Oh, and sorry, didn't mean to call you personally a Dumb home user, (I don't think anyone discussing NT based OS's in here is dumb), sorry if it came across like that.

Oh no I didnt mean you did. I even put in parenthasis that I didnt mean it like you did, just some people not you but a lot of people do come across as just saying that as for furnishing you a copy ICQ me or e-mail me and i will see what i can do for ya.

Im kinda curious about XP, but from what Ive read, I have no compelling reason, or need to jump to it. Win2k is the best OS Ive used, and will continue to use for a while, because the only things I havent run are DOS games.
Things are running pretty smoothly under Win2k.
I have this friend who has had hell running 98, but since he's got a Radeon, he'd suffer even more under Win2k. The Radeon is a great card, but ATI is killing it with the drivers.
 
Oh, BTW, I believe that a Beta copy( not a War3z, but straight from MS) is $20.
I cant wait to test it out when it comes in. hehe

see on my lower end system PIII450@504/256ram whistler runs better than 2k does at least it seems faster. When i get my T-bird 1.33/266 this week i probably wont notice the difference in boot times and things like that but, the thing i like the most about Whistler besides the UI is some of the power features they have put in like integrated burning, and how you have the option to show icon's in groups (like all your .txt files in a group your .bat files in a another or sort by name,date, ect), and Driver rollback is nice too. As for USB 2.0 support I agree with the point in not supporting it because as of right now it isnt finalised or really that standardised so no reason putting in support for something they might have to totally revamp later. I do have to admit that since i started using Whistler that 2k has become better but i just like the way whistler works there is so much stuff in it that i find to help me get to places easier or do things easier. Im a power user that likes the ability to do things easier and deploy things easier that way it makes my job easier. Even though the UI looks childish don't let XP fool you it is VERY powerful its just made so that instead of taking 5 steps to do things it takes 2 or 3.
 
I urge anyone that can to get a copy of XP and try it out, at worst if you dont like it you can kill it off.

I have been using beta 2 for the last few weeks, and I don't really care for it. I gave up on it on my main PC (P3 800/384MB RAM) because it wasn't stable under what I call moderate multitasking situations (Photoshop 6, GoLive!, IE6, and Visual Interdev). Basically, I would get popups telling me that the system wasn't stable or some such, and that I will have to restart whatever program that crapped out. Now, while this is much nicer than a BSOD, I don't get this problem at all in Win2K. Also, I am still hoping that the retail release will be more modular in that I can select what I want to install. This is especially important in a work environment in that we strip off unecessary things (games, multimedia functionality, etc) for systems installed in the office and the shop floor. Also, I haven't seen a huge improvement in speed from WinXP Pro Beta 2 over Win2K on either of my systems (my other being a Cel 300a@472/256MB RAM). Not that any of this matters, however, since WinXP is coming out regardless of what anybody thinks of it. I feel that it will be a solid product at that time, I just wish there was more development on 2K rather than another OS version to support.
 
As for OfficeXP, I like it a lot. It's quite fast, though I had problems with AccessXP on one of my PCs and wound up reinstalling Office 2K. That one will be quite successful.

SP1 has been fine for me thust far. Been using it for months w/sp1, I've installed/uninstalled(etc) major/powerful software w/o any complications! SP2....take your time!

the reason for XP not being able to have all those install/uninstall features avail through add/remove programs is because they expect most people using pro or higher to run installation scripts which many of us do, so that way the stuff we want on or off is there (if you want to take more stuff out go to %systemroot%\inf and edit the sysoc.inf to not have the word HIDE in it). As for the Photoshop 6 thing ive heard that PS 6 is unstable in XP anyway so that is probably why. Even as M$ stated WinXP isnt going to be a whole new OS just a revamped version of 2k which it is. They don't expect many 2k pro users to go over to XP they expect many businesses running NT4 or 9x operating systems on their boxes to go over to XP. The only annoyance ive had with XP is the unstable explorer in it other than that i like the eXPerience ive had with it.

I dont particularly care much for XP myself. It seems too much like MS is trying to reach out to the Mac crowd..especially with the new interface. Win2K is a nice clean OS and I dont need all the user friendly wizards and junk..too many of them as it is.

THC 129 - been on PC's since Dos 6.2 and Win 3.1 eh? Well, I've been using Windoze since Windows 286, and DOS 3x - and even remember when a 40MEG hard drive was BIG and CO$TLY! Now THOSE were the days And I originaly started with an IBM System 34 at work, and even took a course in RPGII during the punchcard days. And thought it was a big deal when my brother had a game that ran off a CASSTTE TAPE! Masters of the Overlord I think it was, ha ha. Also remember when one floppy disk had a complete game on it for the Atari 1024ST.
 
A few funny thoughts here:
 
1) right after my company's Y2K replacement project, and days after the new year - I had to fix a computer. Some software was not working right. Turns out we MISSED replacing an IBM Model 50! This was a 286!!!! But guess what? I was able to set the correct year, and Win 3.1 worked fine! But the real kicker - it booted up in 3 seconds!!!!! No matter how fast a CPU you have today, its almost like back in the days of the IBM XT, with how long a Win9X or NT system takes to get to the desktop. Funny how far we've come only to be back where we came from
 
2) a big shot guy who is making more money than I do was having a problem with a certain DOS software we have to use - AMEX. He could not get the modem to transmit the daily receipts. It uses an ancient version of Crosstalk to transfer files. I told him to drop into DOS, go to the CCM directory, and reconfigure the modem, a no brainer. He looked at me and said "WHAT IS DOS????" 8)
 
************
 
And to who was talking about NT4.0 SP7 - didn't you read on the NEWS page here? SP7 is NO LONGER. Bit the dust, bye bye. So I DO have to wonder, . . . . when XP does come out, WILL MS really support 2000 that much?

AHAH what is DOS, man its funny how many people in my MIS classes dont know the 1st thing about computers. They just wanted to get into the IS/IT bizz so they can make some money. I mean why get into a field you know nothing about and have little interest in (i mean if these people had interest in the field they would know how a computer works and how to a/dissemble one), its like me saying i want to be a neruosurgen and not caring or knowing nothing about the human body. Its people like that that cause more trouble when they are trying to fix things because they know JS about computers, they just have a piece of paper from McDonalds U on their wall.

Its worse than that - that piece of McDonalds paper on the wall sort of gives them automatically higher pay and privileges. There was another guy that sort of was creating our systems - when I'd ask him how to fix what he created when it went bad - either he'd just say use GHOST to reimage it, or if I pushed him enough, he'd go hide somewhere and start looking though the books for an answer. Usually I had to figure it out myself. He HAS gotten a lot better now, but it is still very scary to think about who is over you and putting together what could be your company's standards out in the field! 8)

Well, I remember when I first got a cassette player hooked up to my Trash-80 and "service packs" came out as revisions in the latest "COCO" magazine. But hell, I was 10 and didn't know that I should be p1ssed that the program didn't work perfectly in every situation. Not there were many situations to manifest themselves on a TRS-80 either...
 

Ahhhhh yes - the Trash 80's! And to think I almost got a job with Tandy selling them! Imagine where I'd be now if I did that, ha ha

Every time I learn something new, it just shows me how even more ignorant I am in the ways of the computer.
 
I remember my first computer, kinda sorta: specs, LOL!
 
Cyrix 300MHz (233 really)
Venus mobo with Sis Chipset and integrated video/sound
 
48MB of ram (simms I belive) w/ 4MB dedicated to video
3.2GB Quantum Fireball (refurbished)
Memorex 48x CD-ROM
 
all of which I no longer have.
The only original parts I still use are my keyboard and my floppy, but thats over in my P3 system.
 
 
At least I can put together my own pc. Boy, there is a ton of info about computers there, of course there's a catch. You can read all of it you want, but unless you actually do it, the reading is all for jack. Things click for me faster if I get to do it. Talking about it endlessly wont do me as much good if you actually let me do it.
I want to work with computers, because its fun, and it would be great if I could get paid to do something that's cool for me to do.
I dont care how good the money is, if the job sucks for you, money will only take you so far.

Heh...I remeber when my rents got our first computer. A datatrain 386sx...2 megs of ram. I immediatly went to radio shack and bought a joystick, but...it was a tandy joystick and i didnt know why it wouldnt fit.
LOL
LOL
I think i was in grade 7 or so.

Well, I guess Im lucky that pc's have evolved since then, so I could actually figure out how to put em together. I have a friend who remembers the PSU being wired to the mobo, and that you didnt mess with a computer unless you were an expert.
Im glad I can have this as my hobby!

All I can say to you guys is:
ZX80
If you didn't own one of these babies you never lived!!