I'll add my 1/2 cents worth.
I have no experience of any OS other than Win 95B, though I have helped
lately to set up a couple of new XP Pro systems. I speak only from what
I've read, and heard from others. As my trusty old computer is nearing the
end of its life, I've been researching XP fairly extensively, against the
day when I will have to become a lemming and jump headlong over the
cliff. I presume you are in much the same situation.
First, ME is generally thought to be the worst of the 9xx systems---great
when all is running smoothly, and for beginners, but a real pain to fix
when things start to go wrong in the long run.
Anyway, it's the last of the now-obsolete 9xx line, so no point in changing
to it. If you want to remain with that line, go for Win 98SE. It has more
capabilities than Win 95, but may not be quite as stable. Depends how you
are using it, and on what sort of system.
Second. much depends on your system, and what you want to do with it (and
your capabilities).
If you are thinking of loading XP on to an old computer (say more than 2
years old), forget it. XP needs a lot of grunt to move it properly.
Third, you need also to consider how backwards-compatible you want to
be. XP is the way to the future, but you had better be prepared to junk a
lot of your old stuff, both hardware and software. On a new system with
new peripherals, it must surely be the way to go. You won't find XP vastly
different in appearance from 95. Just a few things in different places.
Most people report being delighted with XP, a few have had some very sad
and frustrating experiences with it. Currently there is running on the
excellent ZDNet tech forum a very sad thread initiated by a reader who
installed XP (or rather, tried to) on a Raid/Athlon system. A number of
highly technical people have been trying to sort out the poor fellow's
problems, which seem to be many and varied. After several days, he has now
succeeded in getting XP to run only by underclocking his computer from 1.8
down to 1.3. Yet ME and 98SE run perfectly on the same computer. And
another reader with an identical system reports no problems. Strange. The
thread is at:
http://discuss.extremetech.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=extremetech&msg=18203.11.
This poor fellow's XP thread is now up to 120 letters at last count, and
I'm not sure that his difficulties have yet been fully resolved. For those
interested, this thread is an excellent demonstration of step-by-step
problem-solving by some highly skilled techs, one of the most illuminating
I've seen. I reads like an Agatha Christie mystery---find the culprit, one
clue at a time. I'll send it in text form to anyone interested---see PS below.
I mention this not to put anyone off XP, but to make the point that one
computer expert's nectar may be another's poison. From 100 people, you'll
get 100 different opinions. Do your research carefully before you leap.
XP will do lots of things the older systems won't. If you need them, go
for it as long as you have a near-new computer built properly to take
advantage of it. (NOTE--it appears that some combinations of build
configurations may be disastrous for XP, while others are extremely
beneficial).
Sorry, but there's no simple answer.
PS. If anyone wants, email me OFFLINE for a small collection of XP hints
and tips, site addresses, and notes I've built up over the last few months.
These are just random notes gleaned from various sources. They include the
complete, slightly edited, ZDNet thread of emails I refer to above, from
which one could learn a lot about certain technical aspects of computer
problem-solving. The zipped folder is 28 Kb.
Don Penlington
Free computer tutorials at: http://www.geocities.com/donaldpen/
Also Fractal Galleries, free icons, poetry, and beautiful Queensland beaches.
"Hold No Punches.." Rode brings you great shareware/freeware
programs with his honest opinions in this weekly column.
http://freepctech.com/rode
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