Win2K newbie - some questions

[azagahl]

I'm going to try Win2K Pro (for gaming + development) and had some questions...

1. Does 2K have any problem with the >128 GiB hard disk barrier (lack of 48-bit LBA access)? I know XP pre-SP1 has this problem and I'm wondering if 2K SP4 has it as well?

2. Should I reformat my HD to use NTFS? Should I use a program like Ranish partition manager? Or is it better to boot from the CD and do this? I'm keeping all my backups in a FAT32 format (easy for data recovery) but I'm willing to try anything on my OS partition to increase efficiency.

3. I have a 2 GB FAT16 swap partition on a different HD right now, should I use that as swap? Or reformat that partition as NTFS as well? What's most efficient?

4. Does 2K SP4 have good support for USB and TWAIN devices? I'm worried about whether my hardware will work right away.

5. Is it safe to assume that DOS programs will basically be busted? Are there any worthwhile DOS emulators (e.g. for games like DOOM) or should I just forsake DOS programs entirely?

6. Is it a good idea to use AutoPatcher 2000? I want Win2K SP4 + Update Rollup 1 v2 + Dx9.0c + IE6sp1, and it looks like AutoPatcher 2000 can help get there.

7. I've been using mostly either XP or a 98 SE / ME hybrid, will there be any nasty surprises with switching to 2K?

Thanks!

Edited October 18, 2005 by azagahl

[InTheWayBoy]

1. SP4 should be able to handle any drive made today

2. NTFS is the way to go. I understand the FAT32 for backup, but you should really use NTFS as much as possible. For an easy way to get access to NTFS partitions when you don't have an OS, check out BartPE.

3. For the swap I don't really think it will make a difference, but I would probably go with NTFS as well. However, if you are sharing that drive across multiple OS's, it might be wise to keep it FAT16, for Win9x compatibility.

4. Support is as good as the manufacturer makes it. SP4 has full USB 2.0 support, but some manufacturers are only making WinXP drivers now. And while 2000 and XP are very similar, you could run into problems with certain drivers. HP comes to mind...they always make their software way more complicated than necessary.

5. DOS isn't totally busted, but I suggest you look into this program: DOSBox

6. I tried AutoPatcher before, and it's actually pretty sweet. You can even customize it to run other application installs. But, I gave up on it as I like to be able to do everything myself as much as possible. But it should set you straight!

7. Any Nasties? Hmmmm...Well it's not very consumer friendly, but that's not necesarrily a bad thing. You don't get little wizards to help you with cameras, things like that.

[Guest Jlo555]

Just don't try playing any old DOS games on win2k. Oh and if you backup your savegames for any game you have on a CD or w/e, make sure that when you copy it back to your computer that you uncheck the "read only" attribute for each savegame file. I found this out the hard way with Max Payne. Though, it applies to all files for some reason in win2k, and maybe 98se. Believe me, if you try to save a game to a read only savegame file, you'll have problems...

[fdv]

1. put this in an INF somewhere:

HKLM,"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Atapi\Parameters","EnableBigLba",0x10001,01,00,00,00

like in a HIVE*.INF.

6. autopatcher is fine but if you want to install a complete windows that is slipstreamed, go here.