Re: Windows XP -- MIDRANGE-L

Hello Jon,

You wrote:
>Can any of you out there who understand this stuff tell if given the
>scenario above - any of the things in the list below matter to me.

The caveat is that I don't use any MS OS, however I have seen enough ...

>The following networking features are NOT included in Home Edition:

I would not use any HOME version of MS OS for business use. The 
historical evidence shows that W95, W98, etc. were only just usable for 
business but caused more trouble than they were worth. A better 
investment would be the business versions. Are you sure you can't order a 
laptop with W2K? I know you can't buy W2K as a retail product but it is 
still available to OEM systems. Failing that get XP Pro but be prepared 
to give half your new 2Ghz processor to simply keeping the OS 
functioning. It is a pig!

>The user interface for IPSecurity (IPSec)
You need IPSec for VPN support (and L2TP). Without the user interface you 
will have to use commands/config files to control. Given MS usual lack of 
command line support for things TCP this might prove lacking.

>SNMP
Probably don't need this.

>Simple TCP/IP services
Find out exactly what this entails. It could contain useful TCP 
diagnostic tools -- all the stuff MS think you don't need.

>SAP Agent
Probably don't care -- besides you're not a SAP!

>Client Service for NetWare
Probably don't care.

>Network Monitor
Useful and you might want this for diagnostic purposes.

>Multiple Roaming feature
Useful and you might want this.

You should check to see if ClientAccess Express, WDSc, etc. are 
officially supported on XP and particularly on XP Home since they will be 
your main requirements. It's a real pity you rely on WDSc (or whatever it 
is called this month) because that requires WinDOS. Without that you 
could do everything else on MacOS X.

In your situation I would buy only from a supplier who would not void a 
HARDWARE warranty due to an OS change. Get a box that lists W2K as a 
supported OS and install you existing version then scrub it from your 
current machine. What if you wanted to partition the disk and dual boot 
to Linux? Would that void the warranty? It's your machine -- make sure 
the manufacturer doesn't impose onerous conditions.

When I bought my ThinkPad 770 I put OS/2 and Linux on it. OS/2 was a 
supported OS but Linux wasn't. However, I kept the original W95 partition 
so I could tell IBM support "Yeah? Well it fails under W95 too so the 
problem is not OS/2. Get real!"

Regards,
Simon Coulter.
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