Any difference between versions of Windows?

[Jeff AMN]

Has anybody been able to tell if there's a noticeable performance difference between Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, or Vista? I was just curious if this had any sort of impact at all on things.

I did a search and couldn't find an answer.

[u_rebelscum]

Depends what you mean by "performance".  If you just mean speed, not really but that depends on drivers, amount of memory, etc.  There are some user differences that might be big enough to make a difference to some people (like me).

The ones I know about have to do with mouse-type inputs:

	95	98 & ME	2000	xp	vista
usb mice	not really	yes	yes	yes	yes
multiple mice	not really	USB only	no	yes	I assume yes
API used for multiple mouse input	DI	DI	(DI)	RI	I assume RI
does win desktop mouse speed effect mame?	yes	yes	yes	no	no

"DI" = directInput
"RI" = RawInput

[Tiger-Heli]

Not performance, but there are some other ones worth mentioning.

Chankast and many newer emulators only work under XP (and maybe NT/2k, not 9X)

If you want to use AutoHotKey to call Johnny5 to display controls when MAME is paused, that doesn't work under 9x.

If you have a PS/2 keyboard encoder it does not have to be plugged in at bootup under Win9x, so if you have a desktop controller, you can use a USB keyboard and hot-plug the PS/2 encoder.  Under WinX, it must be plugged in at boot-up, or you need a PS/2 keyboard plugged in so you can hot-swap it.  (Neither method is spec-compliant, I have never had any problems with either one.)

[Howard_Casto]

The short answer is on very low end pcs 98se... anything else xp.  Me, 2k and 95 are crap so avoid them at all costs.  (Please no posts about how you use 95, me and 2k on your system... they are serviceable and might work but there are inherant issues with each.)

Xp uses more ram, you can't avoid that, but ram isn't a huge consideration for a mame cab so long as you have enough to run the os well with some to spare.

[AlexKidd]

The main advantage of win2k is there is no activation so you can install it on multiple machines.

[Howard_Casto]

The main advantage of win2k is there is no activation so you can install it on multiple machines.

There are at least 15-20 reasons NOT to use 2k!!!

What did I just say man?

[jcrouse]

The main advantage of win2k is there is no activation so you can install it on multiple machines.

What did I just say man?

Howard ..... Welcome to the world of "public" forums.

John

[Loki]

Uh... Windows 2000 pro is the best version I ever used to be honest.
But there is a lot of software that needs XP now.

[Havok]

The main advantage of win2k is there is no activation so you can install it on multiple machines.

You need a volume license son - I don't have activation on MY XP.

 

I definitely agree with Howard on this. You get all the advantages of a newer O/S, plus the big one: software support. All the tools will work on XP. I have Vista as well, and some of the tools just don't work. Plus, on the same machine, Vista is a tad slower. XP is really the best choice for an O/S due to general compatibility with the greatest amount of emulators, front ends, hardware, etc...

[Tiger-Heli]

There's another thing in XP's favor that I forgot about.  In the early days of XP, there were a lot of posts on how Win98 was more backwards compatible, as it was still basically a GUI running on top of DOS.

I have some old DOS games that I could never get sound to play through the PC speakers under Win98 on b/c they were only setup to use the internal speaker or a Roland or Adlib soundcard that none of the modern integrated sound chips emulate.

Then I discovered DOSBOX - a full 80386 DOS PC emulator that yes, only runs on XP, and also emulates the PC speaker so it's output is routed through the internal sound card.

In summary, with the exception of some glitches with After Dark the screensaver, there is nothing that I can run on Win98 that I can't run better on WinXP, but there are more and more apps that work on WinXP and not Win9x.

[Jeff AMN]

Well, I decided to go ahead and buy another copy of XP for my cabinet. In the end, it should be for the best.

[langdoguk]

Are you not allowed to run the same version of xp on two computers at the same time , I mean if you own them both and there in the same house ?
Just asking as I'm not familiar with all the copyright etc.
Not that I would without checking 

[BobA]

Use tiny XP  see the info in the nLited thread.  It loads fast and uses minimal memory.

[Tiger-Heli]

Are you not allowed to run the same version of xp on two computers at the same time , I mean if you own them both and there in the same house ?
Just asking as I'm not familiar with all the copyright etc.
Not that I would without checking 

Not legally.  

You could legally (I think, using an system builders or retail or volume license version, but not a manufacturer's version that shipped with the PC) wipe one of them and install XP on the other, then wipe it and re-install XP on the first one, but even that would be very hard to authorize with XP's current activation scheme.  (You would have to install it, activation would fail, you would have to call and explain what you are doing - actually, it is licensed to the specific PC, so instead of telling them that you wanted to swap PC's that it was installed on, you would have to tell them that it was actually the same PC but you replaced the case, motherboard, CPU, hard drive, Power Supply, ram, etc., and then that you did all that again when you switched back, etc.)

[langdoguk]

Cheers , no wonder Bill's worth a few quid 
Bet he's not got a  MAME cab yet  just a couple of daft Islands and a few billion , BORING !

[Tiger-Heli]

Cheers , no wonder Bill's worth a few quid 
Bet he's not got a  MAME cab yet  just a couple of daft Islands and a few billion , BORING !

Yup - OTOH, I think Aaron Giles actually works for him, so I guess if he wants to get anything added in MAME. . .

BTW, WinXP is pretty tightly tied to a single computer system (although if you replace all the internals at separate intervals - "it's the same exact hatchet George Washington used to chop down the cherry tree, but the blade has been replaced three times and the handle five").  However, while Win98 was single user rather than single system, you couldn't legally do what you suggest with it either (run it on two machines and use both of them simultaneously).  (Although Win98 didn't require activation and check up on you, so only your conscience would actually keep you from doing so.)  At one time, there was a clause in the license, but I don't remember if it was Win95 or Win98 or Word that allowed you to install the same version on both a laptop and a desktop with the theory that the desktop wouldn't be used if you were traveling with the laptop and vice versa.  That concept is no longer supported, however.

[Howard_Casto]

Uh... Windows 2000 pro is the best version I ever used to be honest.
But there is a lot of software that needs XP now.

You must not be running anything really old, really new, or really "dreictx ified" on it then because 2000 has performance/compatibility issues with all three.  Just like 95 is the "old and busted" version of 98se, 2k is the old and busted version of xp.  They are the same core, only xp builds upon and fixes issues inheriant in 2k.

[loadman]

Uh... Windows 2000 pro is the best version I ever used to be honest.
But there is a lot of software that needs XP now.

You must not be running anything really old, really new, or really "dreictx ified" on it then because 2000 has performance/compatibility issues with all three.  Just like 95 is the "old and busted" version of 98se, 2k is the old and busted version of xp.  They are the same core, only xp builds upon and fixes issues inheriant in 2k.

Agree with HK 100% on this one. 

Somebody make a note of that 

I do have a question .

Where does WinMe fit in all of this?
It came out after 98se, but it was a heap of  . 
Was it someones bad joke? 
I never understood that 

[Loki]

Uh... Windows 2000 pro is the best version I ever used to be honest.
But there is a lot of software that needs XP now.

You must not be running anything really old, really new, or really "dreictx ified" on it then because 2000 has performance/compatibility issues with all three.  Just like 95 is the "old and busted" version of 98se, 2k is the old and busted version of xp.  They are the same core, only xp builds upon and fixes issues inheriant in 2k.

Right now the best windows to run is XP.. I agree.  But if I have to compare both of them, I still prefer 2000pro. In my opinion it was the most stable running windows I ever had and with a dual boot with 98se I could run everything.
New games back then all ran great on 2000, as for old games a simple switch to 98se wasn't a problem for me.

[AlexKidd]

The main advantage of win2k is there is no activation so you can install it on multiple machines.

There are at least 15-20 reasons NOT to use 2k!!!

What did I just say man?

...Did I say 2k was better then XP? No, I just stated an "advantage" 2k has over XP. Maybe when I said, "main advantage" you thought I was implying that there were numerous other advantages. I guess I could have created a better sentence but damn, who knew I was going to get yelled.

To keep this thread informative for later viewers. I've recently build a cab which is running win2k pro because that is the OS that I already had. It's running mamewah as it's frontend with mame, nestopia, zsnes, and n64 emulators, two ultrasticks, a gpwiz and liberal use of joy2key and it runs nice and stable. Haven't had any software problems besides my logitech gamepads stealing joy1 and joy2 in mame. The one problem I believe I am going to encounter is lack of dual mouse support if I get two LCD topgun light guns.

If you are going to buy an OS to run on your cab, for sure, get XP. If you already have a copy of win2kpro you are probably going to be fine running it on a cab.

[loadman]

The main advantage of win2k is there is no activation so you can install it on multiple machines.

Man.. If i was going to something illegal I sure as  would not post it on a Public Forum 

[Tiger-Heli]

The main advantage of win2k is there is no activation so you can install it on multiple machines.

Man.. If i was going to something illegal I sure as  would not post it on a Public Forum 

He said you can install it on mutliple machines, not that he was doing that or that anyone actually would do so, of course!