WINDOWS 2000
Operating system by Microsoft. About $149-$319, depending on current operating system.
Faced with threats from Linux and other alternative operating systems touting greater stability than Microsoft’s maligned Windows franchise, the software giant has made sizeable promises about its latest incarnation, Windows 2000. One of the biggest, at least for most business users, was the assurance that the software would be far more reliable than previous versions, with fewer crashes and freeze-ups. We tested the software on several systems, including a low-end Pentium 133, a mid-range AMD K-6 380, another mid-range Celeron 233 and a Pentium III 450. Win2K, the successor to Microsoft’s industrial-strength Windows NT 4.0, may look more like its consumer-oriented cousin, Windows 98, than ever before. But beneath the pretty face lies a workhorse. The system ran slightly faster than previous versions of Windows and Windows NT. Microsoft also delivered on its pledge to deliver a sturdy operating platform. All but one of the systems (want to guess which one?) held up in conditions that would have crashed earlier Windows versions once or twice in a 12-hour day. Despite a vastly improved plug-and-play system, the installation process presented a few challenges, and as any computer administrator knows, when downtime equals lost revenue, that’s a serious shortcoming. Several system utilities and a few obscure business applications (everything from Norton Disk Doctor to Paradox) needed upgrade patches or exhibited unusual behavior. The installer didn’t immediately recognize a Zip Drive, and in one case failed to detect the very CD-ROM that contained the Windows 2000 disc. But with a little detective work and luck, the problems weren’t insurmountable. And the pleasures of the software were well worth the pain. Microsoft suggests a Pentium 133 or higher with at least 64 megabytes of RAM and 250 free megabytes of hard-drive space, though some of the company’s own corporate partners, including Intel Corp. and Dell Computer Corp., have questioned whether those are sufficient. Both companies, of course, profit from hardware upgrades, but we also had problems just installing the system on the Pentium 133. Still, if Windows 2000 represents the 21st century for computing, the future is looking a bit clearer.
