[frothybbc]

ME is far more reliable than XP in my experience but...
MY ME runs on a Dell optiplex which is as solid as a rock and i dont want to give it up
it runs fine adequate enough for my needs

1) what are the options to upgrade to xp
2) is it possible to put a Kernel around ME and not worry about security and carry on regardless
3) if my hard disk is nearing the end of it's life is it better to think of new hard disk and then install XP
4) think of upgrading the whole system

[Advertisements]

1) the options to upgrade to xp are:
xp home
xp pro
within each of those you have the option to get
an upgrade version (cheaper)
or the full version
if you get the upgrade version you have to have your ME disk on hand any time you need to format and reinstall (not a big issue..just another disk to keep around)
with the full version you don't have to worry about the second disk
(there is also an education version of xp but we don't need to go into that unless you are a full time student)

2) not sure what you mean...but you can "secure" me with the same tools as you would with xp...like firewalls and virus protection (malware protection as well)...of course you won't be getting service packs and hotfixes so some of the internal holes will still be there...but with the OS going out of support most people are expected to switch to XP (and soon to vista) at which point new exploits for ME will be kind of well moot as people won't be wanting to get into these machines as much

3) if you know your HD is going out the window...and you WANT to upgrade to xp...that would deffinitely be easy...just pop in the drive and the xp cd and you're on your way...but if you want to keep ME you will just need to make sure you still have your original ME cd (a new HD doesn't mean you have to have a new OS...unless the new HD is too large to be supported by said O/S)

4) we're geeks...it's always time to be thinking about an upgrade..but that question really depends on your budget and your needs...if the system you have fit's ALL of your needs....why upgrade? just a waste of cash...now...if you have desires for something better...bite the bullet and upgrade (either piece by piece or just buy a new comp)

[dsenette]

1) the options to upgrade to xp are:
xp home
xp pro
within each of those you have the option to get
an upgrade version (cheaper)
or the full version
if you get the upgrade version you have to have your ME disk on hand any time you need to format and reinstall (not a big issue..just another disk to keep around)
with the full version you don't have to worry about the second disk
(there is also an education version of xp but we don't need to go into that unless you are a full time student)

2) not sure what you mean...but you can "secure" me with the same tools as you would with xp...like firewalls and virus protection (malware protection as well)...of course you won't be getting service packs and hotfixes so some of the internal holes will still be there...but with the OS going out of support most people are expected to switch to XP (and soon to vista) at which point new exploits for ME will be kind of well moot as people won't be wanting to get into these machines as much

3) if you know your HD is going out the window...and you WANT to upgrade to xp...that would deffinitely be easy...just pop in the drive and the xp cd and you're on your way...but if you want to keep ME you will just need to make sure you still have your original ME cd (a new HD doesn't mean you have to have a new OS...unless the new HD is too large to be supported by said O/S)

4) we're geeks...it's always time to be thinking about an upgrade..but that question really depends on your budget and your needs...if the system you have fit's ALL of your needs....why upgrade? just a waste of cash...now...if you have desires for something better...bite the bullet and upgrade (either piece by piece or just buy a new comp)

[frothybbc]

thanks dsenette for your hasty reply much appreciated , nothing like an onlookers opinion .
is it possible to preserve the machine and run it as a server or is that asking for trouble ?

[dsenette]

well...in my experience ME sucks on networks...you could in theory use it as a file server type deal by adding it to a work group and sharing the resources of the machine...but ME wasn't really designed for this

[Neil Jones]

To expand on option number 2:

If its running happily now, do a ghost image with Norton Ghost or whatever onto a spare hard drive and keep it safe.

The other alternative is to do a fresh installation of Windows ME on that computer, do all the security patches, updates and stuff while they're still available for download from Windows Update. Then ghost that installation and burn it to CD. Therefore next time all you do is grab you personal stuff, restore the drive from the ghost file and you've got a fully up to date, fully patched version of Windows ME.

[dsenette]

indeed neil! if y ou don't wanna buy ghost you can get drive image xml...it's free and does a bit by bit image of the drive..so it works well for this kind of stuff...