Windows XP?

[randychase]

Anyone using PowerPCB on this O/S yet? Thoughts? Worth the upgrade or not?

[Carl_at_xrite]

Randy,
We use pads on 2000 actually, but I can tell you this I have 2 systems at home running XP home edition, I replaced a motherboard in one and it corrupted my XP License.
I have to call Microshaft to re-license my software this is a lousy licensing scheme escpecially if you change hardware.
My recommendation stick with 2000.


Come on LINUX!!!!

Carl

[randychase]

Works fine!

[randychase]

It's been reported over and over now that PowerPCB works fine under Windows XP. I have yet to hear of an XP related problem.

[Chuck Dowling]

I have XP on two systems. Best OS EVER! Never crashes, at least for me. PADS runs great, no problems at all, and I've done 4-5 boards on it already.

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

Randy,

All I've heard about the function of XP is good. The biggest problems I have with XP are as follows:

1. The stupid licensing scheme. If you frequently change hardware you are going to be on the phone (or internet) with M$ tech support a lot re-activating your license.

2. By agreeing to the EULA you are giving M$ the right to download upgrades to your PC whether you want them or not, with or without your knowledge or consent. What a GREAT way to get a keystroke monitor, web surfing monitor, download monitor or other Trojan software installed on your PC. And, since the Trojan is part of Windows your firewall will most likely ignore it!

3. By agreeing with the EULA you give up your right to speak your opinions of M$, unless you only have good opinions of M$. If you use any of the XP suite of products to disparage M$, they can sue you. This will be challenged in court if M$ ever pursues it and will most likely get thrown out. However...

If you can live with these things then XP may be for you. If not, stick with Win2K (NT 5.0) or hold out for Lindows. After all, XP is only WinNT 5.1. Seems M$ did a pretty good job keeping that quiet. Not that many people know XP is just a dot upgrade from Win2K

Ben

[randychase]

I agree with that. And for that reason, I am keeping W2K on my systems. It's robust. I can keep 30 windows including AutoCad, Orcad, PowerPCB, Adobe, 8-10 Internet Explorer browsers, Eudora, Outlook, Kazaa, Microsoft Project, Quickbooks Pro. WinRAR, Creative Sound, and more.... all open and once and leave them open for a month.

[Franco]

Just updated to PADS 5 and also from Win98SE to Win2000Pro.
PADS 5 works really fine on it.

BTW
When you look at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle.asp
you can see that the 'Official Lifecycle of Win2K' ends on March 31, 2004.

[Tom]

Randy,

I use Win2000 at the office and WinXP at home. I have never had any problems with either one. Both very stable operating systems. I do however love the graphics on WinXP. It rounds off the corners of all the dialog boxes and gives them a 3D look. Cool!

I also like WinXP reminding me of available software updates. Makes it really handy to stay current. Last night I was working at home and WinXP alerted me that there was an update for my Adobe Acrobat Reader. V5.0.5 is now available.

I heard that Microshaft does not infringe on any of your privacy rights while using WinXP. What are my privacy rights? In the world of software, I don't know.

I'm running off the TV cable at home. I'm looking to purchase a router for my home office. I heard that they have a built in "Fire Wall" and I can connect several computers to it (including wireless laptops) and they will all have internet access. I can also connect multiple computers through it to access a single printer. Anyone out there have a good router recommendation?

[randychase]

Tom, I use the Linksys Cable/DSL router. Not sure if there is a lot of differences in router types, but this one works well for me.

It was a little complicated to set up, but it has been bullet proof and stable since I did. It includes a hardware firewall.

I was using a software firewall (and anyone on a direct connection to the net would be insane to not use a firewall!) and it was showing about 15 intrusion attempts a day, many of them were bots or whatever. When I hooked the linksys up, the software (BlackICE) was reporting hardly any attempts past my router.

[Lameris]

Gosh, although in some respects I like XP. XP home has been the most unstable operating system I have ever used.

Windows Update never fixes any problems I have, the Blue Screens of Death and the crash reports haven't resulted in a solved solution. Scan hardware for updates always says "I have the most upto date and proper drivers installed" If so, why do I crash so much.

I bought this computer, Dell Dimension, 4300 so I could use it, as I am tired of spending more time getting the computer to work than actually using it. Unfortunately that hasn't been the case. At the present time, I only have VGA video, because I updated the drivers for the Intel MB so that the hard drives would actually work at UDMA speeds. Having only a dialup modem, it is difficult to download the multimegabyte updates required. Yesterday I crashed 3 times trying to Download a 6Meg file. MS makes it difficult to link to the download so that I could have someone else download it and copy to CD.

[Tom]

Gary,

I have never crashed my XP OS yet. I'm running a Compact Presario 2Gig + feature loaded ($999.00 Fry's last June). I'm at home working right now and really test driving it. I've got open programs PADS, several windows of Excel, Word, Outlook, Explorer, Web, AutoCAD and still can watch DVD's in the background while I quickly bounce between programs.

OK, I'm editing (updating) my last post above. I was just able to crash WinXP. I loaded some new VPN software to link to my computor at the office. Everything went fine and I was able to access my offices hard disk drive from my home. In the middle of copying files from one hard disk to another WinXP crashed and auto-rebooted. I never had that happen with Win2000.

[Lameris]

Welcome to the club Tom!

Perhaps I have some flakey hardware, perhaps it is a bad driver somewhere. I'm getting tired of 640x480x4...

Time to pull out the Dell Installed nVidia card and pop in my spare ATI radion... I thought I had it fixed the other night when I rolled back the AGP driver, but plain old VGA is back again.

Most of my crashes occur when I am online, but I only have dialup network service to this date and I get a lot of hangups and dead lines on it too. I'm not sure if that is due to the computer or the phone line, it's not easy to tell. I've had a "new pair" to the switch installed twice so far in the last year and I am still waiting for the cable modem they promised 5 years ago...

[Mark Larson]

My experience with Dell is that when it is my choice to select hardware, it will not be a Dell. They might be OK for home and business users, but for an engineering workstation you have to go with something else.

I have never had a crash with NT, I mean absolutely NEVER. There is the problem of it's weakness for multiple monitor support. I still use it at home, it would cost to upgrade and it's never been a problem, so why upgrade?

I've used 98 and 2000 at work, better multiple monitor support on both but 98 crashes allot and 2000 occasionally has problems too.

[Tom]

Gary,

This is in regards to Windows XP OS. I am now experiencing the crash phenomina that you were discribing. It's really strange but my Windows XP that I use at home is starting to crash more often. And the way that it crashes is totally wierd. You're working in a program and out of nowhere XP decides "It's time to reboot". I do not get the typical "Lock Up" or "Blue Screen of Death", XP just simply goes into "Restart Mode".

Now I have to admit that it's not my "CAD Workstation", it's actually our home computer for the wife and kids, e-mail and web browsing and that could have something to do with the problem. But, I would like to hear from other XP Users to find out if they are experiencing similar problems.

[Lameris]

Changing the video board (to ATI, but I'm not running PowerPCB at home) and playing with the video drivers and rolling back a driver for something else, I've had a stable system for a few weeks!

It's probably a driver or a file somewhere, it's just

WHICH ONE ???

Gary

[Colorado-PC-Dude]

Tom,

Check your system cooling, especially the CPU and power supply fans (and any others you may have on your system). I had this same problem on my old 466 machine and it turned out to be a dead power supply fan. I now have five cooling fans on my PC and I am going to water cooling (MUCH quieter) with my next upgrade.

Ben

[morgandeo]

Hi friend,
Ya, i am using power PCB using windows XP but i can't check.