Me???xp???

[bigjoe]

Whats wrong with WIN ME. I got a copy to run a virtual PC. seems fine to me, but I have heard bad things about it. so whats up?? does Win Xp really report to microsoft about your hardware, software etc... I'm starting to run into incompablity with Win 98se, thinking of, uh...buying(ya thats it) a new OS.

BIGJOE:shoot3:

[Mr. C]

It's pretty much a judgement call.
I have never heard more than a few individual comments that ME was a decent OS.
I have heard many good things about XP from a number of sources.
Like yourself I am using 98, but eventually I will have to submit to an OS upgrade for compatiblity reasons - it is just inevitable I suppose.
As to the reporting, does anyone really know what goes on, MicroSoft has maintained some questionable ( to put it mildly) files on our systems for years. I assume that things will only become more heinious with time.

I don't mean to sound like a conspiracy theorist or anything. That's just the way I see things.

For my 2 cents worth if you require an updated OS pass ME right on by and head straight for XP - no need to piddle around about it after all. Perhaps that will gain you a few more years before you are forced to upgrade again. The clock is already ticking away madly on ME as it is.

[bigjackusa]

Some people run ME and think it is just fine. I change hardware a lot it it seemed to be pretty unstable for me.

I run XP and think it is a pretty good os, overall. You may run into more compatability issues with it though as there are older (in some cases, not very old either) pieces of hardware and software that just won't work with it. Several manufacturers have elected not to write xp drivers for anything but there latest stuff so you will upgrade.

Xp won't actually tell MS that you are using Gf4 card for example, but will generate a number sequence dependent on the hardware in your system. If you change enough hardware, the sequence is sufficiently different for MS to assume the os has been moved or copied to another system.

[Wiggo]

Yes XP does report your hardware setup but it's really only a verifacation code for your registration but is way better than ME. ;)

XP will be my last M$ os though (I have all from DOS 5) as in XP I can still block most info off but the next version probably won't work doin' that so as soon as I can throw another PC together (after a recent clean up I nearly have enough parts) I'm off to start tryin' some of the lastest flavours of Linux out. I'll still use my current oses for gaming still but the server is soon for a rebuild so it would be the perfect 1st choice for me to convert over once I decide what Linux I want. :devil:

[bigjoe]

what is it that make Me bad though???

[Wiggo]

I have the same problems with it as bigjackusa and that's compatability and stability. I can get 98/SE to run on anything with anything but sadly I can't say the same for ME and I know all the Win9x tricks to get stability out of them but ME has always been a 50/50 bet with me whether it will or it just plain won't. :(

[Mr. C]

Wiggo's comment is directly inline with the things I have heard from other folks who are "in the know" on these matters.

Another big reason to get XP is that you will hopefully have a longer period of usability with the newer OS before you are forced to upgrade yet again for compatability reasons.
In that way you will get more "bang for the buck" for your efforts.

[G Smith]

One big reason I dislike ME is that it seems to hard lock for unknown reasons far more often than any other OS I have run.

You will be working along just fine and then all of a sudden the system either reboots or locks up requireing a shut down.

I guess that's the stability that Wiggo, Mr C and Bigjackusa are referring to.

[bigjoe]

Thanks fellas

BIGJOE:shoot3:

[Valkyrie]

I still occasionally use win me but only for Cracking CD copright protection and some games that i just cant get to run in xp I thought ME was great and had it running on a number of systems reliably including a P100 48 megs of ram P200 mmx 64 megs ram and 5 scsi HDDs oh and XP on a celery333 64megs and K62500 128megs these are just the low spec machines but i rearly have a problem with these PCs no one brings them back often because of OS Failure usually hardware that fails?

[GiMP]

If its what you say its for , why not NT4 ? Less resources then 2000 or ME and just as stable

[Valkyrie]

still some things i cant get around in NT4 But that might be due to my lak of time spent on that OS and theres still no game i cant get to work on a 9x machine YET

[JediAgent]

To a previous Question:
Yes, XP does send out info on your machine to MS everytime you start the machine. Win32 can be seen by any configurable firewall that it tries to access the internet everytime you start up, luckily you can block this process and still use the OS successfully, but its so quiet most ppl have no clue. Upon further inspection with a packet sniffer, one will find that the Win32 connection sends a small code, which i have found only changes when chaging hardware (like adding a hard drive, even my Pen Drive made a code change) I really have no idea what parts of the code mean what, thou if i did i could replicate a startup service that always sent the same code. The only reason i know all this is cause i got to choose a final project for my Network+ class before getting an A, and taking the cert test. This is what i choose to do the project on, easy A...