Win98 or NT4?

  • Thread starter Thread starter TheFish
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Just remember that it's better to do a clean install of W2000 than to upgrade from NT. The NT-to-2000 upgrade works surprisingly well but I'm sure that it's not as good as a clean install. Maybe it won't be a big difference if you have clean install of NT without a lot of extras on it.

It seems like this thread is actually getting somewhere.

/Ola - Who is usually pretty good at spelling but of course missed the than/that check in my last post. Why did you have to quote me on that? Darn:-)
 
One other thing about a Win 2000 upgrade (or any upgrade) -

Going back a bit. Anytime you install a program, it leaves pieces like .dll files, registry settings. If you remove this program, sometimes these files stay. You delete at your own risk on those damned things. Sometimes they're important, sometimes they're not.

So if you are having issues, and you upgrade, you may still have issues with bloated OS, dll's, registry settings, etc. I always recommend a fresh install whenever possible.

I'm either building a new box for DAW, or getting a dual boot HD, but NOTHING goes on there not music related. (Not even solitare) - Keep it clean and you'll have more stability.

Oh yes, as previously stated, stay away from demo and shareware if possible. Same stability issues pop up sometimes.
 
Holy crap Eddie...you're a riot. "I'm not an MSNBC or anything..." HA!

And reinstalling windows after each song. You're a nut. I suppose that's the best way to keep a compaq running. Maybe I should write a little batch routine that reinstalls windows everytime I boot up. :)

DRSTAWL:

Are you in charge of NT server at your work? If you are and it's crashing every day, you have a problem...it's not running correctly. I've got NT Server up here and it never goes down. I've seen this before where people will have no idea that they have a configuration problem and actually put up with rebooting NT 5 times a day. It's a semi-hard system to troubleshoot...but probably the easiest of all server OS's.

Blah blah.

Slackmaster 2000
 
<And "System of a Down" is a great live band... seen 'em twice...
Are you right about ANYTHING???>

I saw them at Ozzfest and they were horrible. I did enjoy slip knot, and most of the other bands that there. Happy New Year all!!

The Captain
 
Well men I'll tell you the main reason for upgrading and everyone can take it from there. I'll have two boxes when I do it, one for business & play and the other (the one with NT 4) will pretty much be left alone for re-mixing and burning. Most of us know the strains of trying to pacify the whole family. The big one (I'll name it that too I think) is being put together with no other purpose beside the music in mind.

She ain't exactly pretty
She ain't exactly small
 
ola ,

i missed your lil typo too so also shame on me !!

slack , thanks for the compliment.. ive been actually happy with this compaq for over a year now..ive never had a problem , but i attribute that to my maintemamce habits.. dont get me wrong , ill never buy another because i know better and have heard more horror than success stories associated with compaq , but im satisfied..

i also have the habit of restarting windows after saving a few important tracks to clean up the system a lil..

one last lil tidbit from my repertoire.. when i boot windows for a recording session i open NOTHING except my recording program.. no folders , no my documents.. i even put the multimedia controls from inside the control panel on the desktop to save myself from opening one extra window when going for the recording mixer!! i do this all in an effort to save every last byte of my precious ram..and to keep my system resources at a minimum..

how is that for obsessive compulsive disorder? :)

ps.. will reformatting my hard drive weekly do any damage to it over time?

- eddie -
 
I gotta put in a counterpoint here just so Fish can have at least one differing perspective. I too am an "computer professional". Though not an MCSE, being a network admin I do have lots of real world experience with the stuff. I currently run Win 98 as my o/s on a custom-built PC dedicated to digital audio. For me, it is absolutely stable and I have never had a problem. I find that if you don't repeatedly install/uninstall a bunch of trash software, your o/s will be stay in good shape. My PC stays on 24/7 and I haven't had to reboot since my last driver update for my sound card (couple months ago).

Microsoft positions the NT operating system and it's successor Win2000 as their business/corporate o/s. They position 95/98/Windows Millenium (the actual name of 98's successor) as their gaming/multimedia system. They give the 95/98/Millenium o/s more ability to support a wider range of devices. This usually makes it easier for the pc user who is not versed in the everyday desktop support issues to add/configure new hardware/software.

[This message has been edited by PhilipM (edited 02-14-2000).]
 
Thanks Phil,

I was hoping this thread would get back to the point and dispense with the kindergarten name-calling.
While everyone here was whining and bitching at Captain, I set up my PC as a dual-boot 98/NT machine. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but now I can compare which is better. I used that FAT32 driver for NT.
I have to admit though, the installation of NTWS was more problematic than 98. Contrary to what some have said here, NT is not just a "click NEXT until its done" situation. At least, not if you want it to work correctly. I had to juggle drive letters once that FAT32 drive was recognized; otherwise, I got a variety of those great vague Microsoft errors. At any rate, they are both operational now and I'll see the pros and cons for myself.
 
I too just finished my dual boot with NT/95. My NT is running just fine without any drive letter problems what so ever. Click and continue was all I had to do yet again. 95 istalled just as easy, although I am no fan of plug and play. Just makes the setup that much more complicated. Actually had to finish the 95 install complete with device drivers by installing one device at a time then rebooting. What a bunch of crap! With NT I could just install and go, none of this install the driver first then the device junk.

Anyway, all went well.

Interesting though. 95 has a conflict with the PCI to PCI bus and the video card. No such problem with NT. Also, it seems that the same audio with the same app's in 95 have more problems with handleing the audio the NT. Get some skips here and there with the 95 version of the app's, where in NT everything is running very smooth as always.

Philip, I am no computer tech, or even work in the field except to the extent that I use it in my "for hire" studio. I have researched the hell out of running the different OS's for audio production. I have talked to factory rep's for the devices, salesman, computer tech's, all of them. Without fail, NT is what was recommended for serious audio production. A little research into what the shops that build systems exclucsively for audio production showed that NT was primarily what was used. This ranged from very nice studio, to TV production studios that needed a DAW.

I am not going to say that a 95 or 98 system cannot run stable for this purpose. I cannot even begin to explain why NT is the prefered OS for PC DAW's. I just don't argue with the Pro's in the field. When my studio's technical consultant tells me that I should use NT, I don't argue because when I go against his recommendations I always get burned.

The points about 95 and 98 offering a wider range of products for a DAW is certainly valid and undisputable. And for a casual user of computer production in audio, I am certain that 95 and 98 are just fine. But if we are talking what is going to deliver reliable, full proof crash protection, something I have to consider before I commit a clients music to a PC, NT has performed admirably. It just doens't crash under heavy use. No conflicts that cripple the system. All the things that the Pro's I talked with promised. I talk to few who use the 95/98 OS that can claim such a thing, much less claim it after 6 months of use. It starts out fine, then the problems start. I don't why, and don't really care. I care about my system being reliable for a long time. I care about my system performing well. I care about my audio not getting lost when the computer hangs for some reason. I care about my audio staying pure. NT provides this. So I lose a few snazzy features that I could get in 98, that is the stuff though that seems to cause the problems with the OS anyway, so I can do without. I have not found anything that is not possible in NT the is on 98. Nothing! I can get any of the same plugins, run all the high end app's, and can accomplish complex sessions. All without any troubles. All on a very stable platform that is time proven to provide a stability.

Believe it or not, I even run IE5 on my NT setup, and Office 97, and some pretty impressive graphics app's, and still my system is stable. I did not need to dedicate the system to just music production to keep stability. NT provides it as a default. It allows me to use my PC the way I want within reasonable limits.

I do agree about running a bunch of crap software then uninstalling it. This is not a very friendly thing to do with a PC. Although, in NT, I experience few problems with uninstalling this crap.

Anyway, I still stand behind NT as the best OS for music production. Next to jumping over to a Mac (way too expensive for the broke studio owner right now) it is the prefered choice of professionals, and thus, mine too..... :)

Ed Rei
Echo Star Studio www.echostarstudio.com
 
Sonusman

I am not a computer genius by any means either. Most of what I know is what I learn from here, cracking the case to install harware, and talking with my brother who is light years ahead of me.

He is a chemical engineer who uses a pc at work everyday. The programs he runs crunches numbers, as he calls it, in which it takes hours to complete. According to what he has said, NT is much more able to multi task the any of the win consumer versions.

I haven't used it yet but from what I have heard it, like you said, is designed more for
professional use than 95/98. Sure you lose the amount of drivers, but as far as I can see most of them really do us any good anyway.

I will know alot more when I start to use it and hopefully like it!

By the way one of the programs he runs takes 41 hrs to complete the run through on 98 and about 9 hrs with NT!!!
 
Damn, Titt,
41 hours? Whats he doin? Cracking missle silo codes??? Searching for the meaning of life?
 
Hell I dunno, it sounds way above what I can comprehend!!!
 
Adding to it:

The program did have something about the universe and crunching numbers

Beats me ?!?!?!?!?!?!
 
Thanks, Sonusman... it's good to hear that so many industry pros go the NT route because I really like it better as an o/s in general as well. It sure seems like stuff I've read since I got into this whole PC recording thing usually points to 98 as being the o/s of choice though. A dual-boot system may just be the way to go...best of both worlds...
 
I'm guessing that the stuff you read was not written by people who actually record with computers. I've read a lot of stuff that is downright obsurd and written by those who know very little...and they always pick Win9x.

I can't imagine choosing 98 over NT or MacOS for recording. You have better hardware support in 98, but with proper planning it's not really an issue.

Slackmaster 2000
 
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