Feb 17, 2001 11:35 AM
4026 Views
When Microsoft launched Windows 2000, I thought it was just another bloatware with a few extra frills. It wasn't long until I actually started using a registered version my brother got me from the Promised Land, was I proved wrong.
To start off, Windows 2000 is a 32-bit preemptive multitasking operating system, build on the lines of NT Workstation 4. Logically it's the successor of NT4 and should be called NT5, but I guess Microsoft wanted to portray this product as a gateway OS to the 21st century.
Enough of the lame talk; lets put Win2K under a microscope and try to appraise what it has in store for the standard corporate user. For starters this is a really stable flavour of Windows and it has not crashed even ONCE for the last 4 month ever since I started using it. In the rare event of a program not responding, the task manager takes charge, but does not crash itself, which unfortunately is a sight so familiar in 95 and 98.
Installation was simple and the CD-ROM is auto bootable. In case you are using a new HDD or configuring a new partition, you have the option of formatting it either in the NTFS file systems (which is NT's own proprietary file system) or the more common FAT32 file system. In case you have Windows 95/98/ME on an existing partition it's always advisable to opt for the latter, else you cannot access directories/files on the other partition.
A dual install is not a problem with the NT load manager prompting you to choose the desired OS to load up right after the booting process. I think Microsoft took a page out of the Linux LILO loader's book.
So far so good, 2000 loads up without a snag and it is relatively fast when compared to NT 4. I must warn users out there that unless you're using a fast processor (Intel P-III/ High-end Celerons or AMD Duron/Athlon) along with 128MB of RAM, you should not even think of upgrading to 2000.
The look and feel of 2000 is identical to that of NT 4, with the exception of the fade effects of the start menu which looks really cool. The taskbar hasn't changed much but there's a twist; Applications not used frequently do not show up in the taskbar unless u click the down arrow button on the program menu which brings down those apps shaded in a lighter color. It comes with the standard goodies and offers a lot more choice in Networking application. After one had loaded windows in his system he would definitely like to create users. This is where the dung really hits the fan, 2000 provides an excellent security system similar to that of UNIX. It was long overdue, but better late than never. Log in as administrator, invoke the users menu and become closer to God as you create user accounts, modify their level of access, allot them with passwords and so on. The next time you log on, it will ask for a userid and password and there is no way you can weasel out by hitting the <Esc> key, unlike 95/98/ME.
Plug 'n play is excellent with 2000 recognizing PnP peripherals like a charm. I thought my video card would pose as a problem, (A Diamond Stealth III s540 Xtreme) but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it had auto detected it as a ''Savage4'' card. I simply uploaded the modified drivers from the Diamond site. For my printer, modem, Scroll-mouse and digital camera (USB), I did not even have to update the drivers.
Legacy applications for NT4 work without any hassles but Software written exclusively for 95/98 might pose as a problem at times. This is especially true in the case of games. OpenGL support is far superior to anything I've seen in the Windows world so far and it becomes evident when I run an OpenGL program in 98 (my other partition) and try to pull off the same stunt in 2000.
Windows 2000 is an excellent choice when it comes to Networking. Dial-up Networking has been refined considerably and owing to it's huge database of Network adapters, components and protocols, there will be never be a problem regarding Network incompatibility. The FAX sub-system for once, works the way you would like it to.
Power management has been considerably enhanced with the inclusion of a ''hibernation'' feature. This enables the OS to take a snapshot of the memory, and shut down the PC completely, provided your have an ATX system. When you restart the machine, it loads bypassing the login process and takes you to the exact position as you'd left it. This feature comes in real handy for forgetful programmers who doze off to sleep, working late nights. It also increases the life of the hardware.
The Conclusion : Using Windows 2000 is like attaining Nirvana for the corporate user. I would advise home users to abstain from 2000 owing to its lack of support for commercial multimedia programs and games. One more thing, just make sure you have enough juice in your computer to rev up this out-of-this-world OS from the folks in Redmond.
