OPERATING SYSTEM

     This is the most important part of building your PC, deciding what OS (operating system) to use. There are two main choices: Windows ME, and Windows 2000 Professional. The upgrade for ME is about $50 while the upgrade for Win2K Pro is about $200. They are both excellent operating systems. Windows ME would be more suitable for a home PC, or for someone that does not know much about computers. It is very compatible, and is easy to get around in. Win2K on the other hand is expensive, however if you are running a powerhouse PC like I am you will want to use it, because it can better manage your memory and system resources. Win2K is made for businesses, but I say that it is also a very good home system. The best thing about it its that you have way more control over your entire system, it is practically crash proof, and it has a better GUI (graphical user interface).

     I have to say that my favorite OS is Windows 2000 Professional, however I don't use it, because it has too many problems with my custom system. First of all it will not recognize the motherboard, when I try to make it recognize the motherboard, it causes system lockup and I have to format my hard drive and reinstall it. It also does not play DVDs as well, which is strictly Creative Labs fault for not making their program and drivers very compatible. On some of my DVDs, they will just lock up and freeze completely at a set time. So it is not random, on certain movies the system will just crash at a specific time spot. However on the good side, besides the DVDs and Motherboard problem Win2K has never ever crashed on me once! It also even plays my games faster than Win ME, due to the fact that it manages your system resources better. It is lightning fast! Even though I like Win2K better than ME I am forced to use ME because of my compatibility issues. Sure I could set up a dual boot and use both OSs but that is just a pain in the neck when You have to install everything twice.

     I give Windows Millennium Edition an 80% for greatness, while Windows 2000 Professional gets a 90%. They are both great, and I like them both, they each have their strong points. However Win2K is just more my style, it is just too bad that my powerhouse PC has conflicts with it. Bottom line is unless you know a ton about Windows, just stick with ME, your life will be much simpler. I would not give these OSs any higher of a rating, even though they are pretty much your only two choices right now, what can I say? It's Microsoft, and its always full of bugs.