Operating Systems

[Blake_T]

those who know me know that i still run windows 2000. it's been a stable os for me and when it gets gunked up (about every 2-3 years) i simply reformat and wipe it clean. i've been building systems since 1997 and patching my pc together whenever something breaks and i've never liked the idea that the newer os's couldn't be used on multiple computers and if i had to reformat it would be a PITA to reinstall the os or had to replace a mobo/cpu.

i make sure the bulk of my important files are easy to back up (unfortunately i didn't have this same way when my video editing box got f'd up in the flood) and stored on non-os partitions. most of my software is fairly ancient.

now... i'd like to eventually get an ipod sometime this lifetime but any with newer firmware won't mix with my ancient version of itunes that is compatible with windows 2000... which means i'm going to have to upgrade at least one of my pc's to a newer os.

all the OEM os's pretty much cost the same and i'm probably going to have to bite the bullet soon and buy a new one.

which should i go with? XP? 7?

i'm basically looking for the most seamless transition between what i've got and the new OS. e.g. i'm not really wanting to buy a new copy of office just to get it to work with the os.

any recommendations? anyone have an un-used OEM OS they'd be looking to sell?

or am i just better off buying a refurbished pc for under $200 and turning that into my new pc?

[Frank Delicious]

I love me some Windows 7

[emiller3]

Your best bet for a seamless transition would be to go with XP. I still prefer using XP at work and on my alternate computer at home, but I've only used Vista, not 7. Vista is horrible garbage, but I hear 7 is better. But, it doesn't sound like you want something cooler, just something similar to what you've got that won't limit you as much. That's XP.

Caveat: I'm primarly a Mac user.

n3tw0rkn3rd does a lot of PC work, builds his own stuff and does it for a living and such, he'd be a good source of info. Course he just had a baby and I'm not sure he's on here too often at the moment.

[bill]

I love me some Windows 7

as do I and I would do all I could to upgrade from 2000 to 7, even if it meant buying a couple new components, vid card, sound, whatever. i've used 7 for several months now and it's been nothing but stable.

7 wants a lot of RAM.


don't buy it, download a copy online. www.vuze.com. there are volume licenses everywhere.
bittorrent ftw

[jubuttib]

If you've got a really low-end computer, go with XP.

If not, 7 is the best version of Windows to date. It's sort of like Vista that works as well as or better than XP and 2000 combined.

And about the Vista, it did start out as a complete and utter piece of crap, but it's been updated to the point where it's actually quite good nowadays. Not 7 good, but still.

[garublador]

If you've got a really low-end computer, go with XP.

If not, 7 is the best version of Windows to date. It's sort of like Vista that works as well as or better than XP and 2000 combined.

And about the Vista, it did start out as a complete and utter piece of crap, but it's been updated to the point where it's actually quite good nowadays. Not 7 good, but still.

Or, if your PC is powerful enough, get XP and virtualize it in Linux. Use XP for iTunes and Linux for everything else. I have a 6 year old Pentium 4 that I'm running that way.

[turso]

Or, if your PC is powerful enough, get XP and virtualize it in Linux. Use XP for iTunes and Linux for everything else. I have a 6 year old Pentium 4 that I'm running that way.

You should be punished for recommending such utter crap as iTunes for people.

[garublador]

Or, if your PC is powerful enough, get XP and virtualize it in Linux. Use XP for iTunes and Linux for everything else. I have a 6 year old Pentium 4 that I'm running that way.

You should be punished for recommending such utter crap as iTunes for people.

I didn't recommend it, he said he wanted it. It's the whole reason he's upgrading.

[jubuttib]

You should be punished for recommending such utter crap as iTunes for people.

The point of this thread sorta was that Blake is getting an iPod and NEEDS iTunes, and his Win2k doesn't support the newer versions...

[bill]

You should be punished for recommending such utter crap as iTunes for people.

i dont understand this. i've used itunes for years and still love it. what do you use? please don't say media player.

[Dogma]

I maintain a lot of XP computers at work, and I run a mix of XP and 7 at home. I would say 7 is prettier and has a few nice features, but it isn't leaps and bounds better than XP. XP can be just as stable, and Microsoft recently said they will keep selling XP till 2014, and support it through 2020 so it isn't exactly dead. If you are getting a new PC I'd go ahead and get 7, as some of the new ones can't be downgraded easily due to lack of XP drivers. But it you're getting a used PC I'd stick with XP. It is much lighter on resources, and will run all of your Win2k software.

If you want to see how much of your software will/won't work with 7 then download upgrade advisor. It will test your hardware, which will probably fail, but will also test all of your installed software and peripherals. Actually, never mind. I just looked again and it doesn't run on Win2k.

BTW, if you end up with a Dell let me know. I may be able to help you with the OS.

[jubuttib]

You should be punished for recommending such utter crap as iTunes for people.

i dont understand this. i've used itunes for years and still love it. what do you use? please don't say media player.

See the following link, it gives you a clue.

http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/art ... out_itunes

Could using one of those programs be a solution?

[garublador]

You should be punished for recommending such utter crap as iTunes for people.

i dont understand this. i've used itunes for years and still love it. what do you use? please don't say media player.

See the following link, it gives you a clue.

http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/art ... out_itunes

Could using one of those programs be a solution?

Unfortunately none of that replaces the full functionality of iTunes. Videos are more difficult to manage and I didn't see a single thing about apps. While I hate iTunes as much as the next guy I don't think there's any way of getting around the fact that iTunes is the only way to get full funcionality out of your iPod/iPhone. Now if you're just using it as a music player then that stuff will work great, however I'd argue that you could save some money by not buying an iPod if you aren't planning on using the rest of the features. All the stuff that comes along with iTunes is the reason you get an iPod.

[Jesse B 707]

7 has been great for me, best windows since.........ever

[eg37167]

I am in IT and work with some Win developers. MS rebuilt Win7 from the ground up according to these guys, and I trust them. They did it right this time, as good as the folks in Redmond can. I have 2 machines with it now. One of them has hardware issues so it does not count. The other hums like a top. Just make sure you have at least 3G of RAM and enough processor power and you will be fine. The hardware advisor WAY underestimates what is really necessary to make Win7 run smoothly. I would go with a 64 bit system if I had a choice, but that is not necessary-- mainly because I think in a couple of yrs that is all that will be built anymore, not necessarily because anyone needs it today.