Opinion need on Windows XP

[Guest]

Hell everyone, I have decied to make an upgrade in my OS and I'm having trouble choosing Windows 2000 or Windows XP Home. I would like to know what some of you think in terms of compatability and if it limits you on the flexiblity that Windows 98, ME, and 2000 haveAny feedback is appreciatedNick :-abducthttp://ftp.avsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3d2ddc5d40e48035.jpg

[Guest Pieter]

The problem is always with drivers. Although WinXP has most drivers (screencards, joysticks, etc. etc) I still had to hunt extensively for screencard drivers and most manufacturers are somewhat slow in releasing hot XP drivers. So be prepared to search the net for drivers for either Win2000 or XP. In fact start searching now for whatever your system has, before relying fully on the XP "generic" drivers. In other words, see if your hardware and their suppliers support XP and to what extend before buying and installing, you may find yourself marooned on an island soon...I enjoy WinXP now after the ordeal of downloading most drivers ;-)Pieter

[Guest]

Nick, I have been using Windows 2000 Pro now for about 8 months and have had no problems. Certainly a big improvement over windows 98 and ME. Much more stable. I have had little problems with drivers except for canon multipass printers. Takes a little to get used to but 2000 is much more tweakable than previous issues. Good luck.FredP4 1.5gig cpu640mb ram40+80gb hdG4Ti4200 vidSanta Cruz soundcardWindows 2000 pro

[John_Tavendale 453]

Nick,I have run both XP and Windows 2000. I prefer XP myself. Depends on what hardware you're running, what games etc you're wishing to run.Some games won't run correctly under XP. If it's mainly for MSFS you'll be fine.

[Guest Heather 636]

Have been running XP Pro since the day it came out.I have to agree that while everything else about it was great, the driver issue was a problem. Had to do some hunting and even had to replace a SCSI card for my antiquated commercial scanner. They tried to get me to replace my scanner, but it does far more than just scan, had to keep it.Actually, the only drivers I had to find, were for my scanner, digital camera, and SCSI card (wound up with a new card).I was running Win98 before and XP is FAR better the improvement.I am finding now though, as more time has passed since it's release, the driver problem is becoming less an issue.Good luck!Heather

[Guest]

As with the others the driver issue came up with XP. I bought a new tower from DELL with XP loaded and my scanner, (Astra 1220P) and my old parellal internet cam, would not work. I don't use the cam and the issue gave me a reason to buy the new scanner I wanted.As for performance with the XP base. LOVE IT! I have yet to see the blue sceen of death. The whole system is just far, far more stable. If I do make a boo-boo XP makes me wait a few seconds while it fixes my mistakes and then carries on.http://members.shaw.ca/dan_cyxc/sigcard.jpg

[Guest]

Yeah, just what Dan and Heather (and everyone else) said: as with all new OS, drivers (and software compatibility) are always the issue. But these things are relative: XP is *much* better supported than NT ever was in this regard, and unless you have some piece of hardware you're not willing to replace and isn't particularly mainstream, you should be just fine.I'm not an MS cheerleader, but I think XP is one OS that they got right. Or, to put it another way, they finally made a terrific NT. I've been running NT in some form or another for nearly a decade, and this version is not only rock solid (as all NTs have been) but runs everything I've thrown at it, even software that never ran on Win2K (which in itself is a pretty good OS). They have seem to have gotten the interface down, so much that it's really painful to me to even switch to Win2K (on my laptop): and don't even get me started on using Win '98 (at work... this is *really* an obnoxious system).The only downside about XP is you need a decent machine to run it. Of course, most FS folks get top of the line machines (and they're pretty dirt cheap, considering).

[Guest PhilC]

I avoided a lot of driver and hardware issues when I upgraded to XP Pro by running the compatibility test program first. It told me what drivers I needed before upgrading so I could get them beforehand and be prepared. It will also identify any hardware issues your system may have.I believe it is an option when upgrading and, if not, the program is downloadable from M$'s site.I love XP and, I agree that it seems that M$ got this one right.No problems with MSFS at all.Good luck!