Windows has been the only Operating System that I have been consistently using over the past twenty years. I have been through Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 to Windows 98 to Windows ME to Windows 2000 to Windows 2003 Server to Windows XP. Problems with each - been there, done that! The most stable I have ever experienced among the lot was Windows 98, which I would still be using if it was supported by most of the software and programs that I currently use. Windows XP is now my OS of choice. I may try Vista some time in the future, after most of the bugs have been killed.

This point brings me Windows 2000. I have been using it for a few years now without much problem, until recently. There were warnings that I was not paying attention, like funny mouse movements and longer periods to load, and so on. No, defragmentation nor viruses were not the cause. Eventually, I got one of those “blue screens of death” which virtually rendered the OS inoperable. It came to the point where I had to give Microsoft a call to aid in rectifying the problem. Though their service was speedy and friendly, nothing that they told me to try worked. The long and short of it is that I eventually ended figuring out what to do.

Troubleshooting took a few days until I was able to figure out my way out of the mess. The NTFS format was somehow causing a problem. Seeing that not even reformatting using the Windows 2000 disk even helped, I was forced to boot from my trusty Windows 98 CD, re-format my hard drive to FAT32 status, and then install Windows 98. I then immediately upgraded to Windows XP. Problem solved! What I am saying here is if all else fails, use a Windows 98 CD to boot from and do a re-format, then Install Win 98. Then (if you want to) upgrade to a higher OS of your choice. Worked for me and I am sure it can work for you.