Dear Windows-Help.NET Subscriber,
It's only a few days more until Windows 2000 will be available in the stores (17 February). The Question is: Should you upgrade?
A lot of people are confused, thinking that Windows 2000 is an upgrade to Windows 98, like Win98 was to Win95. This is not the case. Win2000 is targeted at the business user, and is not considered to be an consumer OS.
Microsoft is working on an upgrade to Win98; at this time it's called "Millennium". We reported on this OS in the Newsletter of 10 July '99 and 31 July '99.
However, first reports from users of the final release code of Win2000 suggest that there are some definite benefits in upgrading, especially for notebook users.
Some of the pro's:
- Robust power management
- Plug-and-play support (that actually works)
- Synchronization (to keep data on both a PC and network up-to-date)
- Hibernation support
But there are some negatives to consider too:
-
You'll need a fast processor and lots of RAM (128MB or
more)
- You may encounter hardware and/or driver incompatibilities
- You won't find many Win2000-certified applications (yet)
- Some older apps won't run on the new OS
So your best option might just be to consider Windows 2000 when buying a new laptop. If you want to upgrade, you should do some research to see if Windows 2000 will work with your system. You can do that by using Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility List for Win2000, and the Windows 2000 Readiness Analyzer.
Some of our non-USA based subscribers have been complaining that the software offers at our Freebate Center are available for US citizens only. Unfortunately, we have no control over the availability of these offers. We are a dealer for Digital River, and they decide, along with the software vendors, about the availability of these offers. There are some offers available in our Rebate Center, where you can buy one title, and get a second title for half price, or for free.
30 Jan. 2000, Vol 3 No. 4
