-> -> Win2K or ME <- <-

[Nkcowboy]

Ok. I would like some "unbiased" answers, if it is possible. I am gonna reinstall my OS most likely within the next week. I have two options of OSes to Install. Either WinME or Win2K. Now, I know that pretty much everyone says that ME sucks (which is probably true), but my big problem with Win2K is that I am mainly a "gamer" and I have read about problems with compatability with Win2k.

I understand that 2K is much more stable, and that it would be better for my system (P4, 1.7 ghz, ATI 8500 )

But I really want to be able to play ALL my games.

Also, is it possible to network one computer with Win2k and another with Win98? Thanks for any help!

Games I am own:

- Max Payne
- SW: Galactic Battlegrounds
- Civ 3
- No One Lives Forever
- Risk 2
- Driver
- Ghost Recon and Black Thorn
- Tribes 2
- Majesty
- Operation Flashpoint
- AOE2
- Empire Earth
- RA2 and Yuris Revenge
- Combat Flight Sim : WW2
Several others, but that is pretty much all I play!

IS WIN2K COMPATABLE OVER LAN WITH WIN98?

**NEW**
I am sorry for being an idiot, but what exactly is a "NTFS partition" and how would I create that? Sorry again, but I got to learn sometime!

 

[limsandy]

2000
but i am upgrading to XP soon

 

[PH0ENIX]

Dont worry too much about gaming problems.
So long as you have driver support for all your hardware, and not running anything too outlandish hardware-wise, you should be fine.

WindowsME should never have even been released, IMHO.
Naturally you get die-hard users who install it, apply the thousands of patches and updates, be really careful, and generally have quite functional and stable systems - but it's not worth the effort.

Its unstable, lacks a decent driver base, has untold amounts of software compatability problems - why anyone would accept it as an option is beyond me.
It's almost as if M$ took all the problems they've had over the years, stuck them in a box, shook it around a bit, and slapped a Windows sticker on it...

Naturally, someone may disagree; but you know above all else, that hundreds of screaming, frustrated support techs everywhere cant be wrong

 

[Nkcowboy]

Will games work fine though? I heard that you have download a Patch for most games?

 

[xtreme2k]

VERY few games doesnt work in Win2k

List your games maybe we know if any conflicts

 

[RossMAN]

<< List your games maybe we know if any conflicts >>



I would agree. List all the games you're concerned about compatibility issues.

 

[Nkcowboy]

Games I am own:

- Max Payne
- SW: Galactic Battlegrounds
- Civ 3
- No One Lives Forever
- Risk 2
- Driver
- Ghost Recon and Black Thorn
- Tribes 2
- Majesty
- Operation Flashpoint
- AOE2
- Empire Earth
- RA2 and Yuris Revenge
- Combat Flight Sim : WW2
Several others, but that is pretty much all I play!

IS WIN2K COMPATABLE OVER LAN WITH WIN98?

 

[Maggotry]

I've had no problems with ME but all my ME system does is run SETI and a UT server for my LAN. I don't even have a printer on it. It pretty much just sits there. Nothing else. I have my ME, 98SE and XP system all networked and I know very little about networking. If I can get them networked, anybody can. You should have no problem networking the different os's. The only game I've tried on XP that didn't work was Porsche Unleashed, but that's not on your list anyway.

Edit: Most games have patches, but they're generally not os specific. It's usually just bug fixes for the game, not the os.

 

[xtreme2k]

These I have and I know they work under Win2k. Others I dont have.

- Max Payne
- Civ 3
- Empire Earth

 

[Budman]

Ghost Recon and Black Thorn
Medal of honor

those work good in Win2k. Drop ME & install a real OS.

 

[chansen]

Check the boxes or their respective websites. Most games released in the past two years are happy with Win2K, and so am I.

 

[DSTA]

Also, is it possible to network one computer with Win2k and another with Win98?

Sure, no problem.

I'd agree with the crowd. Install 2K, much better. Only problem is if you want to play some older stuff, say of DOS vintage. Anything accessing hardware directly will not work.

 

[Mr. Burns]

<< IS WIN2K COMPATABLE OVER LAN WITH WIN98? >>



Yes, they can talk to each other no problem. We aware however that win98/me cannot read NTFS partitions, so if you really need win98 to read win2k partitions, you have to use fat32 for win2k. This option should be avoided if possible, as NTFS is a preferable solution.

 

[Slapstick]

I play RA2/Yurie?s revenge, RTCW , Max Payne and Serious Sam with out a problem on a Win2k machine. Networking Win2k and Win98 is a breeze, I find that NetBEUI works well for the internal network.

To clarify a bit what Mr. Burns said, Win98 has no problems accessing, (read/writing to) a shared drive on a Win2k machine that?s formatted as NTFS but if you were to remove the drive from the Win2k PC and place it in a Win98 machine then it couldn?t be read if it?s formatted as NTFS.

 

[Nkcowboy]

I am sorry for being an idiot, but what exactly is a "NTFS partition" and how would I create that? Sorry again, but I got to learn sometime!

 

[murphy55d]

WHy not go to XP? J/w.

 

[Sunner]

CHeck this out, should answer all your gaming related questions.
NT Compatible

 

[DSTA]

I am sorry for being an idiot, but what exactly is a "NTFS partition" and how would I create that? Sorry again, but I got to learn sometime!

Nobody's being called an idiot for asking a legitimate question

I'm sure the FAQ covers this well, but to summ it up from a user perspective: NTFS is a file system like FAT32, FAT16, etc.

Advantages over FAT32: more robust in case of a system crash, more features (file security, encryption...) and in some cases it's faster too.

You can create NTFS partitions in Win2k's "DOS based" installer (same for NT or XP) or after installation with Windows on board tools.

 

[DSTA]

WHy not go to XP? J/w.

Why XP?

 

[Nkcowboy]

I might "go XP" later, when it has truely become the OS that most people are running and it has settled down. However, it looks like 2000 is the way to go now! DSTA, what do you mean by the "dos installer" of W2K? Will this option come up when I install or what?

 

[Amused]

I was a 98SE fan and ran it on my gaming puter because some of my games ran a bit slower in 2K. However, I just built a new box and put XP pro on it. All I can say is "wow." It runs all my games with ease. Half Life and all the mods, Combat Flight Sim 2, Flight Sim 2000, Midtown Madness 2 and Max Payne have been loaded and tested on my machine so far, and all run great. My Logitech Formula Force wheel is working good, as is my MS Precision Pro joy stick.

The only thing was my old Logitech MouseMan Wheel mouse need some tweaking in mouse properties, but other than that, I've had no gaming related problems.

I'm actually pretty impressed with XP so far. It's less buggy than any unpatched first release from MS. And a lot more old software will run on it than I thought.

 

[DSTA]

DSTA, what do you mean by the "dos installer" of W2K? Will this option come up when I install or what?

Yup, what I meant is the text based setup that runs after booting from the 2K CD for example. You can create, delete partitions etc. there, and there is also the option of choosing what file system to use. IIRC NTFS is the default.

 

[Ausm]

WinME is a joke go with Win2K and all those games will work

AUms