win 2000

[Omega]

Windows 2000 Professional is an extremely stable operating system. Furthermore, it offers a plethora of features useful for basic and advanced users, including varrying user levels, file security (NTFS), and IIS. In my experiences, Windows 2000 is significantly superior to Windows 98. There are some incompatabilities with hardware and software, but after applying the service pack(s?), a compatability layer exists, where applications can be run in an environment simulating Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0. It's not perfect, but I've seen it solve some problems.

If you've got the money, or some other method of obtaining Windows 2000 Professional, I would definately suggest using it, and seeing if it suits your needs. Alternately, Windows XP Professional offers stability similar to that of Windows 2000, along with some new features, and similar performance, but possibly better hardware compatability.