Windows 2000 questions

[Qwestman]

Hello all,
I might buy a Windows 2000 CD tomorrow from a business that went under. They are selling it, but don't know how much they want for it yet, heh. Anyhow, it was used for a local rag newspaper that is no longer in business so I was wondering some things.
1. Does the Windows 2000 have a CD key I need to enter to install it?
2. I have XP Home Edition on my game machine, Win 2k good for gaming?
3, Also I have Athlon 64 processor with 1 GB RAM, good enough for 2k?
4. Got a RAID 0 as my main drive, + a SATA drive and 1 IDE drive, ok for 2k?
5. How many service packs have there been for 2k so far?
6. I have a home network, XP and ME machines, 2k good for home nets?
7. Finally, is it worth using and stable for just a guy who plays mainly games?

Thanks for all who reply. Oh and the CD said on it, Windows 2000, with the Microsoft seal etc, so I know it's an original CD in a paper sleeve.
P.S. Maybe I should just get it so I can use it and get a better idea of how it works and is it a STABLE operating system? Thanks guys.

 

[ComputerBox34]

1.Yes
2.At the moment, both systems are good for gaming, but Win2k will die out sometime in the future
3. No
4. Unknown
5. 4
6. A microsoft network is good for any OS except DOS maybe or 95
7.Before SP2, I would of said Yes, but now I say No

 

[arkamw]

1) Yes
2) So so. I never had too much problem, but 2k is, first and foremost, a business oriented OS. If you stick to most of the major games, you shouldn't have too much problem.
3) Yes
4) Yes
5) 4 major service packs, lots of security updates
6) Absolutely
7) Very stable OS; see number 2

XP is BASICALLY the stability of 2k with the gaming friendliness of Win9x. I think that you'll find it's not all that different than XP in everyday use. Give it a shot, especially if the price is good.

Cheers.

 

[M11]

Hello all,
I might buy a Windows 2000 CD tomorrow from a business that went under. They are selling it, but don't know how much they want for it yet, heh. Anyhow, it was used for a local rag newspaper that is no longer in business so I was wondering some things.

lets get started

1. Does the Windows 2000 have a CD key I need to enter to install it?

Yes, it does. If you are buying this secondhand, be sure and look at the COA (certificate of authenticity) as well as the hologrammed disc to ensure that it is genuine software.

2. I have XP Home Edition on my game machine, Win 2k good for gaming?

2k works fine with most games, just note that is is growing old, and new games/drivers are optimized for XP.

3, Also I have Athlon 64 processor with 1 GB RAM, good enough for 2k?

Due to more features and nicer themes, windows XP is more hardware intensive that 2k. Also, Windows XP is available (conditions apply) in native 64 bit mode for your system. That will give you a significant boost, provided all your hardware/drivers are compatible and ready for 64 bit.

4. Got a RAID 0 as my main drive, + a SATA drive and 1 IDE drive, ok for 2k?

Yes. 2k accepts RAID virtually the same as XP.

5. How many service packs have there been for 2k so far?

4

6. I have a home network, XP and ME machines, 2k good for home nets?

2k is better, due to its professional emphasis, and its tendancy not to hide the network controls in favor of friendly wizards. It also supports NTFS access control lists, and includes IIS (HTTP + FTP server)

7. Finally, is it worth using and stable for just a guy who plays mainly games?

For gaming, stay with XP, especially since you already own it. Not only will XP run it faster, but it will be compatible with high-end games and hardware farther into the future.

Maybe I should just get it so I can use it and get a better idea of how it works and is it a STABLE operating system? Thanks guys.

It is just about as stable as XP.

 

[Token User]

If nothing else, use it to upgrade you WinME machine to a decent OS.
XP and 2k behave nicely together.
Wont take advantage of the Athlon 64 - don't bother there.

 

[Qwestman]

Ok guys, thanks for all the great information. I only saw the CD in the sleeve, no CD key anywhere so I will have to ask about that. Does this mean that the Windows 2000 was most likely registered so that now I have to get it in my name? Does it cost money to register it in my name? The main thing I am worried about is that it's older software, and I already have XP so maybe I won't get it after all. One good thing is that I could install it on my main machine, then install my XP Home Edition on my Windows ME machine. Then I would qualify to upgrade to XP Pro. Bottom line is I have to find out how much they want for the CD and if they can provide me with the CD key certificate. Will post update later.

 

[M11]

Ok guys, thanks for all the great information. I only saw the CD in the sleeve, no CD key anywhere so I will have to ask about that. Does this mean that the Windows 2000 was most likely registered so that now I have to get it in my name? Does it cost money to register it in my name? The main thing I am worried about is that it's older software, and I already have XP so maybe I won't get it after all. One good thing is that I could install it on my main machine, then install my XP Home Edition on my Windows ME machine. Then I would qualify to upgrade to XP Pro. Bottom line is I have to find out how much they want for the CD and if they can provide me with the CD key certificate. Will post update later.

Theres nothing needed to register it in your name. This is not XP, there is no activation. Remember that according to the Microsoft license agreement, upon sale, the seller must transfer and give up all his rights under the EULA as well as transfer the disc and documentation (the COA is part of this). No manual is livable, just know that no COA/key will prevent you from having a legal version of the software.

 

[wallijonn]

2k works fine with most games, just note that is is growing old, and new games/drivers are optimized for XP.

For gaming, stay with XP, especially since you already own it. Not only will XP run it faster, but it will be compatible with high-end games and hardware farther into the future.

I think most drivers are the same for W2K as for WXP. I haven't really detected WXP as being faster than W2K. One game that I detected that did run faster on W2K/WXP over W98SE was Halo. One game that slowed down after installing a game patch was Red Faction II on W98SE.

I found that W2K would take longer to boot but shorter to shutdown, whereas WXP would boot faster but would take longer to shutdown.

WXP may seem to run faster - but I find that that depends on the account permissions; I run gaming in a restricted account.

W2K will take a little more work to get going on a W9x network because it doesn't run a networking wizard / floppy like WXP- so you will have to do everything manually, like assigning shares, setting up separate accounts for each machine, etc. But that is also its strength.

 

[UMCPWintermute]

W2K will take a little more work to get going on a W9x network because it doesn't run a networking wizard / floppy like WXP- so you will have to do everything manually, like assigning shares, setting up separate accounts for each machine, etc. But that is also its strength.

I don't understand. As long as you're talking about XP Professional, XP actually has more security capabilities than Win2k. The exact same ACL controls, so on and so forth, and more group policy objects.

 

[Axdrenalin]

Ok guys, thanks for all the great information. I only saw the CD in the sleeve, no CD key anywhere so I will have to ask about that.

If the Win2k is in a sleeve, it should be the plastic sleeve (not paper) and the CDKEY should be a orange sticker on the backside of the sleeve. This is most likely an educational or business version that rely on an external license code (read one code, several installations). If thats the case, you're most likely outta luck.

 

[M11]

I think most drivers are the same for W2K as for WXP.

Remember the HW hellstorm that broke loose when XP was released? XP!=2K all the time. And remember, 2k does not receive as much innovation, testing, or support as the latest release will. This is true for all release cycles.

I haven't really detected WXP as being faster than W2K. One game that I detected that did run faster on W2K/WXP over W98SE was Halo. One game that slowed down after installing a game patch was Red Faction II on W98SE.

XP is better about caching and prefetch, and certainly memory allocation. Not to mention he will notice a big improvement if he uses the 64bit version of XP. XP/2K is far superior to 98 for gaming. Feel free to start another thread about this, but lets not begin trashing 98 in great detail here; it will derail the thread.

I found that W2K would take longer to boot but shorter to shutdown, whereas WXP would boot faster but would take longer to shutdown.

Minor detail, especially if he is folding (as I hope) or wants to conserve his HDs. Startup/shutdown places far more stress on a hard drive than leaving it running.

W2K will take a little more work to get going on a W9x network because it doesn't run a networking wizard / floppy like WXP- so you will have to do everything manually, like assigning shares, setting up separate accounts for each machine, etc. But that is also its strength.

9x networking is practically an oxymoron. Also, the network wizard should not be relied on in any situation, and is utterly useless if he has shared broadband.

If the Win2k is in a sleeve, it should be the plastic sleeve (not paper) and the CDKEY should be a orange sticker on the backside of the sleeve. This is most likely an educational or business version that rely on an external license code (read one code, several installations). If thats the case, you're most likely outta luck.

This is a very good point. Any thing orange stickered requires a seperate license not available to end-users. These are only for volume/educational/nonprofit/MSDN. The only 2K that an end user can legally purchase from another end user will be retail or OEM. Either way, it will have a key printed on the COA.

Note that all the discs are practically the same, excepting hotfixes and licensing info. There is no way to tell how the disc is licensed by looking at the media alone. You must either check the media identifier, or get the CD-set number (X08-????) for 2k. From there you can ask Microsoft what license the media was sold under. Note though that the media does not represent your license. The COA and documentation represent the transfer of rights from one party or another. Remember that licenseholders can install from any media that their key will allow, up to the number of licensed computers/CPUs(retail/OEM is always one system only)