Hi everybody

I finally got Poser 6 ...and a new pc:

Centrino 1,7 GHZ
ATI Radeon 9700 (128 MB)
1024 RAM

Please could you tell me which OS i should install on that notebook??
I have Windows 2000 and Windows XP. So which one shall I take??

Maybe it's a stupid question but before i set up my nb i wanted to ask that.
What ar ure experiences? Any Tips?
Shall I do some special things on my OS to make it more ''comfortable'' for using with poser...and maybe other 3D design?
Thank u
Stef

It would have to be XP, on the grounds that that's going to be supported for longer. XP Professional is a better bet than XP Home, if you have that choice. I use 2000 personally, and haven't felt the need to change. Poser isn't very demanding on the OS, except that NT based versions of Windows are superior to 95 / 98 / ME, mainly because of their improved memory management. One thing that afflicts Poser 4, and I don't know if it applies to 5 and 6, is sensitivity to page file fragmentation. A good strategy, if you know your way around OS setups, is to create a small partition on your hard disk (say 2-3GB) and use that for the page file only.

We've got three computers in our house. The XP machine consistently has problems with Poser 6. It locks up 10 times more often, spits out the memory bug problems on just about every render, and is just annoying. BTW, this machine has 1GB of RAM. My machine is on Win2K. I've had the memory bug one time on one particular render. I've also got just 512MB of memory. My preference is Win2K but I'd say that about 90% of the community only uses XP. In the long run, it is up to you. Our 3rd computer is used primarily for my husband to get on his office's network from home so I'm not even sure what system he has on it. I think he uninstalled Poser from it though.

Well, I have the same sort of setup that Krissta has. I run my poser on a Win2K box. I get the memory bug once in a while, but I know when it's going to happen, because I overload the scene, and have 'rosity, Photoshop, and ESPN open at the same time. As far as fragmentation, I just did a defrag 2 days ago. This is after weeks of playing with P6, but it was an absolute mess. Regardless of OS, if you are using Poser more than once a week, defrag often! My experience with Poser has been significantly better on Win2K than XP. I love Win2K, but XP has frequently given me a headache. Keep in mind, Win2K was built from the start as a server-ready enviorment. The server install could only be done once 2kPro was already on. That alone gives you better memory performance than XP, which was designed as a workstation-level OS. Granted, Win2k will be unsupported first, but that is what, 5 years from now? By then, you will have Poser 8, running on Win2K10, with a 100Ghz 128-bit CPU.

Thank you!
U helped me alot, telling me you experiences with Poser.
Meanwhhile i really tend to install XP cause it is so...umm...let me call it ''supported'' and so ''present''...dont know how to say it better.
U can generelly do so much (creative and individual) in XP that its a joy to work with. Its a nice-looking OS, BUT IT ALSO HAS TO BE EFFECTIVE too.
Well I dont use only Poser on my notebook. But i love working with Poser and just bye the way....Poser isnt really cheap!! So i would like to create so wonderful and complex scenes like all the great artists here on 'rosity WITHOUT all the errors like a shutting down computer, or a messege box telling me there's not enough memory or a mistake or something. And i finally want poser to let the mouse arrow not disappear suddenly, so that i cant move a thing. And I hate Poser for freezing or stuff. pahhh, so ...that i needed! ;)

Well of course i use other software too: I record and watch movies as well or...ok, i got two games i play from while to while. But i also work alot with Poser...but it should be stable, otherwise its not a pleasure and i regret having given out so much money!

Thats what im thinking!
I thank all those who have written me so far about their experiences and have given me tips.
Please hold on writing me and help me with my decision.
Thanks again

Stef :)

I'd go with 2000. In fact I did. I had 2000, upgraded to XP, then went back to 2000. XP itself is more weighty than 2000 memory/disc wise. The main thing I hate about it is the registration. If you change the hardware under XP you have to go through the whole registration thing again. Also my own experience is that 2000 was more stable than XP, however it's a few XP service paks later so I'd imagine XP is pretty stable right now. Basically XP was a waste of time and money for me. Unzipped

Poser has know memory bugs that are independent of the OS (and supposed to be patched soon), so I'm not sure if one OS is going to be better for it over the other in this regard. I personally like XP Pro better; Win2K is not nearly as user friendly and is not as well supported by software makers and device makers. Given that MicroShaft has a long history of dropping support for older products, I think you would be better off with XP.

"Win2K is not nearly as user friendly and is not as well supported by software makers and device makers" Simply put, I'll have to disagree with this statement. In terms of software support and device drivers Win XP and Win 2000 are virtually identical, I'd be curious to hear of software or hardware that XP handles while 2000 doesn't. As far as user friendly, I find 2000 much more of a pleasure to use than XP was - so that's a subjective statement at best. Unzipped