Hello

First time in this newsgroup. Just purchased some new hardware for a
notebook - it is a Compaq Armada 7400 MMX, 192 Mb RAM, Pentium II 400 MHz,
9Gb space left. The vendor gave me a few old disks he no longer needed.
One is a disk (& Cert. of Authenticity) called "Diagnostics and Recovery
CD-ROM" for Windows NT4. I currently use Win98 (not Win98SE). I have three
questions:-

- Am I better off with NT4 than original Win98? - stability, features etc.
- can I use this disk to install the NT4 operating system both from a
technical & an ethical point of view?
- if so, how do I start. Have looked at the disk & operating system appears
to be on it but I cannot see
the relevant set-up file.

Appreciate any comments/assistance.

Echy
Regards from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
http://www.visitvictoria.com/

Echy,

Actually, I won't bother with either Windows NT 4 or Win98. You really
should be looking at Windows XP. Its been a while but I did try running
Windows NT 4.0 on a laptop simply because it was easier in my job as a
system admin at the time. However, it was a hassle to get Windows NT 4.0 to
run on a laptop. The standard trade-off at the time was that Windows NT 4.0
was more stable and reliable but Windows lacked compatbility with many Win9x
apps. Those issues have all been resolved by Windows XP so I think just
going to Windows XP is the better solution. Why not get a fresh start?
Thanks.


--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"Echuca" <acuhce@REMOVEoptusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:41b34bb9$0$3280$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...

Hi,

I agree with the remark that it would probably be a bit late to consider
installing NT4 or Win98 on a new machine now for most people, particularly on a
laptop.

HOWEVER, I would strongly recommend you look instead at Win 2000. XP, in my
opinion, is a disaster and not worth the effort.

Calvin.

Hi Echuca,

Yes, WinNT4.0 would be far more stable than Win98 is ever likely to be -
HOWEVER, you have to give away a few features, including some USB support (in
NT4 it is limited at best) and power management is often also limited, which
could be a real issue on a laptop.

Setting up NT4 is not a trivial exercise either, particularly in the case of
laptop, which often has special requirements. I would hang onto the CDs you have
been given, but unless you are real confident about what you are doing, I
wouldn't suggest trying to install NT4.

Also, be aware there is NO 'upgrade' path from Win9x to NT4. You would have to
wipe your hard disk clean and start from scratch - which means, of course,
backing up all your data and then having to re-install all your applications and
restore your data once the switch to NT4 is complete.

Hope this info helps,

Calvin.

Echuca wrote:

Echuca wrote:
For stability, go with NT4. Forget about Win98.
Win98SE might be worth considering if you can get your hands
on a CD and a matching COA.

Win98SE offers a few significant features that NT4 lacks,
including FAT32, and support for USB and IEEE1394.

NT4 offers a few things Win98 lacks - the most important of
which are the security features and the NTFS file system.

And contrary to what someone else suggests, I would never
inflict XP on someone who has to use such a slow processor
with so little RAM. Maybe W2K on that system, but never XP.


From the information you provided it is not clear whether the
CD you have is capable of installing NT or is merely what
the label suggests: a repair and recovery disk.

If you have a COA and a CD capable of installing NT, I
don't see any ethical or legal problem with going ahead
and installing it.

Have you tried booting from it ?

Many thanks to William, Calvin & Rob for the replies . Having weighed
everything up, I have decided to stick with Win 98 unless a cheap Win98SE
disk appears from somewhere.

I agree with the comment about the slow processor etc. but that's all the
budget allows at the moment - I got the notebook for almost nothing & it is
better than nothing -in fact it runs OK. I wouldn't ever expect it to be
good enough for XP power-wise, would consider 2000 although in Australia it
is still pretty expensive (A$220 for legit. version).

Thanks again
Echy

"Echuca" <acuhce@REMOVEoptusnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:41b34bb9$0$3280$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...