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Maintaining Windows 2000 for the Long Term?
MarkWatson asks: "I keep two Windows machines: a Windows 2000 laptop (bought with XP, but installed an old Windows 2000 license and Linux) and a desktop with XP (dual boot to Linux). I would like to avoid ever buying a PC with Vista, a situation that looks good because I believe both my Windows systems are reliable, fast, and will service my Windows needs for the long term. My problem is this: I like Windows 2000 better for a few reasons, but mainly because the license is transferable. I would like to still be using Windows 2000 5 years from now in a secure and reliable way (again, just for when I need Windows). Since I am far from a Windows expert, I would like to know your strategy for archiving Microsoft's latest Windows 2000 updates, and generally dealing with security issues. My strategy is to set my firewall up to run in stealth mode and not use Windows for general web browsing. Any suggestions will be appreciated!" How would you keep an old Windows OS (like Win98, and WinXP in another year or two) running long after official support for it has ended?
Prayer?
What if the entire Universe were a chrooted environment with everything symlinked from the host?
I would just still use it, i mean firefox will still support win2k way into the 3.0 stage, and so will most programs, as its ALL based on that old ass NT kernel. vista isnt like the transfer that happened with mac os7/8 and X ( i know you could still run os9 apps ) i like win2k, for laptops its da shit, but for the most part, i would just keep using it
WulframII - Free Online Mutiplayer 3D Tank Shooting Game
MS does discontinue support but the updates and whatnot are still available after they discontinue support. They just stop putting up new updates. You can "update" a fresh 98 install up to the point where they discontinues support and this seems to be what you are worried about.
Eventually, new patches will stop coming out for it. Sure, some people will hack up XP patches, where they can, but eventually they'll stop coming.
So, what can you do? Make sure that you're running what patches do exist, make sure you never ever expose it live to the Internet, make sure that all of your apps are patched, make sure that you're running fully up-to-date antivirus. Don't install any software which is at all questionable, don't visit any questionable websites. Turn off what you can; if you don't use WSH, turn it off. Turn off autoassociations for it, at least. Turn off as much of ActiveX as you can, javascript and so on. There are lots of guides to hardening Win2000/IIS and so on, and most of the reccomendations here are ones that you should be following anyway.
If you wait long enough, of course, people will be targeting Vista rather than Win2000/XP, and you won't have to worry about it; kind of like how Win98 is actually a fairly safe operating system to be running these days.
Oh, and scan it with an up-to-date BartPE disc every once in a while, just to be sure. Make sure you grab the module for Spybot from the Spybot website.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
So ok, its not a perfect solution and might not fit as you didn't specify what you windows needs are, but what about running Win2k virtualized inside a vmware world? Both my laptop and desktop run Ubuntu only these days, but I do have an XP virtual machine on the desktop to "boot up" should I need something which requires Windows. I don't really find much of a reason to do that these days though.
...
If you do need to keep Windows natively on the hardware, I would advise setting up a hardware firewall between the machine and the internet, and browse securely with an up to date browswer (Firefox or Opera). Disable MS Filesharing if you don't use it.
Over the long term, you might want to consider why you're keeping Windows and find an alternative (Linux/OS X, whatever). I can't imagine that anything after Vista is going to be any better and well, you will have to upgrade your machines someday
Win2k - Offline Updates: http://www.heise-security.co.uk/articles/80682 . From a post here on Slashdot a while ago, it's a pretty slick tool. Just keep running it until they stop making updates for Win2k, then burn it to multiple high-quality archival CD's for safety :D A firewall (or even consumer router) never hurts, unless it's the Norton firewall.
;D )
Win98 - I'll agree with another poster, virtualize it. VMWare Player is your friend. (and why is Win98 your friend too? I suppose it's not WinME
I recognize people by their sigs. Is that a bad thing?
My concern would be that some sort of hardware failure will necessitate a software upgrade at some point in the next 5 years, especially with a laptop. I know you mentioned liking that the Win2k license is transferable so you could transfer it to new hardware, but good luck finding drivers for your new touch pad, or even display device that still support an EOL'd operating system.
I guess to answer your question as to how to keep Windows 2000 running for the next 5 years? Very carefully.
Check out the cave on the east side of lake Hylia. Strange and wonderful things live in it.
I would like to avoid ever buying a PC with Vista
Sounds great in theory(I was pondering the lifecycle of my XP box just yesterday), but I like the idea of having support for my OS(I.e. updates.). As such, I think when MS ends support for XP in 2011 or 13, I think, I will probably buy maybe a new desktop to build from scratch with vista, or buy a new dell or something with vista prepackaged. When you think about it, $200 for a license of XP or Vista over 10 years isn't really that much. So why not keep your desktop standard for $20 a year?
They will probably extend support on XP for a coupple of years. As for legacy operating systems, I would consider using virtualization. You can get a free version of VMware and place the older operating systems on that, and you will still have the security of the host operating system. It's an idea. I don't know if there is anything in the EULA that restricts using it at work.
Others have already made good suggestions for the short-term, such as minimizing exposure, installing all patches, using non-IE browsers when necessary, etc.
If it's at all possible, block all traffic, incoming and outgoing, except what you need. If it's possible, only allow certain processes, such as firefox, to access the Internet at all.
Also, make a full-image backup plus frequent additional backups so you can restore your system if it gets compromised.
The long-haul solution is to go virtual. Get a lightweight Linux with your favorite VM and install Win2K on it. Back up the image frequently. This way if your laptop dies you can replace it and not worry about driver issues. Heck, you can even do all "Internet" traffic on the Linux side and restrict the Windows network to a private-virtual-lan with the host system. Even then, block all traffic except what you really need, such as for file transfer and for printing.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Windows 2k retired from mainstream support on 6/30/2005. It is currently under extended support until 7/13/2010.
So for the next 3 1/2 years you will continue to receive security and critical patches, and you will be able to pay for support if you need it. So there's nothing to panic about yet.
After 2010 though, if MS doesn't extended support, you may want to look in a new direction. Possibly an emulator for Linux to run what ever 2k app you need, or a replacement for those apps you are using. Worst case scenario, (2k support ends and numerous viruses are released for it) you can still run it, you just have to take into consideration the extra security concerns.
Here is the page for MS's support life cycle info: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectindex
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
I have lots of customers who had this same concern about Windows NT. Virtually everybody had that beige box in the dark corner of the datacenter with a sign on top saying "don't touch" running some critical app in Windows NT, where registry modifications and tweaks go back years and couldn't be replicated. Newer hardware wouldn't support NT so they kept it running.
The ideal solution is a VM. At least if you use VMware ESX, the virtual hardware exposed by the VMM (virtual machine monitor) is always constant regardless of the physical hardware, and the virtual I/O devices are rather old, so any old OS would support it. In fact, in most cases this solution runs faster than the old beige box regardless of the virtualization tax due to the speed of the new processors.
You can keep a system running for years and years with this method, even backup the full VM as a file.
Disclaimer: I work for VMware, but I see this all the time with actual customers.
You could go from Windows 2000 to Windows XP or Windows 2003 Server and run it as desktop operating system.
I have heard that after some tweaks Windows 2003 Server apparently becomes a decent Windows desktop OS.
Run it in a virtual machine as other suggested might be a good idea too.
Or you could use Mozilla Firefox, use a hardware firewall, disable unneeded services, close unused ports. Harden the system with software such as 'xpy' and 'CMIA', etc.
* http://xpy.whyeye.org/
* http://sourceforge.net/projects/cmia/
Use Windows Update. DO NOT use Internet Explorer.
Use an restricted account, do not use the administrator account.
When my daughter wanted a system for college, I convinced her to get an iBook. "But that won't run Office!" she protested.
"Yes, it will," I answered, and purchased Office 2004 for her.
"But how about these other things I use all the time?"
I threw her a bonus: I configured a nice Kubuntu Linux system with all the apps that a student would need, including OpenOffice.org, Gimp, Evolution, Firefox, etc.
Then I threw her a second bonus: On the Kubuntu system, I installed VMWare, and installed Windows 2000 to run on it. Win2000 doesn't use as many resources as XP, but apps written for XP run fine on it. In addition, as the OP mentions, the license can transfer.
What about viruses? Well, I did not configure the virtual network interface for W2000. Anything she needs to run on Win2000 has to be downloaded first onto Kubuntu, and then through a shared drive, installed onto the Win2000 process. Viruses just have no vector to get into Win2000, except from trojans.
Now, this isn't the perfect situation, and there are some apps that just won't work for her (Internet Exploiter, her previously-favorite IM client, etc.). However, for those things that she just HAS to run on Windows for her schoolwork, she can run the programs at nearly full speed with just a little hassle. Over the last few months, she figured out how to streamline the process of getting files to/from Win2000, but she also figured out how to make do with the OS X applications, and to a lesser extent, the Kubuntu native applications as well. Since Firefox and a lot of the applications she runs on Kubuntu also run on the iBook, she has an easier time with Kubuntu coming back from the iBook.
Windows 2000 is now a distant third for her, and she is considering "retiring" that system after the next semester if she can get through the next semester without needing Win2000. (Probably won't happen, but back in September, that wasn't even being considered!)
She's happy, and if she just HAS to run something on Windows, she has the ability to do so.
She managed a 3.9 GPA this semester, so this setup didn't hurt her.
"May I have ten thousand marbles, please?"
If you keep it next to your OS2/Warp box, then all should be well.... ahem....
Realistically, by the time patches stop coming out, everything will have moved on. 64bit computing is here, the only thing holding it back is software and drivers, which are whooshing their way towards us as we speek. So keep using it, keep getting what patches are available, move away from Microsoft tools to make yourself more secure, enjoy.
You may also just want to get a virtual machine running on your linux box, boot a win2k vm.
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. Emo Philips
You would be amazed how well Windows 3.1 runs with office applications and old printers like a LaserJet Series II. With a Pentium 166 it runs like greased lightning and with Celerons / AMD chips it is even faster. Memory requirements are so small that it runs on anything but can only use 32 meg. When they stopped support for 3.1 they issued a bunch of patches to Office, the Jet Engine, and other stuff for Y2K and with those it is quite useful. No USB but not needed for a light and fast machine. With modern hardware, Access is quite amazing with small 1 GB databases. Networking is a pain but I run it standalone as a desktop system. With a winsock driver it even does dialup with Gopher :-)
One of these days I will set it up with a flash disk (compact flash in a 2.5" drive adapter) so it has no moving parts. 1GB is an amazing amount of storage for Windows 3.1.
I currently keep a W2K box too with 32 bit applications. I only allow it on the LAN and not on the Internet and it does very well. I agree that it is worth keeping, probably considerably better than XP for a true legacy OS. I am not sure that there will be any major patches needed for W2K if you keep it off the web. Mostly it just runs along happily and will do so until lack of device support makes it unusable.
You may want to eventually run it on a Linux box using a vitual machine. That would sandbox it, give you the ability to cature 'snapshots' for rapid recovery and keep hardware cost down (you only pay for one box).
putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
For Win2k, all you need to worry about is Service pack 4 and Update Rollup 1.
Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
Windows 2000 does not support drives > 137 GB. I just reinstalled Win 2000 on an (older) box with a 200 GB drive. It reported the drive size as 137 GB. The C partition (20GB) was fine, but the D partition (180 GB) was inaccessible. It suggested I run diagnostics. Fortunately I did NOT do this. Instead I installed Service Pack 4 and then did further upgrades on-line. It first required me to manually upgrade to IE6, and then install the MS BITS update package followed by 50-60 patches. Several reboots were required. After that partition D was fine. I did a quick Google and learned that running a file system check before the SP4 install would have completely corrupted the partition. So, maintaining Win 2K systems is already somewhat painful. As MS removes support, it will become more so.
[Insert pithy quote here]
1) Use an outgoing firewall. I love Kerio, but it keeps flashing from the system tray on Windows 2000 (in XP you can at least hide the icon). Only permit Firefox, Miranda, Skype, Java(W), etc. to access the net. Disallow the system to use the net, and also block any attempts of IE to connect to the net. Block all incoming connections except for Skype and Java (for that blue frog thing or the feline webserver).
:)
2) Don't install stuff and don't use IE. The best computer is the one with the tiniest amount of software on it that still does the job. Prefer programs that unzip & run to programs that require installation/registry writing, etc.
3) I've never done so, but you may be insterested in something like ghosting the system to be able to restore it quickly or maybe using deepfreeze, etc.
Enjoy!
As someone pointed out, the old updates and patches for Win98 and Win2K will still be available for a long time on WindowsUpdate. They just won't be releasing new ones. I have had to do re-installs for myself and friends several times, and I know can get owned before it finishes downloading the updates. So here is a pretty basic sequence to safely install and update. Preferrably this would all be done behind at least a basic consumer router, though.
Preferred software to have first--1. Your Windows install CDs 2. I have a utilities CD-R for new installs that has a bunch of stuff on it (Zone Alarm, Firefox, Thunderbird, Flash, Quicktime), but the two you really need are Zone Alarm and Firefox. Zone Alarm will control incoming and outgoing connections. 3. If the system is XP, hopefully have the Service Pack 2 on CD-R since it's a huge beast to download through WindowsUpdate.
Steps with the computer unhooked from the net:
Wipe the hard drive and do the basic Windows install.
Install Zone Alarm, Firefox.
Configure IE--it actually has a cool feature that I haven't seen in other browsers, where you can set the overall security settings, but list particular domains as exceptions. I turn up the overall settings to high/paranoid, and then list *.microsoft.com as lower security so it can run the WindowsUpdate ActiveX control.
Then plug into the router/internet.
Start into the repetitive patch and reboot sequence of WindowsUpdate. Zone Alarm will ask for permission whenever IE tries to access it, so you can just click "Allow" each time it asks, without setting it to permanently have permission.
You're fairly safe from that point, using Firefox for your browsing and keeping good control with Zone Alarm of which programs you want to have net access and when you want them to. You can continue pretty safely this way for many years, or as long as your hardware holds up. About the only danger vector is if you use a separate email client. Email attachments get downloaded, and you have the responsibility to be careful of what you accept and/or virus scan them. I just use Yahoo Mail, so everything gets virus scanned before it gets to my computer. I think most other web mail sites do that too.
We may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode. -Capt. Mal Reynolds
I had good luck w/ the unofficial Windows 98 second edition update (forget the name though).
I've been meaning to try the SP5 for Windows 2000:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4817.html
Anyone had any luck w/ it?
William
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
Win2k is has been patched right up. Patches and updates for components like .net run-times will continue to receive official support. Scanners will be updated as will browsers. IMHO, simply keeping up to date and running the appropriate scanners and root kit revealers will keep Win2k more secure than newer, less well known OSs.
What will kill Win2k is most likely an inability to support higher performance real-time hardware and software. I have already seen systems that won't even boot Win98, OS9, etc.
Words to men, as air to birds.
It supports larger drives just fine; I have a 750GB drive happily running on my Windows 2000 box. To fully use a hard drives that's >137GB, Windows 2000 requires service pack 3 or later and a registry hack. You didn't need the IE and other extra patches just to be able to use the other partition.
Windows XP requires service pack 1 and a registry hack. It's possible for OEMs to upgrade the copy of XP they ship to have this feature by default.
For people who just have to format the entire hard drive as one big partition, then this limitation in Windows 2000 can be annoying. Those of us who prefer to keep the OS drive on the small side, separating out data files onto a separate partition, are barely effected by it. I'm already going to install SP4 on any new Windows 2000 system anyway, so I just need to remember which registry key to tickle after that's done and this problem goes away.
I know it's old tech- but if you can get ahold of Ghost PE, I suggest burning a "clean install" to a series of DVDs. Keep important data on machines you trust, and when you do need that Win2k machine for some special use, you can always just restore the backup from DVDs first, overwriting the entire partition. Windows will continue to work for you for decades that way- I've got an image of a Win95 machine I still use from time to time.
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
Create a VM and set it up as you want. Then create a snapshot (VMWare Sever does this well). If you need to undo something, just revert the snapshot. This actually lets you take risks you otherwise wouldn't want to.
For example, last week I downloaded a few dozen viruses and spyware infested apps. I copied them to the VM, disabled networking support (in VMWare, not inside the VM) and installed them all. My reasoning? I built a new Linux netboot rescue system which included multiple virus scanners (BitDefener, F-Prot, AVG, and ClamAV). I wanted something to test it with. After shutting the VM down, I re-enabled networking and did a pxe-boot to the new rescue system. After testing it out I reverted the VM.
Using a VM rocks. Once you make a snapshot, you can do whatever you want to the system and not have to worry about consequences. Mess something up? Revert. Use IE6 and get pwn3d? Revert. Etc. No matter what you do the fix is a single click away. The long-haul solution is to go virtual. Get a lightweight Linux with your favorite VM and install Win2K on it. Back up the image frequently. This way if your laptop dies you can replace it and not worry about driver issues. Heck, you can even do all "Internet" traffic on the Linux side and restrict the Windows network to a private-virtual-lan with the host system. Even then, block all traffic except what you really need, such as for file transfer and for printing. With Firehol on the Linux-side you can restrict the VM's traffic as much as you want. You can blacklist anything, or just do a whitelist.
maybe you'll eventually have both an acceptable (in terms of licensing and absence of drm bullshit) and supported Windows-compatible operating system in ReactOS.
Heise Security released an script called Offline Updater.
.iso for each OS and/or it can also create an all-inclusive DVD .iso for all of the above versions. You then burn the .isos you created and the installation is entirely automated (some reboots required but automatically continues with the install).
/ ctupdate302.zip i st=1&forum_id=108277
This script will allow you to create all-inclusive, fully-automated update cds for the English and German versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003. The script will create a CD
Here is an short and sweet write-up on this - http://www.heise-security.co.uk/articles/80682/3
Here is where you download the file (.zip) - http://www.heise.de/ct/ftp/projekte/offlineupdate
Here is Heise Security's Forum on the script - http://www.heise-security.co.uk/forums/go.shtml?l
$diff terrorists hippies
$
$rm -rf *terrorists *hippies
You'll be OK though, 2010 is going to be the year of the linux desktop ;)
What's your public IP?
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Those of us who prefer to keep the OS drive on the small side, separating out data files onto a separate partition, are barely effected by it.
Unless, of course, you forget about the limit and store all of your drivers and update files on the second partition... which is inaccessible after a reinstall. GAH!
I suspect that after Win2k is EOL'd, there wouldn't be many people using it anyway. Heck, I'd be surprised if there was much support for the hardware of 2010 in Win2k; it's already a pain to get currently new hardware working properly.
As a result of not many people using it (most of the poeple using Win2k will have upgraded/bought another computer by then - 8 or so years seems a bit long for your average home internet user to stick with an OS), there'd not be many people writing malicious stuff for it, simply put. Look at all the legacy OSes out there which people still use and don't have a proliferation of viruses or worms.
On the other hand, it may be MS who writes a malicious virus for Win2k when it's EOL'd - if there are still a significant number of people using Win2k, to attempt and force their hand.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
Wasn't it just announced that Microsoft would not be releasing a patch to anything less than XP for the new TimeZone changes that happen this spring?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928388
You'll have to remember to manually change the time each time it is supposed to change and then fix it when the broken version of 2K tries to change it for you.-Aaron
The post made with 100% recycled electrons
Well then you would just use a live cd to copy them over yes?
I'll just use my special getting high powers one more time...
Even better is to make an unattended install disk (using a tool like nlite, or following the directions from a site like http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/) which includes the proper service pack, drivers AND registry tweak.
At that time install your new computer with a basic Linux, install vmware server on that, and install Windows 2000 on top of that.
:)
Enjoy
--
Thorbjørn Ravn Andersen "...and...Tubular Bells!"
The only annoyance I've ever had with Win2k drivers on brand new hardware is that ATI stopped linking the newest Catalyst drivers on their Win2k page, but if you go to the XP page, the drivers work great anyways. WDM made the driver boundary between supporting XP and 2k almost brain dead except for the device profiles that didn't exist in 2000 (bluetooth, etc..).
Sadly, the OS was almost completely ignored as a consumer desktop in the ramp up to XP which is a real shame because I still think its the best Windows version they've ever released.
Bye!
WTF? Windows 2k SP3 and later *does* support drives bigger than 137GB. If you're not installing from an SP4 CD, make one with slipstreaming.
I just mentioned that the 137GB patch exists the other day and got modded a Troll - this guy tells a blatant falsehood and gets Informative? What's with the Mods around here?
I do, if:
a. young MAN, not MEN
b. daughter has reached full size
c. young man is in good condition
d. young man intends to keep her
e. young man would make a good husband, father, and son-in-law
Why bother? Yeah, so the license is transferable. Yeah, so 2000 has lower system requirements.
Do you really think your laptop will still be working in 5 to 10 years? Do you remember what we had 5-10 years ago?
5 years ago, my system was top of the line. 500 MHz. 192 meg of ram, an insane amount for the time.
10 years ago, had a pentium 90 MHz, with a whole 16 meg of ram, running the newest Windows 95 operating system.
Really, do you think you are going to keep your laptop that long?
So your license is transferable. Chances are, unless you are buying laptops from eBay or third party refurbished stuff, your laptop will come with a license for xp or vista. Why bother with your unpatched 2000 that has a transferable license?
What is up with all these people who say that they will never consider using XP or Vista? I think too many people are thinking of XP back when it was first released. Yes, there were all kinds of issues with it. It was a major rewrite of Windows - in a good way. Software vendors had to write better code, new drivers had to be made, and microsoft released some service packs..... and the result is that 5 years later, xp is not a half bad operating system. Yes, the OS is unforgiving to the ignorant, but patch your OS, run Spybot and the TeaTimer (the beta fixes the graphical glitches), and you ALREADY HAVE AN XP LICENSE ON THIS MACHINE!
Vista, in my testing enviornments, is proving to be a pretty freakin awsome operating systems. I would still say wait before upgrading for at least a few months, to let some of the security patches come out, but if you are going to buy a laptop with vista preinstalled, leave it on there. I mean, why purposely cripple yourself with an unsupported OS?
I have seen a few people complain how there are no longer updates for 98. The operating system is freakin 9 years old, 2000 is eight years old. Shoot, you would not have been trying to run Dos 3.3 on an computer in 1995 or 1997 and be complaining that you do not get new features and stuff like that would you? You would be laughed at.
Its 2007, dude! Windows 2000 came out at the end of 1999. Five years from now this operating system will be 13 years old!
If you are going to run a Microsoft OS, just run the one that comes bundled with your new computer. Shoot, Apple feakin releases a new version of their Operating System practically every year. Thank God that Microsoft's life expectancy for an OS seems to be hovering around the 6 year mark.
Even Linux distros stop supporting their old distros after a while. I am too lazy to look for this, but there was an article on Slashdot a couple of days ago that Fedora was going to stop updates for its early versions.
Its not like I am telling you to upgrade - the new OSes are already installed on your system, you have a freakin license. Why are you creating all this trouble DOWNGRADING your operating system, limiting your functionality, limiting your access to software, and limiting yourself from getting updates? You like 2000? Fine. Right click on your start bar in XP / Vista, goto properties, choose the custom start bar. Right click on your desktop, go to wallpaper, and turn off the windows bliss wallpaper. Then go to the Appearance tab and change the button layout and style from XP or Vista to Windows Classic. Whalla, you now have an operating system that looks like the Windows you know and love, but will recieve security patches. Your recycle bin just may be a different icon.
I am going to end this with stating what I have said over and over again in this reply - stop crippling yourself. Microsoft, in this case, did not screw you over by making you buy an upgrade, and its not like you are running some legacy hardware that will not run the new OSes. You already have them, you have the licensces, they came preinstalled on your machine, you were in no way inconvienineced by XP being preloaded on your system as that you do use Windows. YOU are the one who uninstalled it, YOU are the one who created thes
I have mod points, but I can't find the -1 Paranoid... wtf?
I apologize for not looking up the link, but google for "slipstream". You can take your installation disc and apply all the service packs to it. Then you have an install disc that installs SP4 and detects all newer hardware at install time. Also, reduces the time window where you're vulnerable to worms while getting the updates. Also prevents you from having to reboot the system 10 times while getting all the components that can't be installed concurrently.
Mark of the Coder fades from you. You perform Opening on World of Warcraft. Warcraft crits GPA for 4. GPA dies.
The time required to get Windows 2000 going is a complete waste. Go for Windows98SE, download following programs to keep it safe:
0 0&st=0
1. Zonealarm with antivirus.
2. http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=808
3. Use firefox as your primary browser.
4. New games will not run, but games till 2004 may run.
5. Maximum Ram on Windows98SE is 512 MB
6. Post all your queries at MSFN.
Even though exploits and bugs will continue to surface long after MS stops releasing patches, you'll save yourself a lot of risk if you log in as an unprivileged user. If you use the NTFS file system (and fixacls.exe if you have to convert after the install) your general-purpose login will have very few ways to wreck the system. Sure, there are privilege escalation attacks, but you'll be protected from many common bugs and exploits.
Keep a local admin account, or two, using a strong password. Change the default Administrator to a different user name and only use the admin priv's for maintenance.
Good luck.
I have been using WIN2K since it was in beta and have several systems that lack the memory and processor capacity to effeciently run XP. I have been keeping them updated using the Microsoft site, but have the same concerns as you. However, I have discovered bigger problems with the 3rd party applications and utilities. Some are no longer posted online, and others have changed ownership (e.g., Adaptec CD Creator). I have started archiving the last updates to all my apps and storing everything on a DVD.
Does Win2k work with dual dual-core CPUs or single quad-core CPUs?