Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Windows 2000 is far superior to Windows 98
Let me tell you Microsoft has done something right finally. Windows 2000 has the stability of NT and the compatability of 98(well almost). I have it running for a week(I had advanced copy) so far and there hasn't been a crash nor a blue screen of death like in Windows 98 SE. The basic requirement I think is a lot of ram, 64+ is fine but I think 128 is good and 256 the optimal. Windows 2000 Professional is easy to use, it looks just like Windows 98 except underneath all of it, it's the NT kernel, which means stability. Windows 2000 has gotten rid of DOS(almost) there is very little dos support and you may not be able to play certain legacy games. The good thing is that companies are writing drivers so that there is a lot of compatability with new things. Basically everything you have in Win98 can probably run in Win2000. There is a program you can download at Microsoft.com to check if there are any compatability issues. The fact that Microsoft must first approve software drivers before it is made available to the public is another boon. I hope this has helped you! Windows 2000 is really great compared to Win98 or 95!
Rating: - I only have one fault with this OS...
If you're a gamer, you will be disappointed with this OS, because it is not designed to support many popular Win9x games. Happily, this is the ONLY drawback to Windows 2000. In every other respect, this operating system is excellent! For the first time ever, Microsoft brought a product to market that was solid and reliable from the moment you install it.A compatibility checker program is included on the installation disk to warn you if you have hardware that lacks Windows 2000 support. If you have a popular computer platform, such as a Dell or Compaq, most (if not all) of the necessary drivers will be setup during the installation. My computer consulting business depends on a solid and reliable operating system. My laptop came with Windows Me and crashed DAILY! Why Bill Gates pushed Windows Me into production without the same care as Windows 2000 is a mystery and a shame. Here's the deal... -If you have Windows 98 and use your machine specifically for business, GET WINDOWS 2000! Don't wait for XP. You will pay a lot for multimedia features that require more memory and processor power. -If you're into gadgets, music and video games don't bother with Windows 2000. Windows 9x/Me will play your titles much better than Windows 2000. You can also wait for Windows XP Home or Professional editions, which Microsoft claims has twice the software compatibility of Windows 2000 and is backward compatible all the way back to DOS. In addition, you will get the stability of Windows NT with your gaming and office work. Bear in mind that XP is for computers less than three years old. Make sure you meet the hardware requirements! -If your machine is on the older side, (Pentium II 200Mhz or slower) you will not be happy with the XP upgrade. To play games on these systems, I recommend staying with Windows 95/98. Windows 2000 will run on these computers provided the system has at least a Pentium 166 and 64MB of RAM. Think of Windows 2000 as an all business, no nonsense OS. You get limited multimedia support and a rock solid platform to run your programs. Windows XP will be a combination of the multimedia and plug and play ease of Windows 98 and the stability of the Windows NT architecture. I've read nothing but glowing reviews of XP and intend to experiment with it on my next PC. Another benefit...
In addition to running on older systems, Windows 2000 Professional was designed specifically for laptops. Those of you running Windows NT4 on a laptop are familiar with the headaches of data corruption and driver installations. Win2000 was designed for laptops. Advanced power management is built in and the hibernation mode is an excellent convenience. I save my work, close the screen and pack the machine in my bag. The computer stores RAM on disk and shuts off. Wake up time is less than one minute on my Dell Inspiron.
Rating: - Best Microsoft OS Yet
Stability. That one word describes Windows 2000 perfectly. You won't see the crashes. If you're an experienced 95-98 user or familiar with Me (should have been named Ne for Nightmare Edition) 2000 fills the bill. I found the connect speed to be every bit as fast as 98 if not faster. With Me you'd get either the dreaded Mr. Freeze or the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. These are things of the past with 2000. Me also couldn't handle my Inspiron 5000e, with one crash leading to another. The good folks at Dell were nice enough to allow me to upgrade to the Inspiron 8000 and Windows 2000. End result? No more crashes. Many will tell you that 2000 is not suitable for home use. I can't imagine using any of Microsoft's other products at home where your time is every bit as valuable as at work. This system complements both enviroments very well. You might have a little difficulty with the drivers, most of which can be corrected with downloads. But for the time you'll save with crashes and freezes using this remarkable OS, it's worth every penny. I highly recommend it.
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