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ARCHIVED: How do I choose between Windows 98/Me and Windows NT Workstation/2000 Professional?

Note: UITS recommends that you use a current version of Windows on computers connected to the Indiana University network; see Recommended Windows operating systems at IU.

When choosing an operating system, you need to ask yourself questions about what you need from your system: What tasks do I need my system to perform? Will I be using this system mostly in or out of a work environment? How important is security?

This document compares the primary features of the two main Windows OS "families": Windows 98/Me and the more business-oriented Windows NT Workstation/2000 Professional. By determining which factors are important to you, you can make an informed decision when choosing your operating system.

Note: All references to Windows 98 refer to Windows 98 SE (Second Edition).

  Windows 98, Windows Me Windows NT Workstation, Windows 2000
Primary focus Home/individual use: word processing, simple graphics layout, web browsing, low-traffic serving of web pages

Me: Multimedia for the home user; includes programs for manipulating photo, sound, and video files

 Business use, particularly for those on a network; also a superior platform for programmers, engineers, statisticians, high-end scientific users, and those requiring extensive security
Recommended hardware requirements1 98: 66+ MHz processor, 24 megabytes (MB) RAM, 175-225MB free hard drive space (may vary)

Me: 150+ MHz processor, 32MB RAM, 320MB free hard drive space2

 NT: Pentium processor, 32MB RAM, 110MB free hard drive space

2000 Professional: 133+ MHz processor, 64MB RAM, 2 gigabyte (GB) hard drive (minimum of 650MB free space)
Technical expertise required Does not require extensive technical knowledge to use effectively Greater technical knowledge sometimes required, particularly when configuring system security
Software bundled Me: Windows Media Player 7, Windows Movie Maker, Outlook Express 5.5, NetMeeting 3.1 2000 Professional: Active Directory, Outlook Express 5.5
Plug & Play support Yes NT: No, 2000 Professional: Yes
Overall stability Improved from Windows 95, though still crash-prone. Systems with Me pre-installed seem to be more stable than Me upgrades from 98. Both NT and 2000 are far superior in this area to the 9x family; 2000 Professional in particular is perhaps the most stable Windows OS to date.
Security Minimal, as these platforms are intended for the home user Superior to 9x/Me; has many security features, including ability to place restrictions on file/folder access on a user-by-user basis. Login and password required for access to the system. Nevertheless, NT and 2000 Professional do have their vulnerabilities. 2000 Professional also supports an encrypted file system.
Software support/compatibility Compatible with most applications, including DOS applications. Some programs may not work after upgrading to Windows Me. 2000 Professional: Many DOS, 16-bit Windows, and Windows 95 applications (and some games) will not run.
Hardware support/compatibility 98: Support for USB, AGP, DVD, IEEE 1394, multiple monitors. Me: Systems with older hardware may have problems upgrading to Windows Me. 2000 Professional: Support for AGP, USB, DVD, IEEE 1394. Does not support EIDE drives, 5 1/4-inch floppies, and many older ISA bus devices (i.e., scanners). Can add new hardware without rebooting.
Networking Peer to peer. 98: Improved Dial-up networking; includes support for things like Virtual Private Networking (VPN). Me: Simplified home networking Client-server. Support for 15 networking protocols.

2000 Professional: Can change network settings without rebooting
Internet features 98/Me: Broadband connection support, Internet tools, online gaming support; allows sharing of a single Internet connection across several computers 2000 Professional: Support for XML and DHTML.
Other features Windows Update; Disk Defragmenter utility arranges frequently used programs so they load more quickly. 98: Enhanced MIDI options, Active Desktop (web-based user interface) 2000 Professional: Enables users to go mobile, with support for offline files and folders. Performs well as a notebook operating system.

1These recommendations are issued by Microsoft.

2If you will be using Microsoft Movie Maker, Microsoft's recommendation changes to: Pentium II 300+ MHz processor, 64MB RAM, 2GB free space, and a 56K modem.

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Last modified on June 28, 2012.

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