I have never really had to use this operating system and have heard mixed feeling about its use from various professionals. What are your feelings on it and did the following affect you:
A worm shut down computers running Windows 2000 software across the United States.
Ref. CNN
I really liked Windows 2000, and still think it is the most stable OS that Microsoft has released. Of course it is not an OS I would recommend to home users, as it does not support a lot of applications for such end-users. The one feature I don't like about Windows 2000 is the NTFS file system. I work with client applications and with Win2000 NTFS, we ran into a number of authority problems due to changes that were made to accommodate the file system.
I currently use Win2000 Pro, and it's okay. Sometimes I have problems with multiple users, but for the most part it's been sufficient for our needs. I never had any major problems with security issues, as was listed about the worm problem shutting systems down or with any data lost. Of course, I'm very careful about that sort of thing with a firewall and anti-virus software, and I *never* use Outlook, which seems to me to be the entry point for many of the worms, trojan horses, etc. Not that I've never had a virus, but I think I'm more careful than a lot of home users out there.
I have used Windows 2000 Pro since it was first released. I agree that it is one of the most stable OS's that Microsoft has ever put out. I deal with most everything in a business environment. I also agree that it is not the most application friendly for the basic end-user. I guess in a good comparison:
Windows 2000 has suffered the large security hit earlier on in the US as you mentioned. Windows NT 4.0 didn't seem to have any large security problems such as that, but we also have to keep in mind, there has been such a huge growth in numbers of people that are "computer savvy" since the days of the earlier OS. Windows 2000 does use the NTFS file system which was actually intended for the business environment. I say that meaning it's attribute and security policies that so many people have problems setting for each user, especially in a multiuser environment, were actually intended to be managed by a domain structure not local policies. Windows 98 was the core of everyone's home computers for years. Millennium came out and it just basically stunk. Windows XP did bring compatability and stability together, but unlike Windows 2000 it integrates so many features and components into the core of the OS, corruption and system errors are a much greater problem then with 2000.
I am a hard core 2000 fan if you haven't noticed. There are pros and cons about every OS I have ever used, but for most of my application needs 2000 by far wins my vote. I am now most interested in Windows Vista. I suggest to anyone to hit Microsofts web site and check out some reviews and white papers. It should really be impressive the day it hits the shelf. *So says microsoft.*
Windows 2000 users left with unfixable flaw
Sixteen of New Zealand's top 100 computer users, including some banks and government agencies, may be unable to fully protect some of their computers from hackers after Microsoft said it would not patch a fault in the Windows 2000 operating system. Ref. Source 5