Windows NT 4.0 vs Windows 98

[whodat]

Hey guys,

I was wondering, with a lot of software having Windows 98 as a "minimum requirement", could they be overlooking a possible functionality with Windows NT 4.0? Or perhaps just omitting NT 4.0 in the specs, since the general public migrated from Windows 95 to Windows 98?

Thanks.

 

[megamaced]

Hey guys,

I was wondering, with a lot of software having Windows 98 as a "minimum requirement", could they be overlooking a possible functionality with Windows NT 4.0? Or perhaps just omitting NT 4.0 in the specs, since the general public migrated from Windows 95 to Windows 98?

Thanks.

mmm, unlikely! Most software houses no longer support Windows NT4.0. A lot of businesses have dropped NT in favour of 2000 or XP. The only reason Windows 98 is supported in some circles is because it still has a large customer database. :x:

That said, there is still alot of software that is compatible with NT4. So there will always be something out there if you need it.

Both operating systems lack security nowadays, but Windows 98 more so. I would go with NT4.0 for stability and secuity, or Windows 98 for compatibility.

 

[whodat]

mmm, unlikely! Most software houses no longer support Windows NT4.0. A lot of businesses have dropped NT in favour of 2000 or XP. The only reason Windows 98 is supported in some circles is because it still has a large customer database. :x:

That said, there is still alot of software that is compatible with NT4. So there will always be something out there if you need it.

Both operating systems lack security nowadays, but Windows 98 more so. I would go with NT4.0 for stability and secuity, or Windows 98 for compatibility.

I placed a bid for Windows NT 4 on eBay. Hopefully the shipping won't be outragious. In the meantime, I found an old copy of Red Hat Linux 5.2 I had never actually installed and got the X Window running. I'm hoping to use a Wine to get a few Microsoft programs running. Should be interesting...

 

[megamaced]

I placed a bid for Windows NT 4 on eBay. Hopefully the shipping won't be outragious. In the meantime, I found an old copy of Red Hat Linux 5.2 I had never actually installed and got the X Window running. I'm hoping to use a Wine to get a few Microsoft programs running. Should be interesting...

Oops. i forgot to mention something :O

I bought the original version of NT4 on eBay, without any pre-loaded service packs. This is not a good idea, as the original can only access 2.1GB of HHD!
If you have a bigger hard disk, you need to buy NT4 preloaded with Service Pack 4 (minimum).
The only way around this is to make partitions. So if you had a 4GB hard disk, and you wanted to install the original NT4, you would need to make 2 partitions.

I would also recommend you find a copy of Internet Explorer 4.01 (NT4 comes with IE2 :D ). IE4.01 adds some extra features to the NT shell, like quick launch and a Windows 98 style explorer. After you have installed that, you can upgrade to IE6

 

[Anti-Trend]

...I found an old copy of Red Hat Linux 5.2 I had never actually installed and got the X Window running. I'm hoping to use a Wine to get a few Microsoft programs running. Should be interesting...

Cool, but why RH5 out of curiosity? That's pretty ancient software. You can still get patches on RH as early as 7.3, albiet unnoficial patches, but not on RH5 that I know of. Why not just try a more modern distro? With Linux, newer doesn't necessarily mean more bloated. Even a distro like Mandriva or Ubuntu will run very fast on older hardware, if you use a light window manager like XFCE if you have >=64mb RAM, or WM, IceWM, Fluxbox, etc if you have <64mb RAM. Just curious...

As for the NT4 thing, it won't run most software because NT4 only supports up to DirectX 3 due to limitations in the architecture. Those limitations were overcome in the next versions of NT, NT v5.0 also known as "Windows 2000", and NT5.1 also known as "Windows XP". Also, NT4 has no defragmentation tools (which it needs badly) and very poor hardware support. IMHO you're better off with Linux or, barring that, NT5.

 

[whodat]

Cool, but why RH5 out of curiosity? That's pretty ancient software. You can still get patches on RH as early as 7.3, albiet unnoficial patches, but not on RH5 that I know of. Why not just try a more modern distro? With Linux, newer doesn't necessarily mean more bloated. Even a distro like Mandriva or Ubuntu will run very fast on older hardware, if you use a light window manager like XFCE if you have >=64mb RAM, or WM, IceWM, Fluxbox, etc if you have <64mb RAM. Just curious...

As for the NT4 thing, it won't run most software because NT4 only supports up to DirectX 3 due to limitations in the architecure. Those limitations were overcome in the next versions of NT, NT v5.0 also known as "Windows 2000", and NT5.1 also known as "Windows XP". Also, NT4 has no defragmentation tools (which it needs badly) and very poor hardware support. IMHO you're better off with Linux or, barring that, NT5.

Thanks for those suggestions. I'm using a Pentium 150 mhz processor with 48 meg of ram, and the hdd is about 2 gig.

I'm trying to spend as little money as possible. I can get Windows 98 on it no problem, but I was looking into something that would run a little faster and be more stable.

I had bought the Red Hat 5.2 for like $5 back in 2000 and had it just laying around. I had never actually used it. I'm pretty new to Linux but I got the platform running for the most part (the sound card isn't in it's list for some reason, an Edge 3D 2000 which came out in 1997 I believe). I got the modem to work, but the connection doesn't hold.

What would be a good Linux platform for this machine that wouldn't cost too much? I also want to use a wine in order to get a MS Windows (98 minimum requirement) program to function. Windows 2000 is too much for this machine I'm afraid :(

 

[whodat]

Oops. i forgot to mention something :O

I bought the original version of NT4 on eBay, without any pre-loaded service packs. This is not a good idea, as the original can only access 2.1GB of HHD!
If you have a bigger hard disk, you need to buy NT4 preloaded with Service Pack 4 (minimum).
The only way around this is to make partitions. So if you had a 4GB hard disk, and you wanted to install the original NT4, you would need to make 2 partitions.

I would also recommend you find a copy of Internet Explorer 4.01 (NT4 comes with IE2 :D ). IE4.01 adds some extra features to the NT shell, like quick launch and a Windows 98 style explorer. After you have installed that, you can upgrade to IE6

The only one I could get that I wasn't being outbidded on was Windows NT Workstation Operating System 4.0 1-2 Processor Edition. With shipping it was $7.50 US. Not too bad. It doesn't sound like it has service pack 4 though.

 

[Anti-Trend]

What would be a good Linux platform for this machine that wouldn't cost too much? I also want to use a wine in order to get a MS Windows (98 minimum requirement) program to function. Windows 2000 is too much for this machine I'm afraid :(

Linux is free, so no Linux distro you use will cost you anything unless you choose to pay for a corporate support package. Try looking this list over, as all distros listed are intended to run on legacy hardware. I have tried both Vector Linux and DSL, and both are pretty good solutions for older hardware. If niether of those suits your needs, try one of the others on the list.

The only one I could get that I wasn't being outbidded on was Windows NT Workstation Operating System 4.0 1-2 Processor Edition. With shipping it was $7.50 US. Not too bad. It doesn't sound like it has service pack 4 though.

NT4's latest service pack was SP6a, SP4 was a much older service pack. Not that it really matters, as NT4 has a myriad of unpatched bugs and vulnerabilities that will never be patched, as NT4 is no longer supported by MS and the source code is not available to anyone outside of MS.

 

[megamaced]

The only one I could get that I wasn't being outbidded on was Windows NT Workstation Operating System 4.0 1-2 Processor Edition. With shipping it was $7.50 US. Not too bad. It doesn't sound like it has service pack 4 though.

That's the same version I got stung with :rolleyes: But it will work fine for you because your hard disk is only 2GB. As I said in my previous post, download IE4.01 to get the shell enhancements (you will need SP4 minimum to install IE4). You should upgrade to Service Pack 6a. You can find it freely on Microsoft's website

I have tried both Vector Linux and DSL, and both are pretty good solutions for older hardware. If niether of those suits your needs, try one of the others on the list.

While I agree that these Distros are great for older hardware, i'm afraid that a Pentium 1 32-48MB is too old. I tried VectorLinux on a P233MMX 48MB, and it was just too slow to use. It took 3 minutes to load FireFox :confused: Personally, I wouldn't want to use Linux on anything lower then a Pentium 2 64MB

 

[Anti-Trend]

While I agree that these Distros are great for older hardware, i'm afraid that a Pentium 1 32-48MB is too old. I tried VectorLinux on a P233MMX 48MB, and it was just too slow to use. It took 3 minutes to load FireFox :confused: Personally, I wouldn't want to use Linux on anything lower then a Pentium 2 64MB

Your problem there is Firefox, as that browser uses more RAM than the entire system had. Vector used to be really light, but I see they have been adding lots of new features, so it may not be the way to go. But I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of using NT4 for a "secure" web platform. To me, it seems a bit like flying a Sopwith Camel into a dogfight against MiGs...

 

[megamaced]

Your problem there is Firefox, as that browser uses more RAM than the entire system had. Vector used to be really light, but I see they have been adding lots of new features, so it may not be the way to go. But I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of using NT4 for a web platform. To me, it seems a bit like flying a Sopwith Camel into a dogfight with MiGs...

Hehe, I see your point :)

But with old hardware such as whodats, you don't really have a choice. If you want a fast and stable operating system with that kind of hardware, NT4 is the only real choice. I'd rather die then use Windows 95 :D

Use Windows 98 for games (although with your computer specs, that's unlikely)
Use Windows NT4 for stability and security*

*I use that term loosely, as this OS is pretty out-dated now. It's far more secure then 98 though

EDIT: There's a few things you should know about NT4 before installing it:

1) There is no USB support whatsover. Any printers or scanners you may have, must support the parrarell interface.
2) NT4.0 is not a plug & play OS. Therefore, it can be a real pain in the arse to install some hardware. If you know what IRQ's & DMA's are, you should be OK.

 

[whodat]

Your problem there is Firefox, as that browser uses more RAM than the entire system had. Vector used to be really light, but I see they have been adding lots of new features, so it may not be the way to go. But I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of using NT4 for a "secure" web platform. To me, it seems a bit like flying a Sopwith Camel into a dogfight against MiGs...

I've heard about the Firefox memory issue. I was able to get the latest freeware Opera 8.5 to work with Windows 95 on the p150 with 48 meg ram, so it seems likely it would work fine with Vector Linux on the same machine. Since I use dialup I went ahead and ordered Vector on cd (total cost w/shipping $3.50).

But with old hardware such as whodats, you don't really have a choice. If you want a fast and stable operating system with that kind of hardware, NT4 is the only real choice. I'd rather die then use Windows 95 :)

Use Windows 98 for games (although with your computer specs, that's unlikely)
Use Windows NT4 for stability and security*

*I use that term loosely, as this OS is pretty out-dated now. It's far more secure then 98 though

There's a few things you should know about NT4 before installing it:

1) There is no USB support whatsover. Any printers or scanners you may have, must support the parrarell interface.
2) NT4.0 is not a plug & play OS. Therefore, it can be a real pain in the arse to install some hardware. If you know what IRQ's & DMA's are, you should be OK.

I haven't even tried using USB yet. Not a problem.

Hopefully I won't have a big problem with the hardware installs. I'll just keep "plugging" away.

Windows 98 works fine on the machine, it just takes longer to boot up.

I'm really not worried about security, just functionality for simple web browsing. If someone actually compromised it, it would be akin to someone breaking into an apartment with only a jar of mustard on the counter :))

I use a much newer machine with XP Pro for more important issues.

 

[megamaced]

I'm really not worried about security, just functionality for simple web browsing. If someone actually compromised it, it would be akin to someone breaking into an apartment with only a jar of mustard on the counter :))

But once someone has broken in to your 'apartment', they can lock the door from the inside :)

 

[Anti-Trend]

But once someone has broken in to your 'apartment', they can lock the door from the inside :)

...And run an illegal prostitution, extortion and gambling ring from the inside, dealing drugs and planning bombings on other 'apartments'. In other words, please care about your security! :ohah: