Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Upgrade w/ Encryption Coded Software

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Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
• ASIN: B00003JAU9
• Item model number: B23-00082
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 7, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,418 in Software (See Bestsellers in Software)

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  Software > Operating Systems > Microsoft Windows > Windows 2000

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

With its responsive user interface and improved reliability, Windows 2000 Professional is truly the most appealing version yet of Microsoft's operating system. Provided you have the hardware to run it (at least 64 MB of RAM is required), you won't find a better, more serious OS for business computing.

If you are upgrading from previous editions, the Windows 2000 wizards are particularly useful; they'll detect all your software and possible compatibility problems before you make the switch. In testing, our upgrade for a laptop was smooth and sure, and all previously installed software was automatically brought onboard to the new version.

Previously, Microsoft offered only limited support for notebook users within Windows NT 4.0. Windows 2000, however, allows most recent laptops to take advantage of power-management features, plug-and-play standard, plus recent hardware advances, such as the Universal Serial Bus (USB), IrDA for infrared devices, and FireWire. All these improvements mean that Windows 2000 will run on a greater array of systems.

There are some unexpected additions, too. You can also "hibernate" your Windows 2000 notebook to save and restore your work quickly as you go out on the road. In addition, this new OS adds more support for working offline with data saved from the Internet. (The Windows 2000 version of Internet Explorer 5.0 and Active Desktop, which allows you to access Web content from the desktop, are bundled here too.)

Besides support for mobile users, Windows 2000 beefs up reliability and greatly reduces the need to reboot as you update drivers, settings, and the like. Although you can still expect your Linux friends to brag that their favorite OS is even more reliable, the ease of configuration in Windows 2000 and its new-and-improved reliability make for an excellent choice for any serious computer user. Of course, if your business is using Windows 2000 Server on the back end, you will also benefit from easier installation and configuring of software, since these tasks can now be automated by remote administrators.

In all, Windows 2000 is a great-looking operating system, with a slick visual style, a responsive user interface, and plenty of power beneath the hood. For desktop and mobile users, it's a state-of-the-art choice for running today's Windows applications and for getting to the Internet. --Richard Dragan

Product Description

MODEL- MS-CD18748NT VENDOR- MICROSOFT CORPORATION FEATURES- Windows 2000 Professional- Version Upgrade Built on NT Technology Windows 2000 Professional offers rock-solid reliability and improved manageability that simplify desktop management. And its integrated Web capabilities and broad support for mobile computers and hardware devices make it easy for business users to connect to the Internet and work anywhere anytime. Legally licensed users of the following products will qualify for upgrade pricing: Client Upgrades- Windows 95 or 98 Windows NT Workstation 3.51 or 4.0. Server Upgrades- Windows NT Server 3.51 or 4.0 Windows NT Server 4.0 Enterprise Edition Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition. Beta Upgrades- Release Candidate 1 (RC1) 2 (RC2) or 3 (RC3). * Windows 2000 Professional is built upon the rock-solid reliability of Windows NT technology which makes it significantly more reliable than either Windows 95 or Windows 98 technology. Reliability improvements in Windows 2000 Professional make it even more stable than Windows NT Workstation. Windows 2000 Professional offers high system uptime dynamic system configuration and resilience to application failures. * The support for standards-based security in Windows 2000 Professional protects corporate data in stand-alone and networked environments. Windows 2000 Professional offers a set of built-in tools that make it easier to deploy and manage. In addition Windows 2000 Professional offers an intelligent user interface that adapts to the way users work thereby making the users more efficient. * Windows 2000 Professional extends the capability of notebooks through support for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) Smart Battery and Advanced Virtual Private Network (VPN). It enables users to Work Anywhere Anytime through support for offline folders and files. The improved hardware support in Windows 2000 Professional includes support for the latest hardware standards including Universal Serial Bu...

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Operating System Yet, February 17, 2000

By A Customer

Microsoft got it right this time with Windows 2000! If I could give it more than 5 stars I certainly would have done so. It's an eight on a scale of one to five. I have been using W2K for over a month now, and the performance and stability are great. "Plug and play" works even better than the Win9x operating systems, and setup is a breeze if you have a relatively new PC (2-3 years old or newer). Make sure you have a decent amount of memory (I recommend no less than 96 mb, 128 mb or more is even better). Certain drivers have been hard to come by (in particular 3D graphics accelerator card drivers) but that should change now that W2K is offically released. However, most of the drivers you need to get your PC going are included and automatically installed for you during setup.

If you are using Win9x or Windows NT, get out there and buy W2K. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

As far as cost goes, it's not cheap, but well worth the price of admission. Most of your applications will work just fine, so you don't need to buy all new applications. The quality of the product is comparable with its relatively high price. My experience with "free" operating systems is that you get what you pay for with them. Unless you want to spend all your time compiling your operating system and tweaking it endlessly, just buy W2K and be done with it. Your time is worth more than the upgrade cost, isn't it?

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Windows 2000 is incredible!, February 18, 2000

By	Jonathan Patton (Bellevue, Nebraska) - See all my reviews

Yesterday, I purchased Windows 2000 the day it came out. I opened the box and followed the instructions. They listed everything I needed to make sure the installation was successful, in which it was.

Windows 2000 installed flawlessly! I hit "next, next, next, next" and let the program do the remaining work (approximately 45 minutes).

I want this review to prove that Windows 2000 is above and beyond of what the "media" has been saying. Let me list the good and the bad about the program:

GOOD:

1) Reliability. No freezing whatsoever even though I've put my computer through the stress test. 2) Most major pieces of software and hardware are compatible! 3) Video games are playable, even the ones that were made for Windows 3.1! 4) New graphic interface with icons, buttons, backgrounds and sounds! 5) Start up and shut down are tremendously quick. 6) The list goes on and on!

BAD:

1) Norton AntiVirus no longer works. 2) My DVD player no longer works. 3) Sound works, but there is static when sound plays at a low level. 4) These may be major errors on your behalf, but these are very small to me. These are all of the errors I've encountered!

Take it from me, a business owner and home user, it's 90x better than Windows 98. END

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Even Bother With Microsoft Windows Me!, November 25, 2000

By	"erniedaddario" (Hartsdale, New York USA) - See all my reviews

I'm not trying to knock Microsoft Windows Me!, but Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional is THE BEST operating system on the market. I was running Microsoft Windows 95, then Microsoft Windows 98 then finally Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition. I was going to upgrade to Microsoft Windows Me!, but when I heard it was still using the Microsoft Windows 98 engine, I said enough! I upgraded to Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional and it was the best move I made. It has all the plug and play of Microsoft Windows 98 but it's built on NT technology. I couldn't upgrade to Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 because I have a scanner plugged into a USB port but Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional took care of all of that. I have a four year old Gateway Pentium Pro 200 machine and it's now running faster than my work laptop which is Pentium III 366MHz. Did I mention that my laptop is running Microsoft Windows 95? I will be upgrading that one very soon too! One word of caution though, MAKE SURE you check out the hardware and software compatibility list, especially the hardware one. My sound card, an Ensoniq Vivo, was not supported but I was able to use the legacy NT 4.0 driver. It took a while before I got is working, but it was worth it. Even if you are a home user, don't bother with the other ones. I used to have to reboot my machine two or three times a night in a four hour span. So far, I haven't frozen yet in over a week. The only time I have to reboot is when I occassionally add new features or software. My vote is, way to go Microsoft! What took so long to put the plug and play and NT technology together? Thanks for your time all.