(OT Computer OS) Which Should I Use Win2000 or XPpro?

[Aryoche]

Also if you don't have or wish to use a modem you can't install XP.

Actually, this isn't true. You do not have to have internet access of any kind to install, or register either version of XP.

However, you -will- need to be prepared to make a phone call to activate the product.

I've ran both XP Home and XP Pro, and so far, they are the most stable of the OS's I've seen from the Microsoft camp. Then again, I never had any trouble with Win ME, but I do this stuff for a living and keep up to date on Patches and fixes, and tweak my systems.

Also, to the person who was commenting on DHCP in/out on the router, that isn't truely a firewall, it's NAT. And it won't stop someone from getting through. Go with a firewall such as Nortons Security Suite, or if you want something free, you could try Zone Alarm, though it contains some holes that can be exploited.

 

[maddman75]

I've ran both XP Home and XP Pro, and so far, they are the most stable of the OS's I've seen from the Microsoft camp.

Which is about as prestigious as being the finest ballerina in Birmingham, Alabama.

You're right Randolpho, I can't resist bashing Microsoft. I tried, but I only rolled a 4. And us penguinistas only get +3.

 

[Aryoche]

heh...I didn't say they were the "best" out there, just the best Microsoft has put out...


isn't it ironic that the original thread was based on two MS operating systems, yet people are saying to run OS X... I'd like to see OS X run on a wintel platform...

 

[JDragon]

More info on Firewalls vs router

For who ever asked, I have a 4 port Linksys router.

It was my understanding that the router has a built in firewall that prevents someone from getting past the WAN side to the LAN side and my computers.

Was I misinformed on this point? ( I have heard this multiple places, including my training for DSL installation and such.) If so could I get more information on firewalls? Specificly one that will work with AOL on my wifes computer. I had BlackIce before my router and it and AOL didn't get along at all.

Also could someone direct me to where I can get more info on the registration issues with XP.

Thanks

JDragon

 

[Gez]

As the first who started talking about Linux, I just want to say I didn't had the feeling I was bashing MS. Let see... I said

"Linux, of course

But if you need Windows, favor XP over 2000, and never, never, never take ME."

Quoting from memory.

Oh yes, I bashed MS by saying not to take ME. By the way, about this wondrous ME system I have sadly bashed, you'd better make a DOS boot floppy, boot on it, type C:, then DIR /S (IIRC, it's the parameter for displaying hidden files and dir; I may be wrong, my DOS experience is old), then lookout for a hidden directory with a name like "backup" or "sysback" or something like that. Deltree it mercilessly. Then create a file with the exact same name, by using COPY CON <name of that dir>, hitting enter twice, and hitting F6. Remove the floppy and reboot. The reason for all that ? Windows ME is a kind software that dearly wants to help you. Really. To help you avoid crashes in your system, it makes a backup of your system. Everyday. So in case of trouble, you can recover. And it really, really wants to help you recover from a crash. So it never delete an old backup. And also, it don't allow you to disable this feature. It's for your good. So, with WinME, you'll soon discover you don't have space left on your hard drive, and you'll wonder why.

As far as I know, only WinME has this more than annoying problem.

As for the favoring XP over 2K... I'm not that sure, now. I only tried XP (and I wouldn't have at all if I had successfully convinced the shopkeeper to NOT ship the new computer with Windows) and I said it based on what I read on the press. Giving that half people here says that XP is the most stable and well done, whereas 2K is clunky as hell, and the other half says exactly the reverse... All I can say is that I don't have had too much problems with Win XP (which is heavily used by my two little brothers who play Deus Ex, CTP II and Unreal Tournament all day long). But also that I'm allergic to its default look and feel.

You don't need to register with an OEM preinstalled Win XP, nor with Win XP Pro (the reason for preinstalled being that the registration was already made, and for XP Pro because it would be a major drawback for a system that is supposed to be aimed at enterprise -- if you don't see why a sysadmin would categorically refuse to upgrade 300+ machine to a system that would ask him to phone to MS for each machine, you need to imagine you were that sysadmin).

As for Linux not having GUI... Techie speaks here, warning. Linux don't have a GUI, it has nearly a hundred ! Two of them, KDE and Gnome are the standard. KDE's core elements are as stable as Windows's ones are. Gnome is less stable (and younger), but has a cooler name. The thing is, they are not integrated into the core of the OS for security and stability reasons (as well as performance reasons, you don't need to loss CPU to run a GUI on a server that don't even has a screen). I never had a crash with a Linux application that could not be recovered, whereas most crashes with Windows were totally unrecoverable and forced me to reoot. With Linux, the problem is usually solvable by switching to another terminal and killing the process that cause trouble from here.

The only reasons to prefer Windows over Linux are for videogames or using MS Office (Linux have plenty of office suite, but they are either unfinished, like KOffice, or too slow to load, like Star Office).

On the other hands, the reasons to prefer Linux are quite numerous, from the freedom it gives you to its costlessness. You can find nearly everything you may need on a computer for free for Linux. Contrarily to Windows, you won't have to search the Internet to install all the little utilities you miss and that should be an integral part of an OS, be it a Hex editor, various compression programs, a full blown office suite or a development environment complete with manuals and tutorials.

When you have all that for free with Windows, you are a pirate. Linux is legally free. Another note of importance for some people would be that Linux can be considered totally free of spyware, whereas MS has a Big Brother-ish reputation. And has still not explained clearly what the hell is that "NSA_Key" entryin the registry.

 

[buzzard]

Re: More info on Firewalls vs router

For who ever asked, I have a 4 port Linksys router.

It was my understanding that the router has a built in firewall that prevents someone from getting past the WAN side to the LAN side and my computers.

Was I misinformed on this point? ( I have heard this multiple places, including my training for DSL installation and such.) If so could I get more information on firewalls? Specificly one that will work with AOL on my wifes computer. I had BlackIce before my router and it and AOL didn't get along at all.

Also could someone direct me to where I can get more info on the registration issues with XP.

Thanks

JDragon

I have one of those Linksys routers and it is essentially a firewall. It is set up so that incoming access can only go to machines which are designated to receive the chosen port. So if an outside machine is trying to connect on port 80 (http) it can be set up only to go to your web server. If you don't have a web server, or have not configured the router for it, it goes nowhere. This is effectively a firewall. They are also capable of some logging of connections if you set it up that way.

Though someone here mentioned that NAT is not a form of protection- how so? If your local machine is assigned an unroutable address, and you don't set up the router to direct incoming calls to it how can that not be secure? I am curious. I really don't know much about the hacking end of things.


Buzzard

 

[Aryoche]

Re: Re: More info on Firewalls vs router

Though someone here mentioned that NAT is not a form of protection- how so? If your local machine is assigned an unroutable address, and you don't set up the router to direct incoming calls to it how can that not be secure? I am curious. I really don't know much about the hacking end of things.


Buzzard

That would have been me...

NAT functions as a bare-bones firewall that offers some protection through the use of DHCP both in (from your ISP), and out (to however many PC's/Devices) on your network.

It would provide some protection, but to really make it effective, you need to go into the router config and set up blocking on the various ports. I use a Linksys router, and I was really suprised to see every port was enabled (!) and left wide open. That means in english that someone with a little know-how could bypass the router and have direct access to my network, whether by FTP, TelNet, etc, and plant Trojans, etc. There's really no monotoring going on, nor intrusion detection with just using NAT via a router.Hence the need for a firewall. If you need help with this, drop me a line. Oh! and definately change the default password to the config of the router!!!

My recommendation would be to use the router properly configured, and add a firewall, or if you have a box you can set up running Linux, set up a DMZ/Honeypot box. (you could do it on an outdated 200-300mhx box with little to no problem) If you don't feel comfortable seeting up the DMZ, then run a firewall on your PC. There's a wide variety out there, from free, like Zone Alarm, to sealed boxes ranging in the thousands. It might sound like overkill, but you'd be amazed at how many attempts to get into your system go by unnoticed.

There's alot of hackers, crackers, and misfits out there who know hundreds of exploits and vulnerabilities of the common system out there. Protect yourself.

(sorry for hi-jacking the thread!!!)

 

[maddman75]

Re: More info on Firewalls vs router

For who ever asked, I have a 4 port Linksys router.

It was my understanding that the router has a built in firewall that prevents someone from getting past the WAN side to the LAN side and my computers.

Was I misinformed on this point? ( I have heard this multiple places, including my training for DSL installation and such.) If so could I get more information on firewalls? Specificly one that will work with AOL on my wifes computer. I had BlackIce before my router and it and AOL didn't get along at all.

Also could someone direct me to where I can get more info on the registration issues with XP.

Thanks

JDragon

A router and a firewall are two different things. A router connects different networks and makes sure the bits of information go where they need to go. A firewall blocks unauthorized access from the outside. These two functions can be combined into one box, such as with your Linksys router.

As for XP registration, try searching on register.co.uk or even just google. Google is your friend.

 

[maddman75]

One thing I wanted to add - everyone should have concern about getting cracked. Many think that a hacker wouldn't want their box - they use the computer for surfing, email, games, etc. Not exactly national security secrets.

But the crackers often don't want information, they want the box itself. They can use it for a variety of purposes. Maybe run an IRC server off your bandwidth to chat with thier buddys. Or something more nefarious, like using you to serve converted modules complete with the ESD (desperate attempt to make this thread somewhat on topic ) or use your machine to attack a server.

This is especially true if you have broadband. That fat pipe is tempting. Also make sure you harden up if your OS has raw sockets, such as Windows XP or any Unix based system.