Should I upgrade to WinXP?

[Octavian X]

I was just curious, and thought I should seek some free, 'professional,' (and hopefully neutral) advice on Windows XP. I am currently running Win98, and have been since I got this computer 4 years ago. Last year my motherboard went out, and I've replaced the CD Drive, put in a 64MB ATI Radeon 7000 video card, and increased my RAM to 256 MB. I still have the same 7GB hard drive.

Would it be prudent to upgrade to XP?

 

[gonzo_for_civ]

Certanly Win 98 is slowly slipping out of the mainstream. A lot of products nowadays(especially MS products) are going to/already do require windows XP. If I were you, I would buy a new HDD(probably 20-40 GB) and switch to XP. Aside from a sleeker graphical look, you get more stability and better compatibility. I would upgrade but that depends on what you will use it for. If you are just using it for some basic gaming(lower end games) and word processing you should stay with 98. If you want to use it for higher end activities you should switch to XP.

Be warned however, that under 700Mhz is probably not a good idea with XP. If you've replaced your motherboard recently you can probably upgrade your processor to something new for XP.

Summary: If you are willing to spend a few bucks on some more upgrades buy XP. If 98 is working fine and you'd rather save up your money then stick with 98

 

[Padma]

Gonzo had a fairly good, unbiased post.

Then again, there are some of us who will not upgrade to WinXP for love nor money. WinMe has been pretty stable on my machine, and I will not pay the Bloodsucking Leeches of Redmond™ to let them have control over my machine. I might go as far as Win2000 if I find a cheap copy somewhere.

If <insert game> comes out requiring WinXP, then I will not be buying <insert game>. I will switch my home network over to Linux before I will buy WinXP.

(How's that for a biased opinion? )

 

[damunzy]

Hehehe, I feel you Padma, but since I got a legal version of XP for 50 bucks there are no complaints coming from me (plus, free is good also).

What processor do you have Octavian X? I am running XP on a Duron 750...I do intesive multitasking (CD-burning, MP3 playing, Web browsing, P2P file sharing on DC++ and Kazaa, moving and deleting files) and my system runs into slow downs (while doing all that) but stays pretty darn stable. XP is good, even "Bloodsucking Leeches of Redmond™ " aren't.

PS: I have 512 Megs of PC133 RAM....that helps when running so many programs at once.

I agree with Gonzo, a HDD upgrade is pretty much needed, unless you feel like uninstalling programs all the time to make room for others. XP takes up about 1.5GB, itself, and then the updates require even more. Tag on about 200+MB for the swap and that leaves you with 5.3GB left. Install Office and other big apps, you have even less. Install games like Neverwinter Nights and you have another 1.6GB gone.....so, like always, it all depends on what you want with your computer.

 

[Octavian X]

I guess I should mention I have a Pentium II procesor running at 400 megahertz...

My thought over upgrading XP came about when I installed the new video card. The software went on fine, but I after I rebooted as instructed, my computer froze when a box came up saying it was updating system settings. Since then, my computer has always stopped before Windows had started, and when that menu comes up that tells you to go to safe mode, I have to go 'logged.'

I thought the XP would resolve that issue. That, and my uncle said he could get me a copy for free

 

[Silverblade]

Just want to say the windows XP is great. Never have had any problems with it.

My computer: 850 MHz, 384 MB ram, 32 mb geforce 2, and there's absolutley no problems.

Well, Octavian X I think u should try win XP.