I went to http://www.kuroyumes-developmentzone.com/ just now and I tried to access it several times and it is 404.

I just tried to go there and there was nothing. Didn`t you have a site with them? You would think that they would at least have e-mailed you if they went belly-up.

I have had trouble seeing your thumbnails that come from there on more than one occasion. Maybe they're just not very reliable, and you need to wait for the man with the spanner to get there? I assume the host is in the US, in which case the support staff might have gone home if it's not manned 24/7.

Well, I couldn't email - belly-up or not! ;0) - because I had no internet connectivity for 28 hours. Went to the store yesterday, returned, no internet. You can all go thank QWest for being the f@#ks that they are and messing with my T1 line (circumstantial, but I did see two trucks at a main junction on my way out yesterday). I'm not even a QWest customer, nor is the T1 connected with them; just in the same boxes and hut as their equipment and lines. Why do they keep touching it?! :( See, this is the quality service you get paying !!! $20 !!! A DAY for an Always-on T1 line in the middle of nowhere, USA, folks. Customer support is 24/7. The man with the spanner has banker's hours... :) It's back and I wish there was a means to alert when something like this happens, but I don't even had a phone line (per se) - I use Vonage VoIP for my home phone (Wonder's if he can do text email with his cell phone, hhmmmm). Kuroyume Back in Black

I just had a lightning storm here, and when I switched on afterwards, my PC acted odd after I logged in, and when I stopped and restarted my PC, my Windows 98 complained about a registry fault and went through a self-tidying ritual. It seems to be running OK now.

Windows 98 does have a habit of booting up wrongly anyway. But if you think windows 98 is bad you should see windows xp, it seems to take a minute or two just to open a folder with xp. It`s good to see that the site problem was only temporary.

If I got an ordinary home PC now, which version of Windows do you recommend to put on it?

Message edited on: 08/06/2004 00:36

If you want to 'avoid' Windows XP, but upgrade away from Windows 98 (I sure would - consider the date: 98! That's six years old and, quite frankly, a few things have changed in that time) ;0), I'd go with Windows 2000. THE most stable Windows OS. I use XP Pro, but then I turn off all of the bells and whistles (Ooey GUI, Messenger, etc.). Folders don't take 'a minute or two' if you do that. Basically, XP without the junk is Windows 2000 enhanced (but with its own set of 'vulnerabilities' as can be seen from the 6,352 security updates). ;) Avoid Windows ME at all costs. The pre-release was a joke (couldn't even install it as it found reams and reams of the same hardware) and the release managed to be useless, not on one machine, but two. Hey, for some amazingly lucky people it works. But I've been using computers for over 15 years, build/upgrade my own systems continuously, and I'd rather use DOS 5.0 than Windows ME!!

What is the full list of those "bells and whistles"? How do I turn each of them off? If I got Windows XP now, will it have all those security updates already incorporated?

Message edited on: 08/06/2004 01:37

I've not seen any Windows labelling, except the new editions (Win98 becoming Win98SE) on retail packaging, which tells you the CD supplied is at any particular seervice-pack level. So I fear you'd be stuck with downloading the patches. Microsoft stopped letting the UK magazines put the patch files on their cover disk. Connecting over a phone line, this is a huge deterrent to upgrading my Windows.

The full list depends. Pro is slightly different than Home edition. But, you can turn off most of them with one click in Control Panel->System->Advanced Settings. Messenger is a royal pain in the butt. The only way to get rid of it is to disable the service in the Administrative Tools->Services (again, not certain of Home version). Don't activate or use Active Desktop. Set Windows Update to ask before downloading and isntalling updates (System->Automatic Updates). Turn off Remote everything (System->Remote). I agree with AntoniaTiger, Windows rarely comes with updates or service packs included on the install CD. But, you can get the service packs on CD for free by asking (there's a form at Microsoft's site, I believe). Service packs are the worst for size. Plus, a good strategy is to download and archive as many updates as can be done that way (most security updates are hard to get this way). This type of download (instead of the interactive Windows Update type) is usually called "network install" for administrators.

Installing XP on an old system is a bad idea for many reasons. If you've gone that long without buying new hardware, now is the time to buy new hardware. Hewlett Packard makes some very good, cheap systems which are perfect for Poser/3d AND gaming. Look up a320n, which is what I have, only difference is that I added an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. Runs $600 or less, $850 if you add in the Radeon.

You might like a dual boot system (which is what I am planning) So you can boot with windows xp ( or whatever windows you choose ) or windows 98.