WIN XP vs. WIN SE

[Garrulous]

I am putting together a new puter and need absolute reliability and stability.

I am afraid of the hundreds fo security holes in WIN XP and yet hear that it is the most stable OS built by MS.

I know WIN SE and have add good results with nowhere near the holes found in XP..

Does anyone have experience with both OSes and whcih would you recommend and whyY

Thank yu.

Joseph Karbus

 

[AndyHui]

Hundreds of security holes? Where do you get this number from? Windows XP, along with Windows 2000 are far and away the most stable operating systems from Microsoft.

The holes that affect WinXP will also affect Windows 98, if not more so. At least with WinXP, you have the use of an in-built firewall.

Don't believe all the FUD that you here about security scares. As long as you keep yourself up-to-date with the various security patches released time to time on Windows Update, you will never have any problems.

For absolute reliability and stability, I have to recommend either Win2K or WinXP.

 

[Mem]

<< Does anyone have experience with both OSes and whcih would you recommend and whyY >>



I`m using Win 98 OS1 in my old PC and XP in my new PC,I actually prefer XP for stability over 98 ( and my 98 is very stable),the only advantage 98 has is in gaming where some games that won`t run on XP will run fine with 98.

It did not take me long to get use to the layout of XP,infact it has a 98 classic look mode if you want to use it.

So for pure gaming go Win98 for general use and stability go XP.

 

[Aenygma]

Specs:

SoyoDragon+
AMD XP1900+
640MEGS Mushkin Ram
GeForce 3 Ti 500
Creative Audigy
(2) WD 40 Gig HDD's
16X DVD
16X CDR-W
NetGear Nic
Floppy
Sony 17"
Cambridge Soundworks 5700
MS Intellimouse Explorer Ver4
OS - Win 98SE (I sold XP Pro, will go back when it is XPSE)

There is my answer.

(I have built 4 XP systems btw which are working ok, as far as I know, but then they don't swap out hardware left and right like I do, nor push their machines like I do.)


Oh, this Rig. It's uptime right now is 4days and 15 hours.... and counting sys resources are at 84% I have gamed, run zillions of apps, done web design, irc, it serves mp3's, ftp'ed, watched a DVD, and on and on...

 

[Iron Woode]

wyst:

(I have built 4 XP systems btw which are working ok, as far as I know, but then they don't swap out hardware left and right like I do, nor push their machines like I do.)

Of course you realize that WPA prevents lots of hardware swapping, not the OS. As for pushing their machines, most XP boxes can be pushed way beyond what win98 will endure.

Oh, this Rig. It's uptime right now is 4days and 15 hours.... and counting sys resources are at 84% I have gamed, run zillions of apps, done web design, irc, it serves mp3's, ftp'ed, watched a DVD, and on and on...

And that is impressive why? My winXP has been running non-stop for 1 month now and counting. Lots of downloading, surfing, cd burning, playing games, etc.. Win98 will suffer lag when running non-stop because of poor memory management. How long it takes is variable.

PS: hows that 512 meg ram win98 limit treating you?

With that said: For stability use win2k or XP. Win98 has as many or more security holes as XP.

 

[Psychoholic]

<< I am afraid of the hundreds fo security holes in WIN XP and yet hear that it is the most stable OS built by MS. >>


Andy has already covered this pretty well but I'll add one other point. The security holes I'm sure you refer to when you say "hundreds" is actually few in number. The "one" that probably got you thinking was the Unchecked Buffer in Universal Plug and Play can Lead to System Compromise security hole. Sure it is a concern, but anyone with any sense would have been running a firewall anyway. If they were running a firewall this would be a non-issue, so it's hardly the big problem everyone made it out to be.

Oh yeah when I look for XP security bulletins I only see two. The other is the following:
Invalid Universal Plug and Play Request can Disrupt System Operation

So much for hundreds, huh???

 

[Aenygma]

Iron: apparently you don't read too closely. My rig uses 640 Megs of Rammage just fine, so the 512 limit is a moot point. Before you even go there, you don't really need more Ram than that unless you are doing some serious graphic work.

My uptime: It was not put there to be "impressive", but rather to show, that it can run stably for more than the avg person needs it to be. Actually, I usually turn it off each night, but I have had an FTP up for some friends who needed umm... "some things".

Actually, tho I never really counted, I have had 98 rigs up and running non stop for well over 2 weeks that I am sure of, with resources in abundant supply, but again...hardly the norm for most people, myself included.

 

[Amber]

What games don't work in XP ??,how is it with CD burning I like to use "Nero" ??,how is XP with overclocking ??

 

[Athlon4all]

I assume you're buying a new OS? Then XP ALL DA WAY! It (from it's 2000 heritage) is sooooooo much more stable and reliable than 98SE. I beta tested 2000 in April 1999 and I have even since then used 2000/XP as my main OS. XP does nothing but build on 2000, and really is a great OS, if u don't like the interface fine, it can be disabled. As for the "I am afraid of the hundreds fo security holes in WIN XP" they effect 98 and all of MS's OS'es for the most part. 2000/XP is by far the most stable MS OS ever, and really I say definately go XP.

 

[gregor7777]

What games don't work in XP ??,how is it with CD burning I like to use "Nero" ??,how is XP with overclocking ??

Don't listen to that first guy Rick. He's not very sure what he's talking about. It's not that some games won't run, it's just that maybe a few old games might act a little wacky sometimes because they were designed with older OS's in mind. I've personally yet to hear of a game that WILL NOT run on XP. Maybe someone else can help me out here.

As for Nero, it will run perfectly. Overclocking I have no expierence with it, allthough I know there are certain "tips" that Microsoft has suggested when benchmarking.

 

[Insidious]

I like XP better here. game mostly... was on 98 (SE)

I like the stability. look at "MyRigThingy" to see system and

look here to see my desktop

and get an idea of what I run (yes, it all works fine.. LOL )

well, that's my $.02

/me ducks to avoid trollish flames that be commin' for sure (tee hee)

 

[bsobel]

> I am afraid of the hundreds fo security holes in WIN XP and yet hear that it is the most stable OS built by MS.

XP has securities for their to be holes in, 9x/ME has no security built in at all.

> I know WIN SE and have add good results with nowhere near the holes found in XP..

ME is far more open than XP, I'd be curious as to your basis for these statements.

Best,
Bill

 

[Amber]

So it looks like most people are fans of XP

 

[Mem]

<< So it looks like most people are fans of XP >>



Yep ,btw I should point out that I meant some older games won`t run on XP,you can`t expect all games to run on WinXP.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

Get Win2k. Dont bother with the activitation stuff

 

[SDaigneault]

<< What games don't work in XP ??,how is it with CD burning I like to use "Nero" ??,how is XP with overclocking ??

Don't listen to that first guy Rick. He's not very sure what he's talking about. It's not that some games won't run, it's just that maybe a few old games might act a little wacky sometimes because they were designed with older OS's in mind. I've personally yet to hear of a game that WILL NOT run on XP. Maybe someone else can help me out here. >>



Well, I've had quite a few problems with Baldur's Gate2 on my XP box... even with my video card (Radeon 8500) turning off all 3D acceleration...