Why Windows 98 is Not the OS Upgrade You Want

Before making a decision on which operating system is right for you, there are several questions that need to be answered. You'll need to know which software you need to run and what hardware you're going to run it on. If you're reading this article, I'm going to make the assumption that your software arsenal includes high-end graphics software that you use to earn a living. And I'll also assume that you've purchased a new machine in the past two years that has enough power to run today's high-end graphics software.

Real 32-bits

Microsoft has heavily touted that Windows 95 and 98 are 32-bit operating systems. To a point they are. But in order to retain backwards compatibility with Windows 3.x applications and DOS applications, there is a large chunk of the code that is still 16-bit. So as much as Microsoft tries to hide the fact, you are still running DOS with Windows 9x on top of it. The problem is that this can cause instability in your computer, you probably call it crashing.

Microsoft does have an operating system that runs almost all of the same software as Windows 9x and it is truly a 32-bit operating system. It's called Windows NT. The current version looks almost identical to Windows 95 and with Internet Explorer 4.x installed, it is very similar to Windows 98. The upside to Windows NT is that you should find that crashing is kept to a minimum. And even when a software application crashes, very rarely does it cause a problem with Windows NT.

The problem with Windows NT is that it will not run software which tries to access hardware directly. Games are main group of software that won't run under NT. This doesn't mean that there aren't any games, there are just a smaller number that are currently compatible. The good news is that more and more are being released every day. Utilities written for DOS or Windows 9x probably won't work either. You'll find that most of your favorite utilities have been released for Windows NT.

FAT 32 vs NTFS

The FAT 32 file system that was released as a patch to Windows 95 and integrated into Windows 98 was built because of the large amount of space being wasted on user's hard drives. It was built around the VFAT file system that came with the first release of Windows 95. VFAT brought you long file names. Both of these extensions are shoehorned around the original FAT file system that came with DOS back in 1981.

Windows NT can work with FAT file systems. But it also comes with NTFS (NT Filing System) which provides all of the benefits of FAT 32 and much more. Best of all, it was written from the ground up instead of patching old technology. Just as Windows 98 can convert a hard drive to FAT 32, Windows NT can convert a hard drive to NTFS.

Look and Feel

Windows NT 4.0 looks and feels very much like Windows 95. And Windows 2000 will look very similar to Windows 98. While they look alike, the underlying technology is quite different. Windows 9x supports one processor while Windows NT can support two as a minimum and many more if you are running more expensive versions. Making the switch will require a minimum of re-learning if you've been using Windows 95. You may not even notice the difference.

OK, I'm Ready To Switch

The hardest part is the conversion itself. Before you even attempt to switch, look on Microsoft Web site for the Windows NT Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). Check to see that all your hardware is on the list. If it isn't, it may not be supported. Unless you've bought something really exotic or are using very old hardware, chances are that everything will be supported. One of the easiest ways to switch to NT is to just have it pre-installed the next time you purchase a new machine.

Another problem is that you can not easily convert from Windows 95 to Windows NT. You have to install Windows NT in a fresh folder and then reinstall all of your software. This will take a little time, but it gives you a chance to clean up your machine. Windows 2000 will allow you to upgrade from Windows 95 or 98, but won't be available until February 17, 2000.

I Made the Switch and I'm Happy

Two years ago, I switched to Windows NT. At that time, my scanner and CD Recorder were not supported. That was solved long ago. I was also frustrated that Adobe Type Manager wasn't available so that I could use PostScript fonts. But it is now available and best of all it's free. It will even be integrated with Windows 2000. Other than games, I haven't run into an application in the past year that didn't work properly. And I've even found several excellent games that work perfectly. New features for graphics professionals will find their way into Windows 2000. Those features include color management that is integrated into the operating system and improved typography.

If I haven't convinced you yet then maybe you should know that Microsoft has freely admitted that they are betting the whole business on Windows 2000 and that Windows 98 is the last in the line. So, you can switch now or you will switch later.