That is a very difficult question, but you will be surprised how easily the decision is made for you. For example, if you get a new machine, drivers may not be available for Win2K. Or, you may want to take advantage of some CPU features, e.g, Hyperthreading or 64 bits. When the time comes, you will know. No need sweating about it until then. nitro
I agree. Many old-timers were reluctant to upgrade to the new XP style, but newer software, hardware etc usually coerces you into it. That's the Microsoft way, and it's cleverly handled!
From what I read here, my configuration may not be optimum. I have two parallel hard drives on Raid one, in case of a physical crash of a hard drive. Should I get an external USB port drive for backup for insurance, or is the current Raid one ok? Or should I change the configuration to update a mirror on one of these parallel drives only once in a while? I have rebuilt my OS three times in the last 4 years and it is no fun at all, especially since I am not a computer expert like you are. I'm on 2000 Pro. Thanks for the replies.
I take it you mean that I would backup to the external once in a while. I am not clear what you mean by offsite, unless you mean to backup and physically remove this from the building where the computer is located. Thanks
To: gnome and luto Good thread. I've had about 8 different systems over the last 12 years and all had dual harddrives. During that time 3 WDC drives crashed but most of the info was quickly restored from the 2ed drive. It's common to have dual systems in airplanes for safety so I used that same logic for running 2 hard drives.. The info in hard drives is item #1 to me.. I now run dual Maxtor drives so I only worry about my stocks crashing.... ha.. ag pilot
Paranoid me, I'd also have a backup outside of my rig at all times. If you get a virus, it might corrupt BOTH of your HDs, then where would you be?
If you buy the "latest" hardware on your next system, you may not have much of a choice. The Win2000 drivers might not be available.... it's next on the phase-out list, you know. Addendum... as I read nitro's post more carefully, I noticed he already said this. I was going to delete my post, but thought it relevant enough a concept it wouldn't hurt to repeat. "If you're thinking of building your new rig with Win2000, you should confirm in advance that all the MB and device drivers are available." I've seen one experience with Dell where Win2000 drivers are already "not available".
I learnt this the hard way, back in the early 90's... Duplexing a drive system is common place, but depending on the configuration of the redundant drives, it may or may not be possible to recreate the contents of your data if one of the drives goes out. Not all RAID configurations are the same. Choose with care!!!