Windows 2000 Overview

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Windows 2000 is the follow up to Windows NT. It had previously been called Windows NT 5.0. Windows 98 will be suceeded by a new Consumer Windows (with the optimistic codename of Millennium).

Q: So what happens to Windows NT Workstation (or Server,etc.)?

A: Workstation is replaced by "Professional", Server is replaced by "Server", then "Advanced Server" and finally "Data Centre Server" offer heavy duty features like clustering which is beyond NT4

To give a bit more of a breakdown:

Windows 2000 Professional becomes the business desktop OS. W2K Professional delivers the easiest Windows-based environment yet, the highest level of security, state-of-the-art features for mobile users, industrial-strength reliability and better performance (with two-way SMP) while lowering the total cost of ownership through improved manageability. (It says here...)

Broadly speaking this is true. In our experience of running the various beta systems as well as final product it is pretty good.

In the crucial area of reliability it is lots better than 95/98.

Windows 2000 Server (originally NT 5.0) is for small to medium-sized enterprise application deployments, Web servers, workgroups and branch offices. In other words your typical work horse server. Offers multi-processors upto 4 CPUs.

Again in our beta experience very good and worthwhile upgrade to NT 4.0. In terms of uptime a brilliant success. Performance seems a little sluggish at the console - but to be honest its not an issue as far as server performance is concerned.

Windows 2000 Advanced Server is aimed at more powerful applications. Supports up to 8-way SMP and aimed more at heavy duty database applications and the like. This is followed by Data Centre Server which is what it says.

TO be honest - we are not running systems at this level to give you any judgement on this end of the product range.

Q: What about home users?

Well the theory is that Win 2000 is not aimed at "consumers", instead they will have an update on the Windows 98 technology during 2000. Then maybe a year or two later "Whistler" will replace that based on the W2K code.

But, in practice many OEM's are shipping home computers with W2K on it. So I guess W2K is going to pretty much enter the consumer market too. From our experience this seems entirely reasonable and valid and we can't explain for any technical reason why this shouldn't be so. But, there are marketing reasons: (a) I suspect Microsoft try to screw more money out W2K than they do from W98, and more crucially to you (b) older devices are not supported and older apps are not supported. More on that below.

Q: When was Windows 2000 released?

A: Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on December 15, 1999. But not in the shops until February 17, 2000. The long running beta sequence though meant that organisations like Centreline 2000 have been able to review earlier cuts of the code and fire up the final version long before it was in the shops.

Q: What are the hardware requirements for Windows 2000?

A: Well, the official requirement is a P133 and 64MB RAM for Professional (desktop) and P133 and 256 RAM for server. But these are underpowered specs, realistically you need a P300 and 128MB RAM for either. Certainly for server running Exchange and the like some more RAM would not hurt at all - you could easy through 256/384MB and gain considerable benefits.

In all cases, the more RAM the better: Unlike Windows 98, Windows 2000 will take advantage of any RAM you can throw at it.

Q: It seems like Windows 2000 was in beta for a long time - should I be worried?

A: Well, unusually for us we'll stick up for Microsoft here. The beta test was long, but the product stability is vastly improved as a result. They locked code down fairly early so that enhancements were few compared to bug fixes. It is also a huge product running on many different types of platforms I think that beta testing was worthwhile and definitely not something to be worried about

Q: I've heard there are a lot of bugs in Windows 2000?

A: Yes, I'm sure there are, in fact I know there are. And one day us consumers will finally throw up our arms and just say "No" to buggy software. In the meantime the industry will continue to ship buggy code.

That said, we disagree with many "ivory tower" analysts about whether to upgrade from NT 4 or not. We would say YES without a doubt. While there may be bugs it is just a far superior and resilient platform than NT 4 which was buggy, hell-hole barely capable of running 24 hours on the trot.

As for upgrading from Win 98 - the need is less clear, but would make sense in a corporate environment.

Q: I have a <hardware product>. Will it work with Windows 2000?

A: Windowws 2000 drops a lot of older devices - not necessarily a bad thing in general - though a pain in particular if own such a thing. There is an FTP hardware check list at Windows 2000 Hardware Compatibility List (FTP). A good idea to check the HCL - though I know most of you (and us) won't.

Microsoft also has the Windows Hardware Compatibility List Web site. To search for Windows 2000-specific hardware and software, try Microsoft's Hardware and Software Compatibility Web site.

Q: Can I use 95/NT drivers if a device isn't supported?

A: No. Windows 95, 98 and NT drivers have not usually been written in a way that can be used by W2K. However, if your hardware is a current piece of kit, then check the manufacturers web site for driver updates. Most responsible companies are bringing W2K drivers out for older pieces of kit.

Q: What about existing software - will it run on W2K:

A: Mostly yes. Most software runs absolutely fine. However, we have found some packages which are W98 or NT specific and don't recognise the W2K system. In most cases an update has become available from the author fairly promptly though.

Remember we run all sorts of odd stuff - I don't think we've had any issues with mainstream software at all.

Q: My application won't install (not can't) because it does not recognise W2K - what can I do?

A: There is an MS application called "apcompat.exe" - the Application Compatility Program that fools apps into thinking they are on Win 98 etc. This is in /support folder on the CD-ROM

Q: I'm having problems with the power management stuff - what gives:

A: Windows 2000 is far more particular about ACPI power management standards and so a lot of kit which worked fine under Win 98 now seems to screw up on W2K. This is not such an obvious issue from NT upgrades becuase NT never did any power management anyway. The problem can usually be resolved by upgrading your PC's BIOS.

Microsoft have put together the Hardware Update Web site for mainstream machines such as Dell, IBM, and the like. This site will connect you directly to manufacturers' BIOS and other system updates that you'll need for Windows 2000.

Q: I'm trying to do the right thing and use my Windows 2000 as a non-administrator. But occasionally, I run into problems where I can't do something because I don't have the appropriate permissions. Do I really have to log out and then log in as Administrator?

A: No, you can use the Run As functionality to do this. Let's say you want to perform some sort of admin functionality from the command line. Drop a shortcut to the Command Prompt on the desktop, shift right-click it (that is, hold down the SHIFT key while you right-click it) and choose Run As. This will allow you to run that process as a certain user. Choose Administrator, type in the password, and you're good to go.

Q: What about Service Packs?

A: The first is due around May/Jume 2000. Microsoft have said that they will try to keep service packs focussed on bug fixes rather than enhancements. They also claim that they will remove all the trauma and hassle of handling service packs hot fixes etc. I hope so, though its hard to see how they could make it so bad as NT in the first place!

Q: Will the Microsoft Network (MSN) client software work with Windows 2000?

A: No, but Microsoft is working on a Windows 2000 version of the MSN client. Unfortunately, this will not be available in time for the initial release of Windows 2000, however. It is expected sometime in 2000. You can, of course, setup Outlook Express for MSN email in Windows 2000.

Q: What's up with DVD support in Windows 2000?

A: DVD support in Windows 2000 is roughly identical to that in Windows 98, with the exception that, as of now, there are fewer compatible hardware devices. If you have a Creative Labs DVD accelerator card or certain models of Toshiba laptops, you'll still get the DVD player in Windows 2000

Basically, there is no support for software-only DVD playing directly in Windows 2000. You'd need to find a compatible player get a compatible DVD accelerator card, or get a DVD accelerator card that has Windows 2000 compatible drivers in the box.

Q: I'm running Beta 3 or RCx. Can I upgrade to the final release?

A: Yes, Microsoft supports upgrading Beta 3 or newer to the final release of Windows 2000.

Q: Can I upgrade Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) to Windows 2000?

A: Yes, Microsoft supports this upgrade.

Q: What's the difference between Terminal Services in Windows 2000 and NT Terminal Server 4.0?

A: Terminal Services are now integrated into the Server product rather than as a separate product. That gives you the option to install Terminal Servers along with everything else.

Though under utilised we strongly recommend this approach for remote administration.

Q: What about Citrix MetaFrame? What's the difference between Terminal Services and the Citrix offerings?

A: Microsoft's RDP-based Terminal Services can be thought of as the entry level, while Citrix's value-added ICA-based MetaFrame products offer more features, such as application publishing and advanced management features. Citrix will continue to add features to their products to differentiate them from Terminal Services. See the Citrix Web site for details.

Q: I have a newer system and I'm having trouble installing Windows 2000. The setup hangs or when the desktop finally does appear, many of my devices aren't working.

A: The problem may be ACPI power management. Windows 2000 tries to install ACPI on any system with a BIOS dated January 1, 1999 or newer and there's no way to disable it after Setup. To prevent ACPI from being installed, run the installation program and hit the F5 key when you see the text "Setup is inspecting your computer." Then, choose Standard PC as your system type.

Incidentally, if you've already installed Windows 2000 and you're wondering whether you're using APM or ACPI power management, open the Device Manager (alternate-click My Computer-->Properties-->Hardware tab-->Device Manager) and view devices by type. If you see "Standard PC" under Computer, you've got APM. ACPI systems will show a few ACPI entries instead.

Q: What happened to custom install?

A: Custom install is dead, but the good news is that you can, indeed, tell Windows 2000 which components to install, both before and after you set it up. To perform a custom install of Windows 2000, you'll need to write an unattended installation script, similar to the way you'd do this in Windows NT.

Q: Will Windows 2000 work on my laptop computer?

A: Yes. Windows 2000 works with APM and ACPI power management. Since most laptops support the older APM standard, Windows 2000 should work on most portable systems that meet minimum hardware requirements. But make sure you've got enough CPU power and RAM for this to make sense.

Q: Will Windows Update work with Windows 2000?

A: Yes, Windows Update is an integral feature of Windows 2000.