Clearing Up Windows 2000 Defogging Windows 2000 Paul Jones
The release of Windows 2000 wasn't met with nearly as much excitement as Windows 95 or Windows 98. Of course, close Windows watchers and those following the industry knew all about it, but the average computer user probably didn't hear much about it. According to my own interactions with Windows 9x (95/98) users, it seems that there's a lot of confusion about W2K. I asked a friend of mine (who happens to know a lot about Windows 9x) how many versions of Windows 2000 there were and he said quite confidently that there was only one, "Windows 2000 Professional." The fact is, a lot of people are just not clear about what Windows 2000 is. What is it? Who is it for? So let's clear up a few things.
Windows 2000 Professional is aimed primarily at businesses. The fact that Windows 2000 Professional is the natural upgrade path from Windows NT Workstation and not Windows 9x isn't particularly well known. The fact that there are four versions of Windows 2000 for businesses is even less well known to consumers.
So, what is Windows 2000?
There are four versions of Windows 2000 for businesses:
Windows 2000 Professional
Windows 2000 Server
Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Windows 2000 Data Center Server
There is a Windows version for consumers coming out later this year as an upgrade for Windows 95/98 users:
Windows Millenium Edition
Who is W2K for?
Windows 2000 is not for everybody. Windows 2000 Professional is meant as the natural upgrade path from Windows NT Workstation. Windows 2000 Server is for current Windows NT 4 Server users. Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Windows 2000 Data Center Server are both for organizations that require more server power and functionality than Windows Advanced Server. Only Windows Millenium Edition is aimed directly at Windows 9x users, and it's not out yet. I know of several Windows 98 users who have upgraded to Windows 2000 Professional and are thoroughly content with the change. They like the increased stability and they have not had problems with running their software.
Naturally a lot of organizations are going to wait a little while before upgrading to let Microsoft iron out the problems that are apt to pop up, but that's not stopping some from jumping in at the deep end.
If you are planning to upgrade to Windows 2000 Professional, you should know that it is a very hefty OS and requires quite a few more resources than previous versions of Windows. Also, always check the compatibility list on Microsoft's Web site to make sure your hardware is W2K compatible.
Minimum Requirements for Windows 2000 Professional:
133 MHz Pentium
32 MB RAM (It's going to be SLOW with only 32--I wouldn't even try it with less than 64 MB)
2 GB hard disk with 650 MB free space
Minimum Requirements for Windows 2000 Server:
133 MHz Pentium
64 MB RAM (128 MB recommended--512 MB minimum for Active Directory Services)
