloading 32mb of USB stuff :confused:

Took me three hours to get that thing to work, the drivers were buried four folders deep under the "ESM" folder. :beatsme:

Nice to see "restore" work so effortlessly. :D

Boy was I "dead meat" if I could not get Lady Mucks printer to work. :eek:

:hat:

[tim]

XP is not any slower than Win2K, you just need to turn off all the extra 'crap' than slows it all down and do the right reg tweaks!

I find the my D3D games have a higher frame rate too because of the improvements to the DX8 and HAL interaction (heh heh blind 'em with science).

I will try to compile a list of tweaks to make XP at least as quick as Win2K.
I would do it now but unfortunately have just come home early from work with the flu. I'm off ta bed with some paracodal now, I feel crap!
I'll do something when I feel better.

[KaraK]

UPDATE: I've obtained the SBLive! 5.1 dirvers and it's installed the software that I wanted (the mixer), I havent been able to test it since a friend is asleep in my room... ICQ appears to be having some problems with its graphics not updateing properly - anyone else encounted this ?.. I'm not sure whether this is just me being dim or not but I had huge trouble finding the option to make you press Ctrl-Alt-Del before logon, I had to go this weird backwards way of doing it of going to the local security policies and telling it NOT to disable it, weird!... the logitech software appears to work fine.. will keep you guys posted as I know more

[KaraK]

UPDATE: ICQ appears to work properly if it isnt set to "Always on top"

[floppybootstomp]

I've yet to load ICQ. I've just realised then, that I've lost my contacts list. Bum.

I just downloaded Binary's 3r BIOS with the embedded XP EPA and Highpoint V1.03b drivers. I made the flash disk up with the usual files, using the drdflash download from www.bootdisk.com.

When I tried to read the files on the floppy, only three of the files were viewable. None of the files from the drdflash download could be seen :confused:

In 'Folder Options' under 'view' I had to disable 'Hide all operating system files' before I could view them.

I also noticed XP was set to automatically download updates from Microsoft and I had to disable that as well.

Looks like I gotta lotta looking around to do.

[daddyflipper]

I am holding with Win2000. It ain't broke and I can't see any real advantages to XP vs W2K. I already have most, if not all, of the the "neat" stuff that is susposed to be in XP, and it is the real deal, not the stripped down versions brother Bill throws into his OS. The pig upstairs (pigflipper) is sold on XP but then he is not running anything mission critical either. My systems are tools his are toys.

[Pigflipper]

Heh, my systems also don't crash like yours do :lol:

well except for individual program crashes, but nothing that will take down the whole system.

[Skamp]

Cool.....Pig Fight :)

[whipat]

Two machines Have XP. One clean install, one dirty over 98se. No problems anywhere, It stabilized the 98se 100%. :)

[[ GK ]]

Been running XP for a few months. No real problems, other than that annoying forced activation.

[ImaginAsian]

No Activiation with the Corporate Edition!

Of course, Im still on 2K...will move to XP when I get my next motherboad sometime this year!

[James]

The most unstable bunch of people,i have ever known!

[Spezi]

Originally posted by ImaginAsian
Is there any OVERWHELMING reason to ugprade to XP?? From all the articles I have been reading...not anything special...especially if you have W2K already.

There is if you had Win98 or WinMe and you like stability. I've had them all and this XP Home Edition that I'm using is the cat's meow as far as I'm concerned.

I haven't had to reboot since I installed it back in October.

Although I am not a gamer it is supposedly much more user friendly in the game department as compared to Win2K.

As far as drivers go I've done a clean install on two computers and in both cases the install went great with the XP disk containing enough of a driver inventory to cover all my items which it identified correctly too.

Note that there are a few things that do crop up such as Norton Anti Virus must be the 2002 version to be compatible with XP and Easy CD Creator from Roxio must be the latest version with latest patch. I also had to locate an update for my scanner software although the drivers XP found did work. I was impressed for the most part as I fully expected more problems than the few minor details I did encounter during the transition.

The product activation is pretty much painless and doesn't deserve half the hype that surrounds it.

For someone used to having Win98 or WinMe you are also probably aware that your PC is only about as secure as the next reboot when anyone that wants in just has to hit the cancel button when asked for a password and they're in. Not the case with XP. You password protect your logon and nobody is getting into your puter and XP Pro has even more security features than the Home Edition.

If there is such a thing I'd almost have to say XP is idiot proof.

For those who want it, it also has a built in firewall but it only protects you from inbound traffic.

Do I like XP? YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! :D

[026TB4U]

Do all WinXP pro not have product activation or does it need to be the corporate edition?

[Skamp]

Has to be the corporate edition mate!!

[miller]

I finally got XP...loving it so far the themes are cool and it runs a hell of a lot faster than Win98se which I was running before.

Only problem ive had with it is driver installing on one of my video cards (see video card forum for that) but other than that all is good. I did notice it cut a few FPS off my CS game but other its awesome! :D

[Alakazam]

Glad you like it Miller, I know I do. Most of the peeps I've chatted with are satisfied with it. Check out the sticky at the top of XP forum, there's a lot of info on the web to help out.

http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34732

[Darksword]

I'm happy with it as well. Nice to have that NT kernal behind it. MUCH faster than WinME was. :D

[Dramen]

I like XP, best yet for MS. Running xp pro and home for a few months without a single crash. Like others said, you can speed it up quite a bit with some tweaks, but its pretty fast out of the box.

Go here to find out what services you can deep six, which will take quite a load off xp and can make it a bit more secure.

http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

[lurch63]

i have another thing to report about hating xp, you can't migrate the os at all, i have the family compaq upstairs, the hard drive is dying , some days it works, some it doesn't, who knows how much longer it will last, now if it had 98 i could throw the image onto another hard drive and pretend like it never happened, but since it would be a different hard drive, it wont work, i have a computer for my sisters, it has a 1.2gig hd, as different computers have come up i have given my sisters better and better computers, that hard drive keeps moving over, w/out reinstalling the os, saving me tons of time, xp is never going on that, oh well, but otherwise, good to see you dramen, how you been? sinc. lurch

[Skamp]

Ya wrong Lurch,Ive cloned XP onto another HDD from an IBM to a seagate.The Activation my kick up a fuss,but a phone call to MS fixes that up :)

[lurch63]

really, i'm using pro, maybe thats the reason, i'll have to try it again and see what happens, thats a nice pissing on the ass you got there, :P good to see you skamp , sinc. lurch

[Skamp]

Nah,there wont be any difference between Pro and home!!Pro just got more features!

[Dramen]

lurch

Hey lurch! good to see you too, it's been a while, glad to know your still about! :)

[A Demons Vision]

xp was for me!

cheers lurch!

Dee:yes:

[floppybootstomp]

Mr Lurcho de lawnmower: Sometimes, my friend, you display properties normally associated with Luddites & Philistines....

Ner-ner :P

[lurch63]

oh the crossover did work, turned out my dumbass didn't make the partition active, duh, but how would you do that using the xp setup, i'm still using fdisk to do all my partitionwork, what is one to do otherwise?, sinc. lurch

[TJM4FUN]

I brought up xp pro, no registration type, woop de foogin doo!
did it as an upgrade to my 98se system, since it was rock stable, basically my game machine, not much other crap on there.
So I lost my via hardware monitor. and my oc contols for my vid card.
So my pc doesn't turn off now when I shut down. (apm was off on this machine) :sarcastic

So it doesn't see my old isa scsi card and 640meg optical drive. :mad:

am I complaining? not yet. have to tear into it a little when I get
a moment... :bigsaw:
I did remember to shut off system restore tho. ;)
1st impression was it is win2k with a pretty interface :barf: (yuk) AND LESS bells and whistles, unless their hidden down in there somewhere. which I suspect they are, safely away from the common masses' untrained paws.
is there an unreal skin for xp? hehe I hate those wimpish rounded
corners...
On the plus side it did save my Jeri Ryan desktop.. (if it trashed it , the uninstall woulda taken about .5 microseconds.) ;)

[ImaginAsian]

ok so the martians pinned me down today and made me upgrade to XP...or was I just bored :)

yeah well IA finally bit the bullet and upgraded to XP...install went without a hitch...thank god for bootable CD installs...sweet.

XP theme first to go, Classic TUVM :)

It found all my hardware just fine and installed all the correct drivers...nice!

[whipat]

Yep it is:) very nice

[floppybootstomp]

IA: I've a feeling you'll learn to like it a lot, but ya never know!

First thing to do is install latest Radeon drivers - XP drivers ain't that clever :(

Well well, never thought I'd see the day.... ;)

[ImaginAsian]

Hehe me neither....im not seeing anything particularly useful XP has that 2K doesn't so far.

I've disabled System Restore, updated all critical and recommended Window Updates, Radeon Catalyst, C-Media Onboard Audio but I left out the Via 4in1. Im gonna avoid installing that one at all costs! Put on Office XP, Norton Systemworks 2002, Ad-Aware, RegClean and of course Trillian :)

[Techvillage]

Hehe - well I never, u have made the jump :) Yes, there aren't any huge changes for home users between Win2k and XP , particulalry now, where there is huge support for win2k (very different form when it fisrt came out) - however in the corporate environment there is quite a lot of changes.

What annoyed me most between Win2k and XP, was the dumbing down of it, and the apparent changing places of things supposedly for newcomers to the OS, and disregarding the old timers who now have to go searching for things, as they have been moved for no apparent reason, certainly for me, there was no logical reason for the moves...

[Dramen]

Underneath the hood much of xp is the same as 2k but I do think xp is more stable, for me 2k was an unfinished product and xp is what it should have been. IA there is probably a lot of unneccessary services running, check this site out.

http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

Also in control panel select power management and get rid of hibernate.

Indexing should go to.

Get the freebie, XP-Antispy to disable some nasties.

http://www.xp-antispy.de/index.html

Actually, Zammy has a great list of help for XP, which covers all the above.

[ImaginAsian]

Catching up on threads - thanks for the info Dra, i'll start looking into them. Don't have hibernate because I have disabled ACPI in my bios - it was using IRQ5 to route ALL my I/O devices and I think it gave it some hang ups. I've reinstalled XP without ACPI and each device happily has its own IRQ explicitly.

[zoom314]

bump

[SeniorCitizen]

Here I am w/my quarters worth. Ran 98se for two years and a very wise computer guru told me a long time ago to ALWAYS be one OS behind. Never went wrong w/that advice so I moved up to win2k 12/01 and haven't had ONE problem since. Believe me please, I have thrown more installs/uninstalls of new programs you would think that the machine would crash, but it has not. Very satisfied w/win2k and have no plans to move anytime in the future. :D

[mikesamuels]

Originally posted by miller
I've been thinking about getting this OS since im getting more and more outdated with my win98se OS...and im wondering who is or has moved over to Windows XP, and how they like or expect from it?

I upgraded to XP home version as soon as it was available. It's by far the most stable OS yet from MS. The only knock on XP is that it is not tolerant of legacy hardware or software. If your system is fairly new you should have no problems. Just do a clean install.

[mikesamuels]

Originally posted by ImaginAsian
As long as the activation crap is around, Im staying away :)

IA the activation requirement for XP is not a big deal. I originally installed on an older box, no problems. After building a new machine I transfered XP over. Required a phone call but no hassle and no problems. Activation may be an issue for crackers, but with a ligit copy it's just no big deal..

[SloHands]

I will state up front that, I am NOT a fan of ANYTHING M$ offers! OK? I rant often!

Having said that, I presently have a dual boot(w/2 HDD's) with Win98SE and XP Pro. 98SE was installed as the OS when I purchased my PC in Nov. '99 and will be for a long time to come. Over time it has stablized substantually. I've installed each of the SP's as they were presented. Do I trust it? Hell no! But, I didn't trust 95 either!

The first mistake I made was to install XP Pro over Win2K Pro. THAT was a total mess. Screwed up everything. Drive Image put 98SE back without a problem. :spin:

I then formatted the 2nd HDD (6gigs) for NTFS and installed XP Pro clean. Happy camper!

But, navigating that system was a nightmare. Couldn't find a damn thing, until I switched to the Classic Mode. Better........... sorta!

I have ADSL and the automatic config for PPOE was nice. SOMETHING on the positive side.

I've now played with it for about 2 months or so and being stable is affirmed.

I did screw the system up by uninstalling ZoneAlarm Pro badly and taking out 98SE and the ability to access XP. Not the systems fault! Mine!

I am still reserved in judgement on the system due to the crap that M$ is handing out with the activation and "snooping" they insist upon conducting. Like they already don't have enough money from the "rental" of the system. I don't like it at all. Never will!

For several years to come, my 98SE and W2K Pro will suffice and present a stable operations platform for my PC. Tweaking is at a minium with either system and adding any software is not a need. What I now have is solid and until something comes along that is "revolutionary", I'm set go. I paid $3000 for this PC and it was "kick-a**" machine when I bought it. It still flies!

Personally, I think that XP is a waste of money, just as I thought WinME was a waste of time and money. Maybe, with the next OS, they may have something useful. So far, I really doubt that happening. I'm still hoping that Linux or someone will provide an alternative system that is nearly as user friendly and less expensive to "rent". :joy:

BOTTOMLINE: For those who are able to build next generation PC's and afford the costs of doing so, then XP Pro is the way to go. For the average home user, like myself, to upgrade to it? Nah! Save your money until you have to get a new PC.

[nomad_48]

I finally switched my second computer last week. After swearing I would never use anything but Win2000 Pro. Win XP Pro is the best OS Microsoft ever produced and it may be the best PC OS period!

[Jizzy]

I went XP on Oct. 25th - the day it came out...never regretted it.

[Tushman]

Yes i will upgrade in the future. But not anytime soon. I have heard nothing but good things about XP in terms of its stability and ability to run older apps & games.

In my opinion I think M$ released W2K as a precursor - a taste of what's to come, i.e. XP. In other words, I'm guessing that they intended to go from Win98/me straight to Win XP but didn't have all the rough edges smoothed out yet. So perhaps they released W2K thinking ... "We'll generate more revenue and give us more time to develop XP w/ all the bells & whistles". I don't have a crystal ball and it's pure speculation. I read one of the responses here that the XP platform will replace all the previous versions. That's true and I agree as we are all witnessing how M$ is slowly phasing out support for all the Win 9.x OS. Having said that, I don't think XP will be the end of it either.

From all the IT professionals (who I hope are mostly intelligent) I've asked, they all speak well of it's sound stability and efficiency. My plan is to upgrade in a couple of years or so. Right now i'm sufficiently pleased with W2K.

[dobiegirl]

Originally posted by danball1976


No need to worry, the corporate version has no activation. And I have the corporate version, so I might burn a copy for those who want one whenever I get my Plextor 16/10/40A.

Actually,I heard that it does. I was running XP but now I'm running a dual booting sysyem,w98 and w2k.
When I finish building my new puter I will be installing XP on it. Then I'll have the best of all 3 worlds. :)

[GreyFalcon]

The SB Live works fine in XP with the drivers only, on a clean install, but can give problems when trying to install the live Ware updates, or installing an upgrade of XP on a system that had the Live Ware software on it. I have gotten it to work on a 440BX board with Live Ware, but not any other system. The Audigy works fine in all respects............ I don't think that there is a single person who has posted this thread that wouldn't really like XP once they have used it long enough to pass the learning curve, no matter what their concerns are at the moment, and that includes giving up equipment and software that is not supported. "IT IS THAT GOOD"! RC2 was a very poor example of what the finished product actually is, I liked RC1 a lot better. I would say that everyone here who goes through the learning curve of XP will eventually come to the same conclusion that I did, that any 9x OS is inferior, and not worth the time and aggravation. XP on NTFS is absolutely stable on a stable system. FAT32 is fragile by comparison. XP uses memory very well [512MB is a sweet spot in XP], as compared to the poor usage in 9x. Programs running in the background are not a problem in XP. If you really like to tinker and fix things, don't get XP because you will have to go fix your car or anything else around the house that needs fixing, but not the computer.

[floppybootstomp]

I'm quite used to XP now and as M$ OS's go, I love it. Partitioned NTFS.

I recently built a second machine, quite fairly spec.'d, for the main purpose of running older games on WIN98.

I'd completely forgotten the joys of frozen screens; random reboots; programs crashing; illegal operations and fatal errors. Fatal errors, that's the best one :O

I skipped ME and I'm glad I did from what I've heard. Dallied shortly with WIN 2K, I didn't like it much, it wouldn't play a whole heap load of games.

I don't think I could go back to WIN 98 for my main OS now, no way.

[whipat]

Could not agree more

[GreyFalcon]

Floppybootstomp, you may want to look at an update of an old program, 98Lite at http://www.litepc.com/ They have done a nice job with the last update of this program. I just used it to install a micro version of 98 with no Web integration. After installing the latest DirectX my sound card, and some cleanup utilities the entire OS is 365MB. So far it is the most stable 9x OS that I have ever installed, very quick, and it is just for gaming.

[floppybootstomp]

Greyfalcon:

Thanks for the tip/link.

I have DX 8.1 installed, latest BIOS on Mobo and atm am only using around 5Gb out of 80Gb on a Western Digital 8Mb cache HDD, yet still I'm suffering the occasional glitch.

I shall certainly give that ap a try. Thanks :)

[Troy]

Have XP on 2 computers and love it.
Had to reregister the one 3 times due to parts failure,a simple toll free call to microsoft will fix you right up.

[floppybootstomp]

GreyFalcon:

Installed 98Lite, whole WIN98 system is a lot faster, boots quicker and is fine for a partition with that OS just used for gaming. No problems so far either, no fatal errors and stuff.

I'd already installed WIN98 but I may do a clean install using this proggie.

I wouldn't fancy it for a multi function machine though, it strips away too many short cuts.

Thanx very much for that link :thumbsup:

[GreyFalcon]

It was always an ok program, but the last update made it excellent, way too late for great success. Try a clean install with the micro version, and then build it up for games. Mine boots from a cold start in about ten seconds. They are working on the same thing for XP. If you are using the trial version, you don't have the final version that is such an improvement over the Millennium addition. They are also offering the XP version for 50% off if you have 98Lite. Keep the Os as small as possible, and put all your games on another partition. It seems the smaller the OS in 98 the faster. I gave up on 98 and was cleaning up my storage file of all the 9x junk I had accumulated over the years, and ran across that forgotten program, updated it, and I am really impressed with what they have done. 9x may not be dead in this household after all.

[Laurie]

I just installed XP a couple weeks ago as a dual boot with Win98 on one hard drive. I'm really liking it. I've kept 98 for playing older games.

[Laurie]

LOL....paleez. I've got so many XP questions and concerns at the moment but I can't post them all cause then you all would think I was hogging the forum.

[tim]

LOL....paleez. I've got so many XP questions and concerns at the moment but I can't post them all cause then you all would think I was hogging the forum

XP tech heads at your service........

[Tuffie]

Way to go Laurie :D,there is plenty of folks here to help,so if you have questions just post ok :cheers:

[GreyFalcon]

There are a lot of differences from 9x, and a lot to learn, but you will never regret switching to XP.

[Raymond]

Yes

I installed XP Home the day it came out. The only problen I had in all that time was to call MS when I upgraded my MB. A 5 minute call fixed that. The activation "Problem" was not a problem. Between the Restore feature and Drive Image 5.01 I feel very secure.

Raymond

[Hochie]

Just installed XP today....lots to learn and lots to load on the computer once again...but so far am liking XP ALOT.....