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Win2k or XP with Freedos on ThinkPad X201?


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Hi,

 

First post here, but got a few questions already! I've recently got a refurbished ThinkPad X201, which I'm really happy with, but less so with the Win7 64 installation, which is incompatible with some of my preferred software and a lot of DOS programs I still use. 

 

As such I thinking of replacing it with an older version, and I'm tossing up between XP and 2000 together with FreeDos. My main software (other than common network stuff like Firefox etc.) is Visual Basic 6, File Manager, Papyrus 12, Office 2k and Photoshop PS2, and well as some legacy DOS / win 3.x games. Most of it will run on both XP and 2k, so mainly I'm just wondering which one has better on going community support?

 

I always had a soft spot for Win 2k pro, I must admit.

 

 

 

 

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How much space would you need? :crazy:

 

Give it a try first and see how much space gets "eaten" - or do you already know? :unsure:

 

Bear in mind VPC VHD's only use as much space as is actually *used*. I have a 4GB XP + 4GB 2KPro and have installed full Office onto it. FreeDOS shouldn't need more than about 512MB. Not sure about your other requirements.

 

(Side note: actual size of XP is roughly that - 2K is roughly 2GB as of now for "test beds".)

 

edit - all my VPC suff (DOS, NT, Win95, Win98SE, as well as XP/2K) takes *way less* than 32GB (more like ~16gb). Heck, I even have an *old* Acer ("blue" tower) backup ghosted to a VHD, same space. :yes:

Edited by submix8c
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It really sounds like you want to use your own choice of software, instead of what the computer was bundled with. If you have some way of restoring Windows 7 after the fact, why not just try it?

 

It looks like the ThinkPad X201 has Windows XP drivers but not Windows 2000 drivers. You may be able to use those XP drivers on 2000, since I've never tried it, I don't know.

 

Of course there are also the security risks to be considered that come with using an operating system that's no longer in extended support. Windows XP still gets what you might call support because you can trick Windows Update rather easily into thinking that it's Windows Embedded POS Ready 2009, which has extended support until 2019. If it's Windows 2000 that you want, there are ways of extending its usage so it works as a somewhat current operating system, but of course it hasn't received official security patches from Microsoft for almost five years now.

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