win2k user: should I upgrade to winxp?

[99shassan]

I have a windows 2000 os and I'm quite happy with it. But lately, some software releases are only available on windows xp, nothing essential, but things that would be nice to have, e.g joost and the new bbc iplayer.

Is it worth it upgrading to xp? I like the design of windows 2000 better (even against classic xp theme), but then again I did say that when I upgraded from windows 98 to 2k. Will I see faster startup speeds as well?

thanks

[raspberry1331]

I also really love w2k, but software compatibility forced me to upgrade, too. it will definitely boot up faster, w2k took me ages to boot up. and yes, XP is more ugly... maybe the olive luna theme is the best it can get.

[sear]

Yes you should switch to XP I never had w2k but I have to say I'm pretty happy with XP. I mean why not switch if they've stopped making software for it then it's time to give it the flick. In fact with vista out it's pretty out of date now and xp will prob go the same way. As far as the look there are a number of programs such as WindowBlinds that will let you make it look like whatever you want

[99shassan]

great, when I try to run a compatibility check, it says this:
Windows XP Setup does not support upgrading from Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional to Microsoft Windows XP Professional.
Setup cannot continue.

Why? When I try to run the setup the only option is says is a new installation, meaning it will delete all my files?

[Brenya]

This got me thinking about my (potential) switch from xp to vista. I decided that I'm not going to switch to vista unless people develop ways to really (and i mean ... really) strip down the os so that it only uses like 150-200RAM. My xp right now idles at 80mb ( w/o any apps).
But yeah, back on topic... to me w2k to xp is a no-brainer . there are so many ways to strip down xp that you shouldn't be worried if you can't handle xp (at least that's what i would be worried about if i were making the same switch as you).

[smiggy]

If you like Windows 2000, keep Windows 2000. Just buy more RAM and use VMWare for things that need XP. Of course, buying VMWare and an XP license would be more than just buying XP... but then again this is filesharingtalk.........

[99shassan]

Its cool, did a clean install, now I can start from scratch only installing what I need. My computer is a lot less cluttered now and clean

[fstrulz]

Its cool, did a clean install, now I can start from scratch only installing what I need. My computer is a lot less cluttered now and clean

That's nice, mate... When you're gonna install an Anti-virus, go with Kaspersky or NOD32 - those 2 are the best and with the right settings, they won't hog your memory.

[sear]

Its cool, did a clean install, now I can start from scratch only installing what I need. My computer is a lot less cluttered now and clean

It's good to have a clean out sometimes...a while ago my comp got a nasty bug and I had to reformat which sucked at the time but in the end was for the best. My computer never never ran so well, plus it's fun to start from the begining

I also have to agree with fstrulz. I went for Nod32 after I copped that virus and it works the treat.

[Snee]

I have a windows 2000 os and I'm quite happy with it. But lately, some software releases are only available on windows xp, nothing essential, but things that would be nice to have, e.g joost and the new bbc iplayer.

I never ran into anything "requiring" XP that didn't work with win2k pro, back when I used that. The only reason I switched was that win2k just wouldn't install on my new drives (IO errors all the time when I tried).

Are you sure the software you are talking about didn't work with win2k?

It's a bit late for switching back now, though, I guess.

Anyways, you can always use the classic windows theme for the look you liked. Or you can get a cracked uxtheme.dll, and use a minimalist theme from deviantart or something.


If you are new to XP (almost surprising nowadays) this place is always a good place to look.

I especially like their guide on services, you might find a few you can turn off straight away there.