On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 08:34:58 -0500, "_Jung"
wrote:

Wow... what a comprehensive response. I really really appreciated it.

So, I guess I will spend about $150 on CPU, mainboard, and memory. On top
of that it looks like I will have to spend a little more on the case/PSU.
My current PC is in an ATX case, but I didn't like it that much because it's
kinda too big anyway. It probably will put me above the original $200
budget a little bit, but I think that's still very reasonable. Thank you
very much!!

Keep the case! Big is good.

One more question;

Now that you mentioned a new OS, do you mean Win 9X won't be able to take
advantage of the full power of new hardware? Or, did you mean worse - Win
9x won't even run on a new machine??? I am running Win 98 on my old PC. I
haven't upgraded to new versions because I never felt a need. Maybe, I
actually got "a reason" to upgrade now!

I'm fairly sure there's some documents and websites that describe how
to patch and run W95 on a modern machine. I seem to remember things
like that, flashing by occasionally.

W98 is more promising. W98SE, should be few problems. You will need to
'update' it though.

There's tons of new stuff, since your 266, needing support. 3Dnow,
SSE, USB... Then there's a few timing things as well. On W98 it's only
some timing with HDs and disccaches, but on W95 there might be some
cpu thing too.

The cpu also needs to be set up with its cache arrangement and the RAM
to do caching right. There's also differences in registers that
require different shedulers. Libs supporting extended instructionsets,
etc...
OSes have some sort of hierarchical identification of the cpu. Like,
'it's at least this' and 'it's even this' and so on... But obviously
it's better if it succeeds in identifying the cpu exactly. This it can
only do if the CPU's specs existed at the time the install CD went to
print, or if the OS is patched. It can go completely wrong, if it for
some reason misidentifies it as something it isn't. I've never heard
of Windows doing anything like that though. But it seems to happen to
other OSes.

I know Win 2K is NT and Win XP is 9X family.

No, wrong on both accounts.

Win9X = 95, 95OSR, 98, 98SE, ME, are built on the 'Chicago'
technology. IMO, very nice. Prior to ME, they were extremely
backwardscompatible. Uses FAT16 and FAT32 filesystems.
9X are single cpu and strictly '386-class cpu OS.

NT are built on the 'Cairo' tech and completely different. Only
backwards compatible with original 8086 DOS and 'clean' Win16 apps
that only use the API and no own devices. NT protects itself a little
better against ****ups. Has a 'theoretically' 'better'
memoryprotection and a safer filesystem NTFS, that has the concept of
filesecurity.
NT's design is also built up from a 'microkernel' to allow it to be
ported to other cpus (and indeed it was ported to DEC's Alpha). And to
support multiple cpus.

W2000 is a new rewrite. A new "modern" secure OS, that is supposedly
better built than NT. The ******* that lead the project is obsessed
with corrupting all existing non-MS standards (to make them MS-only)
and 'charging' extra for everything, so W2000 goes some way to provide
for both.

XP again, is another new OS. It has inherited much of W2000's kernel
though, but has a new hardware interface and a new shell. XP is faster
on hardware than W2000 and NT, and thus better for media and games.
It also includes a new sinister hegemonia technology called "dot net".
XP can use both FAT32 and NTFS, but trust me, - use only one, and use
NTFS.

There have been a few
compatibility issues between NT and 9X, especially playing games and stuff.
Is it still true with Win 2K and Win XP?

Today, XP is (considering the start) remarkably compatible. You have
to tinker a bit and everything won't ever work, but I'm amazed.
XP can run a Windows app (that won't immediatly work in XP) in
something called compatibility mode, four different, 95, 98, NT4,
W2000. Works some of the time.
But with some extra 3'rd party utilities, even more is possible. VDMS
and GLIDOS allows you to run some old non-DirectX DOS games as well.
Like 'Tombraider'. VDMS intercepts DOS-SB16 sound and redirects it to
Windows sound device. GLIDOS captures old DOS Voodoo '3dfx'
3D-commands and redirects them to Windows OpenGL device. It actually
works.
Microsofts Sidewinder game hardware (W98) also works flawlessly with
XP. (that info is not readily available though!).

Forget W2000. A good deal newer stuff works, but there's very little
interest or work in making it compatible. ...And keep one old 95/98
PC.


ancra