[LongDistancePaddler]

NT 4.0 has no support for USB devices but Windows 2000 [NT 5.0] does support them. BSquare has software that will enable NT 4.0 to support some USB devices. Unfortunately this does not include web cameras and scanners. I want to run a Web Camera from my PC but have NT 4.0 installed. I would also like to run my scanner and printers as they are USB capable. Is there another company that provides a solution like that provided by BSquare but that also enables web cameras or scanners? Should I just bite the bullet and upgrade? If I do this should I go to 2000 or XP?

Help!!!

[DosFreak]

Upgrade. As for which upgrade? 2000 or XP? I cannot help you with that. For business use I say 2000...for home use I say 2000.. If your still runing NT4 it means that you want something that is proven and stable which Windows 2000 is and 2000 will be supported for some time to come.

Still, try both out for yourself and see what you like but generally the consesus is that for work/home 2000 is the best.

[preacher_2k]

As Windows 95(A) and NT4 doesn't have an integrated Stack for USB communication and will never have. And even if some company creates drivers for USB communication under NT4 it doesn't mean that every USB device works.
E.g. IOMEGA created a driver to access an USB ZIP-Drive under NT, but this only allows to access this device but no other.
You will need also to have a driver for the specific opearating system from the hardware manufacturer of the specific peripheral.
Even Windows 95B(with USB supp) and Windows 95 support USB but there are only a few drivers for peripherals available.
The only devices that will always work without specific drivers are mice and keyboards if they have native support from the PCs BIOS, and this even works under plain DOS.

[CheekyMonkey]

Quote:

Upgrade. As for which upgrade? 2000 or XP? I cannot help you with that. For business use I say 2000...for home use I say 2000.. If your still runing NT4 it means that you want something that is proven and stable which Windows 2000 is and 2000 will be supported for some time to come.

Still, try both out for yourself and see what you like but generally the consesus is that for work/home 2000 is the best.

As an FYI, Win2k was going to loose support in 2003 but has been extended to 2004. So, it actually will not have support for that much longer.

[DosFreak]

Sounds like a long time to me.

[clutch]

Or just buy the XP license and it's backward compatible with a Windows 2000 license. That way, you can simply buy the XP Pro Box set, and get a W2K media kit (it's just a CD with a key) so you can install W2K and use that until you are ready for XP (or until XP is ready for you).

[LongDistancePaddler]

Well thanks very much for that information. It is pretty much as I had feared/expected. The comments vis a vis the stability of NT 4.0 against what else was available at the time has stopped 'she who must be obeyed' from being critical if my original purchase of NT. She wanted me to get 98 at the time. I got NT 4.0 to allow me to do some work from home, which I have never done.

I am inclined to get windows 2000 even if it does cost a bit more, simply because of the stability that it offers. My work PC is dual boot [2000/XP] in case any of our customers are silly enough to use XP to run our product. My day job is as a software engineer but most of my experience is on Burroughs mainframes. I still tend to think like a COBOL programmer unless I make a conscious effort not to.

I am intrigued by the idea of buying XP and then adding to it a Windows 2000 media kit. How do I do this? I have never before bought an operating system without a PC to go with it. That is, if you don't count LINUX, which I don't.

From where do I buy the operating system? Do I get it from Microsoft? Do I go to a computer vendor? Isn't the price different if you have the software loaded onto a new PC.

On the other hand I might put XP on the wife's PC and then build my own with something else on it. That might be the way to go.

Thanks for the information. It has been most illuminating.

[clutch]

Computer vendors are a good place to start, and you can usually get the media kits and licenses separately from major retailers (like www.cdw.com). Check out www.pricewatch.com for pricing on boxed and separate licenses/media kits of the OSs to see what you like.

[Christianb]

I recall there being a way to get Windows XP Pro for 50 bucks if you pass yourself off as a system Integrator. Which well I am, but I only integrate my PC and a few friends and family . However for me I used to work at MS so I just have friends buy me things with their MS employee discount and mail them to me and then I re-imburse them and thank them profusely .

[LongDistancePaddler]

That sounds a little bit naughty to me. I think I will borrow a CD from my employer so I can set up to do some work from home.

Pretending to be an integrator, whatever that may be, sounds as if it is a but fraught with danger.

[kai.lorenz]

There may be some possibility to find a camera USB port driver for NT, depending on the vendor. Please, look at http://www.usbman.com/Win%20NT%20USB%20Guide.htm .
(I'm interested in test results if someone got luck and found a driver for his cam.)

Greetings, Kai

[Christianb]

Actually I've been listed with Microsoft as an OEM distributor since I was about 16 and no lawyers have come knocking on my door. Really they don't know the difference. So why not? If it gets you the same things at a lower price then who cares?
-Christian

[adamvjackson]

At any rate, purchasing beats piracy.

[Christianb]

Absolutely I couldn't have put that better myself. I often split purchases too. For example my dad and I bought WinZip together, and we always split the cost on ACDSee when a new version comes out. From the company's perspective and mine as well it should be so much better than nothing . This is especially important on Overpriced software, which Windows may or may not, be seeing how it's quite possibly the best piece of software in the world. I know I hate windows too, but come on what really can do all that it does and still be user-friendly. You know it ain't linux, that's not user-friendly.
Cheers,
Christian