ARCHIVED: How do I choose between Windows 98/Me and Windows NT Workstation/2000 Professional?
Note: UITS recommends that you use a current version of Windows on computers connected to the Indiana University network; see Recommended Windows operating systems at IU.
When choosing an operating system, you need to ask yourself questions about what you need from your system: What tasks do I need my system to perform? Will I be using this system mostly in or out of a work environment? How important is security?
This document compares the primary features of the two main Windows OS "families": Windows 98/Me and the more business-oriented Windows NT Workstation/2000 Professional. By determining which factors are important to you, you can make an informed decision when choosing your operating system.
Note: All references to Windows 98 refer to Windows 98 SE (Second Edition).
Windows 98, Windows Me | Windows NT Workstation, Windows 2000
|
|
---|---|---|
Primary focus | Home/individual use: word processing, simple graphics layout, web
browsing, low-traffic serving of web pages
Me: Multimedia for the home user; includes programs for manipulating photo, sound, and video files |
Business use, particularly for those on a network; also a superior
platform for programmers, engineers, statisticians, high-end
scientific users, and those requiring extensive security
|
Recommended hardware requirements1
|
98: 66+ MHz processor, 24 megabytes
(MB) RAM, 175-225MB free hard drive space (may vary)
Me: 150+ MHz processor, 32MB RAM, 320MB free hard drive space2 |
NT: Pentium processor, 32MB RAM, 110MB free hard
drive space
2000 Professional: 133+ MHz processor, 64MB RAM, 2 gigabyte (GB) hard drive (minimum of 650MB free space) |
Technical expertise required | Does not require extensive technical knowledge to use effectively
|
Greater technical knowledge sometimes required, particularly when
configuring system security
|
Software bundled | Me: Windows Media Player 7, Windows Movie Maker,
Outlook Express 5.5, NetMeeting 3.1
|
2000 Professional: Active Directory,
Outlook Express 5.5
|
Plug & Play support | Yes | NT: No,
2000 Professional: Yes
|
Overall stability | Improved from Windows 95, though still
crash-prone. Systems with Me pre-installed seem to be more stable than
Me upgrades from 98.
|
Both NT and 2000 are far superior in this area to the 9x family;
2000 Professional in particular is perhaps the most stable Windows OS
to date.
|
Security | Minimal, as these platforms are intended for the home user
|
Superior to 9x/Me; has many security features, including ability to
place restrictions on file/folder access on a user-by-user
basis. Login and password required for access to the
system. Nevertheless, NT and 2000 Professional do have their vulnerabilities.
2000 Professional also supports an encrypted file system.
|
Software support/compatibility
|
Compatible with most applications, including DOS
applications. Some programs may not work after upgrading to Windows
Me.
|
2000 Professional: Many DOS, 16-bit Windows, and
Windows 95 applications (and some games) will not run.
|
Hardware support/compatibility
|
98: Support for USB, AGP,
DVD, IEEE 1394, multiple monitors.
Me: Systems with older hardware may have problems
upgrading to Windows Me.
|
2000 Professional: Support for AGP, USB, DVD, IEEE
1394. Does not support EIDE drives, 5 1/4-inch
floppies, and many older ISA bus devices (i.e., scanners). Can add new
hardware without rebooting.
|
Networking | Peer to peer.
98: Improved Dial-up networking; includes support for
things like Virtual Private Networking (VPN).
Me: Simplified home networking
|
Client-server. Support for 15 networking protocols.
2000 Professional: Can change network settings without rebooting |
Internet features | 98/Me: Broadband connection support, Internet
tools, online gaming support; allows sharing of a single Internet
connection across several computers
|
2000 Professional: Support for XML and DHTML.
|
Other features | Windows Update; Disk Defragmenter utility arranges frequently used
programs so they load more quickly.
98: Enhanced MIDI options, Active Desktop
(web-based user interface)
|
2000 Professional: Enables users to go mobile,
with support for offline files and folders. Performs well as a
notebook operating system.
|
1These recommendations are issued by Microsoft.
2If you will be using Microsoft Movie Maker, Microsoft's recommendation changes to: Pentium II 300+ MHz processor, 64MB RAM, 2GB free space, and a 56K modem.
This is document ajqe in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2018-01-18 13:11:50.