Below is a diagram .. a roadmap... of Hell as defined by Dante.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/75534.jpgNotice anything?Luhiss

Christian,I won't go accuse you of being a 'MS a really excited user' - all that is is useless namecalling that linuxzealots(the Windows term for us ;)) like to participate in. That that Windows Fanatics(the linux term) are any better in the namecalling department.Totally agree about the best - best is what you make it to be. Best to me is not having to pay $400 a copy for XP Pro, having tons of free software that is legal for me to use(As an aside, the reason I have a problem with the money is that I am going to college next year, and I don't have any money to spend on things like software, so I appreciate the free things in life), not having to reboot when I install new drivers, software flaws are fixed when found and we don't have to wait for huge corporate entities to issue a patch, and yes, a stable OS ;)And I agree Windows can be inherently very stable...server uptime in the range of what linux can do. I too have seen linux servers that wouldn't stop crashing, but I have seen windows do that too. However, the problem with Windows is when you start running software as a desktop user would. Linux is just better at it. Hacked together or not, linux is better at it. Linux is not 'crashproof', or 'uncrashable,' to the contrary. I have been able to crash linux with a little effort in the past(ie Forkbombs, or whatever you call those things). However, for day to day use, linux will not crash on you.Xp is not as stable as linux, but it is the most stable windows I have seen. I have used both OS's extensively, so I am drawing on my experience, not on some web report I read one time in the past. I don't know your experiences, I won't say what you have observed about linux/xp is wrong. I am just drawing on my expereince :)Now, I will say that right now, I am on a totally XP only box. At one point in the past I dual booted, but rebooting all of the time to play FS grated on me. I made a choice to stay with XP until I got a second computer. I enjoy FS too much to give it up. Windows I can do without, FS I can't. If I had two computers, I garuntee that I would do all of my day to day computing on linux (it has matured enough for that), and XP would only be FS'd on.Anyways, this linux/windows debate is like politics: You aren't going to change my mind, and I am not going to change your mind ;)

ROFL!!!..... I didn't know Dante used Windows!!!!! ... Thanks for all your fine suggestions. I shall set about carefully debugging my software and do some tests on hardware as well. Thanks guys!Randy Jura, KPDX

RandyHave you checked your computer for spyware? Download Spybot and updates or any other program that does the same thing and check your computer.http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=downloadSel ............

"You aren't going to change my mind, and I am not going to change your mind ;)"Truth is, I don't need my mind changed, I need:Something to run games on.If Linux were where all the good games went, I would have a Linux box.I think the one thing we could definately agreee on his how sweet FS could be on XBOX 2. A stripped down kernel, with no compatibility issues. I wonder if they would....

>I think the one thing we could definately agreee on his how>sweet FS could be on XBOX 2. A stripped down kernel, with no>compatibility issues. I wonder if they would....Any OS that is fast, stable, and runs FS I would use.

LOL - yeah, WinME doesn't have what you'd call a good reputation. I actually found it just as (un)stable as Win98 and actually a bit faster (at least with 256+MB of RAM). So, I used it until XP and drivers for it matured.But WinXP is far more stable than any 9x-based Windows including ME.

I use Spybot S&D as well as Addaware; sometimes one will find stuff the other missed. I haven't had a virus infection in years but spyware just keeps on comming. And some of it is really bad. It can give someone else access to credit card #s, passwords, just about anything on your computer. Or, it can just screw up your system for you.David

Windows Me is a virus masquerading as an operating system - XP is soooooo much better in every concievable way.

I used ME for awhile and can't say I had any real problems with it. Some problems I blamed on it I later found out were caused by a failing hard disk.I now use XP Professional and have had extremely good luck with it. I don't have CTD's in FS 9 with it (so far ;) ).BTW, I could have sworn Dante had a Mac :DKP