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I don't know if you actually mean a NUC product, or NIC (network interface card). NUC products are here, but I don't know what would be involved in getting Windows 2000 to work on one: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/nuc/products-overview.html As far as a network interface card (NIC), I'm sure any good Gigabit Ethernet would work well, like the Intel PRO 1000 MT: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/50485/Intel-PRO-1000-MT-Desktop-Adapter

As I have stated in other places, Windows 2000 was never really given a fair shake, in my opinion. First, there was only about a year between the release of Windows 2000 and XP. No real opportunity for Windows 2000 to gain adoption. Then, the dot-com bubble burst and 9/11 followed shortly after. I think these events suppressed demand, and many companies stayed on NT 4.0 Workstation far longer than they may have (NT 4.0 was supported from 1996 to 2004). By the time they were ready to upgrade, they went straight from NT to XP. According to a 2004 article, IDC estimated 17% of servers were still running NT 4.0. (http://www.informationweek.com/its-the-end-of-the-road-for-windows-nt/d/d-id/1029231?) Finally, Microsoft withheld many improvements from 2000 that became available for XP- it never got a tabbed version of Internet Explorer, for example. Windows 2000 received the fewest versions of IE than any other OS in its history. IE 5.x and 6.x, that was it. For companies that standardized only on IE, this hastened the migration to XP. And, for the most part hardware and software companies specifically designed their consumer products around XP, not 2000.

Yes, I use NT 4.0 and 2000 regularly on two separate laptops. However, XP is my day-to-day operating system.

Avast's website states that "using Microsoft operating systems without the latest service pack may not be supported." Historical web faq shows Avast 8.0 was the first version to push SP3 as a requirement: https://web.archive.org/web/20130818062931/http://www.avast.com/en-us/faq.php?article=AVKB3 The previous 7.0 version in 2012 was the last branch requiring a minimum Windows 2000 SP4 and a Pentium 3 with 256MB RAM: https://web.archive.org/web/20120715035726/http://www.avast.com/en-us/pro-antivirus#tab2 I certainly can confirm that several updates are needed to get Avast running on Windows 2000: https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=94069.msg749148#msg749148.

The direct link for Adobe Shockwave is here: https://get.adobe.com/shockwave/ This will direct you to https://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/shockwave/default/english/win95nt/latest/Shockwave_Installer_Slim.exe The funny thing you'll notice is that it is still hosted in the "win95nt" directory which is surely ancient by now!

In that case you should try the unofficial updates for Windows 2000. Yes, I think I was still editing my post when you posted your response. There are unofficial updates for operating systems, but it's nothing short of a miracle that XP is supported by developers nearly 15 years after its release! As of this November, Google has delayed its support cutoff for Chrome on XP for the third time. The original plan was until at least April 2015 (http://chrome.blogspot.com/2013/10/extending-chrome-support-for-xp-users.html), then got delayed to at least the end of 2015 (http://chrome.blogspot.com/2015/04/providing-updates-for-chrome-for-xp.html), and now it stands at April of 2016 (http://chrome.blogspot.com/2015/11/updates-to-chrome-platform-support.html). The fact of the matter is that 10-12% of the world's computers run XP, which amounts to millions of machines.

Windows 2000 would have been a better supported system, had it not been limited to one year on the market before XP was released. Today, I stream video on Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime, which effectively obsoletes Windows 2000 as a realistic choice for a "be-all end-all" operating system. Windows 2000 does not support Silverlight 5. It also is not natively supported by current programs like Chrome, Firefox, Flash Player, Adobe Reader, etc, all of which are still written for Windows XP. I think this last point is critical, since XP is no longer patched. Browsers and Flash Players are the main vector through which viruses compromise the OS. I do not mind using an "obsolete OS", but I prefer a browser that receives security vulnerability updates. I can generally use an OS for at least 10 years before a replacement becomes necessary. Considering XP will be 15 years old next year, it has aged extremely well and I will continue to use it for my main OS as long as is feasible.

If you are using Adobe Flash Player 19, you likely have compatibility settings to at least Windows XP SP2, not Windows 2000. Windows 2000 does not support Flash Player 19, and neither do XP RTM or XP SP1. The final version for those editions was 11.1.102.55.

Are you using the correct VPS update? Avast 4.x uses a different update module (VPSUPD4.EXE) than 5.x and later (VPSUPD.EXE). https://www.avast.com/download-update

Yes, online and telephone activation is still available. In fact, Microsoft still requires it. The end of support doesn't mean activation goes away. http://www.zdnet.com/article/did-i-just-hear-this-right-microsoft-activation-servers-will-allow-new-xp-installs-after-doomsday/ I have activated XP Professional installs recently and can confirm the process works the same way it always has. There are plenty of new copies of XP available on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=windows+xp+new&_osacat=11226&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC2.A0.H0.Xwindows+xp.TRS1&_nkw=windows+xp&_sacat=11226

I usually use Firefox and Chrome on XP. Safer browsers than IE. I use IE 6.0 strictly for situations where I need legacy compatibility.

I don't know how necessary the Office updates really are. I use Office XP with the File Compatibility pack. I can open and edit newer Office Open XML formats, which is all I find I need. I have read about quite a few botched updates that have come out of Microsoft lately. I don't know if I would trust what they are releasing these days. I wonder if the elimination of their Trustworthy Computing department has any connection to that.

Until someone does this, it may be simpler to install KernelEx and run Firefox 3.6, which is more advanced than 2.0. http://kernelex.sourceforge.net/wiki/Mozilla_Firefox

I have a question: is there a reason you can't do it through My Computer --> Advanced --> Startup and Recovery? Windows 7 also has the same option to do this. You just toggle to select the one you want to be the default. (XP is the sole operating system on my Thinkpad; this is why you only see one option in the image below)

I went to Asus' driver page for the M4A79 Deluxe drivers: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M4A79_Deluxe/HelpDesk_Download/ I then download the driver zip file from 2008 (the 2nd link on the page): http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/Barebone/P-P5N9300/RealtekALC1200_Audio_V51005657_V6015657.zip After downloading, I opened the AsusSetup.ini file in the root of the folder, and I also opened the Readme.txt in the /Driver/Wdm folder. Both indicate that you should be able to install the driver in WINNT50 (aka Windows 2000) with Device Manager. See the below files I have placed on my FTP:

Obsolete is a subjective word. I don't want to sound pedantic, but as long as a computer program (or anything else in life) continues to serve the purpose for which it was designed, it is not obsolete. I think Microsoft's heyday ended after Windows XP, and possibly even earlier. Windows 7 users are automatically being force-upgraded to Windows 10 because of what Microsoft claims is a mistake. People have specifically chosen not to download the update, and it continues to download itself for installation at a later time. Also, no matter how many times a user hides the "optional" update, it keeps coming back. I hope Microsoft gets sued for this type of behavior (ha, maybe I will) by a corporation whose programs all stop working because they are incompatible with Windows 10. I will never use Windows 10, but this type of behavior is egregious. In my opinion, Windows 10 is the equivalent of a "law" being passed without the "voter" having a say in the matter. People should never be strongarmed into having something, regardless if it is free or not. That is not freedom. It's a terrible way to run a business, and I think it will cost Micosoft some future customers. I don't consider myself a treehugger, but we simply live in a world of planned obsolescence, where companies (and us consumers) have no regard for waste or environmental consequences. CCFL lightbulbs may be more energy efficient, but they poison the groundwater with mercury if not disposed of correctly.

I think it depends on the program you are using. Office 97, Word, lets you specify the default save location:

One question that immediately comes to mind is, "Do you have at least Windows Sockets 2.0 for Windows?" Opera 9.5 on Windows 95 requires Windows Sockets 2.0 (published June 15, 2008) The direct link for w95ws2setup.exe is available here: http://web.archive.org/web/20080615142443/http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/e/0/0e05231b-6bd1-4def-a216-c656fbd22b4e/W95ws2setup.exe

Software is generally written for operating systems at the service pack level. Don't forget, XP Service Pack 2 was patched for over six years, from 2004 through 2010. Service Pack 3 was also patched for about six years, 2008 through 2014. It shouldn't matter whether you are running SP3 RTM from 2008, or a fully patched SP3 through April 8, 2014. If a program wants SP3, that's all it looks for. There is one exception to this: old operating systems. The most recent time I saw specific patch requirements was with Windows 2000; some programs are dependent on KB891861, also known as the Rollup for Service Pack 4. Avast Antivirus is one such program.

Begin rant: I choose to use XP SP2 because it is the baseline for most software today, such as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Most software companies no longer write programs for SP1 or older, and modern programs will fail to install and run. I also find it to be much faster than SP3 on older machines. While the security of XP SP2 is up for debate, I am an experienced computer user and have been running unsupported operating systems for years with no viruses or infections. It really comes down to being a wise user and avoiding social engineering attacks. Even the most up to date Windows can be attacked if the user is foolish. That being said, XP SP3 is listed as the minimum requirement for many hardware items such as brand new printers and USB 3.0 equipment. Most computer hardware you buy at the store today will have XP SP3 listed as the minimum requirement. This does not necessarily mean it won't work on SP1/SP2; it means that the manufacturers may not help you/are not obligated to help you if you are running SP1/SP2 when you call them for support. Also, if you use Internet Explorer 6.0/7.0/8.0 on XP, you will be unable to access secure https:// websites unless you install SP3. This is because IE SHA compatibility is dependent on the underlying OS, and XP SP2 and older are not SHA 2 compatible. Again, the way around this is to install SP3, or use SP2 with a current browser like Chrome or Firefox. I prefer to use alternate browsers since they are safer. If you wish to have the most current security updates for XP through 2014, you should run SP3. Otherwise, SP2 will do the job. End rant.

Generally, when installing XP on a new machine, you need to "Enable Legacy Support" in the BIOS; this also means disabling UEFI mode and AHCI settings. I have never had a problem installing XP on a new machine after doing this. The process can be the same for Windows 7, as that OS does not natively support UEFI. Disable UEFI and Enable Legacy Boot

It is an artificial limitation that affects Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP and Server 2003. Even after unselecting SSL 3.0 in the browser, Google.com still fails to load. This does not happen on older versions of Internet Explorer. Any version of IE other than 6.0 loads. IE 6.0 SP3 is the only version of IE 6.0 that can load the Google.com home page; this version is included with/only available on XP SP3. According to Wikipedia, XP is the only OS that can run IE 6.0 SP3. This is why I think there are webmasters specifically blocking the IE 6 web browser. This does not occur under Internet Explorer 5. In fact, Internet Explorer 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.x all load.

I don't believe there is a way to force IE 6 to IE 5 compatibility mode. You can try messing about with the settings and/or the registry. I wouldn't bother; IE 6 is basically the same as IE 5. If anything IE 6 is a bit more unreliable these days. I don't run IE 6 on any of my machines. IE 5.0 is very stable and IE 5.5 adds nice features like print preview and better CSS support. Some websites crash immediately when you try to open them in IE6, but not in IE 5. I don't know if it is deliberate by web designers, or an inherent flaw within the IE 6 web browser.

I have noticed this phenomenon on machines running Internet Explorer 6 as well. The ideas that explain this are: 1) The POODLE attack in 2014 is unique to SSL 3.0. This prompted servers to block browsers specifically using SSL 3.0 (not block SSL 2.0). Browsers with only SSL 3.0 enabled will fail to connect to HTTPS unless you select TLS instead. 2) Internet Explorer 6 uses SSL 3.0 by default but Internet Explorer 5.5 and earlier use SSL 2.0 by default. 3) Hence, older browsers can access SSL sites because they are using SSL 2.0, not the banned SSL 3.0. I can still access my college's Banner system using Internet Explorer 5.0 under Windows 98!

Do you know which WiFi adapter you have? That machine had options for Atheros, Intel, and Ralink. I always write down hardware (chipset, video, sound, and network) before formatting. Once you've formatted it can be impossible to know what hardware you have. http://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/HP-Pavilion-g6-Notebook-PC-series/5330578/model/5367495#Z7_3054ICK0KGTE30AQO5O3KA30R1