# Windows 98 vs. XP **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2003, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480 "2003-06-26T08:05:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/41 "2003-06-28T21:48:49Z")
System restore restores the system to a working version 🙂 Some guy made a pretty interesting CD restore program & you all might want to look at it, you download it (about 3megs): [http://www.911cd.net/](http://www.911cd.net/) “The 911 Rescue CD is an integrated CD-ROM that contains many diagnostics and repairing tools all easily accessed through the 911 Menu, it allows the access to the CDROM drives, the network shares, or both of them at the same time, it also includes the Microsoft Windows 2000/xp Professional Setup files, the Microsoft Windows 98/Me Setup files.” ---
**Author:** ![Panzerfaust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Panzerfaust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panzerfaust)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/42 "2003-06-28T23:27:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ntucker \* > \*\*You’re gonna have to back that kind of wild-ass claim up with a cite, because your friends don’t know what they’re talking about. XP Home is the “dumbed down” version of XP Pro, with some of the more advanced features disabled (and the price dropped) so it’s more palatable to the home user. \*\* A cite would only be required if I gave two shits whether or not your found my comment credible. Apathy is awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/43 "2003-06-29T00:07:57Z")
Easy tiger… ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/44 "2003-06-29T02:21:33Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by nameless_ > > The answer, no matter what the question, is Mac OS X. > > You’re welcome. > > -nameless According to forum descriptions, witnessing belongs in GD. 😃 Your point would have merit if the OP had not mentioned already being in possession of a custom-built machine made with x86 components. While Apple might be developing a [port](http://apple.slashdot.org/apple/02/08/31/195208.shtml?tid=179) of [OS X](http://www.apple.com/macosx/) for the x86 architecture, such an option is not currently available to the OP, unless he happens to be an Apple software developer with access to the project. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/45 "2003-06-29T03:12:32Z")
… and he does not so happen 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Daikona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Daikona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daikona)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/46 "2003-06-29T03:17:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blake \* > \*\*My experience has been the exact oposite. I was offered my choice of operating sytems with my latest machine and opted for XP. Bad choice. Every single time a program stops responding it seizes the whole system. No chance to us the task manager because everything seizes. Total reboot required. > \*\* That’s been my experience too. On top of that, I really miss backwards compatibility. I’m seriously tempted on a regular basis to go back to 98. That had a breaking in period, but I could get it settled down eventually. I’ve had XP for almost a year now, and it just keeps getting worse. :-p ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/47 "2003-06-29T04:12:32Z")
- - - I suppose I am not being fair to WinXP: I expected it to run faster than 98 ( **on the same computer, with the same amount of RAM** ), be fully backwards-compatible with all 98 programs and drivers, and bring some new useful functions. That would have been a better product. It is none of these things, and MS is to blame. - MS broke a huge number of programs and drivers, because they wish to move towards a ever-more complex kernel architecture (the exact opposite of what is known to work best) that will allow them to enforce DRM. I _know_ I never asked for that, did any of you? …The other problem I have with MS is I tend to wonder how much they care about releasing buggy products–they make a _lot_ of revenue off of corporate support services. The OS fiasco makes more sense if you put the cart before the horse: they come out with a new OS when most of the bugs have been found and most of the maintenance contracts are over on the older OS’s… ~ ---
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/48 "2003-06-29T04:31:18Z")
> [@](#): > > According to forum descriptions, witnessing belongs in GD. Ah, the Mac addict’s worldview summarized in one snide comment. Brilliant. > [@](#): > > Your point would have merit if the OP had not mentioned already being in possession of a custom-built machine made with x86 components. Unfortunately, I didn’t really have a point. I was just trying to kick up dust/be a typical Mac evangelist. And I wouldn’t really hold out for an x86 version of OS X. With the G5, Apple’s processor issues are at least forestalled, if not terminated. /thread hijack As far as Windows operating systems go, I, as an early adopter, cannot resist the latest version of anything. So my advice is to go with XP pro. As it is the newest version of the Windows OS, it will most likely be the best supported and most updated version from this point out. Or, you could buy yourself a shiny new PowerMac G5 with OS X (10.3) preinstalled on it. Wouldn’t that be lovely? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/49 "2003-06-29T04:31:27Z")
Er… wot’s DRM? ---
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/50 "2003-06-29T04:34:15Z")
DRM=digital rights management? (I think.) DRM issues would be notable because Microsoft is notoriously Orwellian when it comes to this subject. ---
**Author:** ![cstamets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/51 "2003-06-29T04:58:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amore ac studio \* > \*\*According to forum descriptions, witnessing belongs in GD. 😃 > > Your point would have merit if the OP had not mentioned already being in possession of a custom-built machine made with x86 components. While Apple might be developing a [port](http://apple.slashdot.org/apple/02/08/31/195208.shtml?tid=179) of [OS X](http://www.apple.com/macosx/) for the x86 architecture, such an option is not currently available to the OP, unless he happens to be an Apple software developer with access to the project. \*\* Well, there is [this](http://www.opendarwin.org/) . I haven’t tried it. I have no idea what kind of functionality it might have, if any. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/52 "2003-06-29T06:41:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Balthisar \* > Nope. Four. But in fdisk terminology, you can only have one _active_ partitition. That doesn’t mean the others are not active; it means they don’t boot. Cite? I have never seen this mentioned elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/53 "2003-06-29T06:46:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dutchboy208 \* > The video card is an nvidia nforce 2. Wait… is that the 3d card? are they the same thing? I’m so confused… the nForce 2 (or nForce 400) is not a video card, it is a chipset. Depending on the configuration of the chipset, it might have GeForce4 MX graphics integrated. What is your motherboard? ---
**Author:** ![Read\_Neck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Read\_Neck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Read_Neck)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/54 "2003-06-29T06:55:08Z")
[http://www.powerquest.com/](http://www.powerquest.com/) Yep,Balthisar is correct. Read the specs on this software. It’ll give you a good idea of all the neat stuff you can do with a HDD. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/55 "2003-06-29T18:38:32Z")
how do i find out if i have geforce integrated…? ---
**Author:** ![cstamets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/56 "2003-06-29T19:25:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dutchboy208 \* > \*\*how do i find out if i have geforce integrated…? \*\* Try [here](http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=nforce). From the looks of things, Nforce2 comes with and without intergrated graphics. If you have the Nforce2 with integrated graphics, it appears that it’s a GeForce 4 MX that is integrated. You might also try looking at your display properties (right-click the desktop, select properties, go to Settings, click the Advanced button, then Adapter - in Widnows XP - 98 should be similar) and see what’s listed there. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480/57 "2003-06-29T19:57:42Z")
I’m actually at work so I just looked up the specs for the motherboard I bought. (It does have the integrated GeForce 4) If it will help with the OP, you can look at the motherboard specs at [http://english.aopen.com.tw/products/mb/AK79G-VN.htm](http://english.aopen.com.tw/products/mb/AK79G-VN.htm) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-98-vs-xp/184480.md?page=2)