WinUAE - Windows 2000 compatibility

[Borg_Number_One]

Introduction:

As we all know, WinUAE makes it possible to run good old Amiga/M68K/M680x0 applications and games on x86 (Windows-)systems.

This concept/notion of running and testing classic Amiga-Stuff on (Non-High-End)Windows systems was simply great.

But eliminating more and more Windows version compatibility (first: Win9X/ME, now: Windows 2000) will make WinUAE to a:
running-Amiga-applications-on-a-high-end-Windows program.

If the current behavior of removing Windows versions compatibility then it is not far away from removing Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 compatibility in WinUAE.

Windows 2000 still is a decent, stable and widely/common operating system.

There are and there will be millions of Windows 2000 computers and many of them are surely powerful enough to run Amiga code (through WinUAE) without speed/timing problems.
In other words: running Windows 2000 in a decent and stable way needs a 400....1000MHz computer. This is also enough for running Amiga stuff in WinUAE in a decent way.

In contrast to Windows 2000 systems, Windows XP or Vista or Windows 7 systems were and still are more vulnerable to viruses and Trojan programs.

So (I really hope there are enough reasons above which would make it understandable that) stopping Windows 2000 compatibility is inexplicable, elusive and not really replicable.

Running and testing WinUAE in Windows 2000 (it is my favourite operating system beside Linux) made it possible for me to find new ideas (for example: PostScript Emulation in WinUAE) and to report bugs and solutions.

I am sure there are many other users who:
a)also prefer Windows 2000 instead using Windows XP (and up)
b)tested WinUAE, found bugs and supplied new ideas while running Windows 2000 and not XP, Vista, 7 etc...

Frequently adding new features and eliminating bugs in WinUAE is great, but with the new "feature": "stopping Windows 2000 compatibility" a huge WinUAE community will not be amused and will now have be a big problem: "Getting a Windows XP CD/DVD and upgrading to Windows XP".

Toni, please add Windows 2000 compatibility again.

[NewDeli]

Sorry, I'll vote against it. In fact, I'd rather see a light version of WinUAE for Win9x which AFAIK IS still used in conjunction with older computers & laptops. Although I was still using it by the time WinXP was released, Win2000 has fallen in complete disgrace for me since many years now, especially on the multimedia side.

Good luck in getting this request fulfilled.

[StingRay]

Originally Posted by Borg_Number_One

There are and there will be millions of Windows 2000 computers and many of them are surely powerful enough to run Amiga code (through WinUAE) without speed/timing problems.
In other words: running Windows 2000 in a decent and stable way needs a 400....1000MHz computer. This is also enough for running Amiga stuff in WinUAE in a decent way.

This made my day, I can't help it.

[Toni Wilen]

No. Use old versions if you use old hardware. Can't be any simpler. Or recompile and patch it yourself.

- Windows 2000 is dead and unsupported.
- new fast Picasso96 emulation needs at least XP
- Visual Studio 2010 creates executables that need at least XP SP 2
- I do not do any extra work for compatibility with something ancient and non-supported. It gets dropped, simple as that.

(and this thread goes instaclose if someone mentions something older)

You can try http://win2kgaming.site90.com/phpBB2/ but you are totally on your own.

[chiark]

Toni's hit the nail on the head for me: if you want to stay on an old, unsupported version of windows by all means do! Just don't expect to be able to use anything other than an old, unsupported version of the software

[Doc Mindie]

Might as well ask for support of Win3.11.... without Win32s :/

For real.... if you can't run the latest WinUAE on your outdated OS, switch to Linux and use E-UAE. (I'll recommend Ubuntu... or, for the sake of some extra speed and less eyecandy, Xubuntu).

But seriously. I don't think Toni nor anyone else would like to drop Win7 support by rolling back to VS2007 (or earlier) just to support an OS that is no longer supported, and even less sold. Besides, the multimedia capabilities of Win2k was (and is) very very limited. Can't even run World of Warcraft without first rolling back your gfx-drivers to something extremely buggy and you'll also drop GeForce6 and newer support with those drivers.

So upgrade your computer and your OS, or use Linux with the XFCE WM and run E-UAE (or even P-UAE)

[seuden]

Or buy an A1200.

[tero]

win2000 can easily be used as live system booting from an USB-stick.
with the idea of booting straight into Winuae there is still a small sence for this system

But i think for compatibility for newer hardware it should be at least XP (let's hope it will be supported for a long time)

[Maccara]

Originally Posted by tero

win2000 can easily be used as live system booting from an USB-stick.
with the idea of booting straight into Winuae there is still a small sence for this system

I think you could achieve that with XP (or newer) + BartPE (or similar) too.

[tero]

Originally Posted by Maccara

I think you could achieve that with XP (or newer) + BartPE (or similar) too.

As Live-CD yes, but for booting from USB not
The read me says win2000 only, but i read some threads that it's possible
you need some files from 2000 but i never seen xp on usb nor a guide to do so

[Maccara]

Ah, never tried to get it working on USB myself. Just thought it should be trivial, but apparently not.

@Tero: According to this USB should work too.

[thomas]

Originally Posted by tero

As Live-CD yes, but for booting from USB not
The read me says win2000 only, but i read some threads that it's possible
you need some files from 2000 but i never seen xp on usb nor a guide to do so

You can install Win7 on an USB stick. The current issue of the com! magazine contains instructions. Earlier issues also had instructions for XP.

[tero]

Originally Posted by Maccara

Ah, never tried to get it working on USB myself. Just thought it should be trivial, but apparently not.

m#soft cancelled usb support, as far i understand because of the possibility of illegal copies. (in the meaning of buying a single computer license, which is pointless when booting from usb)
but i could be wrong

Ähmmm, sorry for becoming OT

EDIT: @Thomas
Now that are news (to me), i will look at this - and hope the XP article is online

[seuden]

Linky for Win 7 on USB

EDIT: I've never tried it tho and not sure if it's exactly what's required.

[Maccara]

Originally Posted by tero

EDIT: @Thomas
Now that are news (to me), i will look at this - and hope the XP article is online

You probably didn't notice my earlier post edit. Added a linky to XP instructions. Hope they work!

[tero]

THX for the link Maccara,
the last time was going into this is a year ago, i wonder why it's this easy now
(i know they threat me in a very bad way, how to stop whining now )

[BrooksterMax]

I like W2K and have it running nicely on a second laptop with SP4, the latest Firefox and Flash. However I accept that it is a legacy OS and there is no obligation or expectation for new applications to work with it.

Wikipedia shows that it is on "Extended Support until 13 July 2010". Although this is very interesting - the latest Type 45 Royal Navy fleet use a Windows 2000 based system for command functions
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06...iper_progress/

[MethodGit]

This thread doesn't half depress me just a tad. =[ It makes me wonder if it'll only be 2 or 3 years away that XP support is taken out too. I'm still not feeling like moving over to 7 yet.

[killergorilla]

Worry about it in 2 or 3 years.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Toni Wilen

- Windows 2000 is dead and unsupported.
- new fast Picasso96 emulation needs at least XP
- Visual Studio 2010 creates executables that need at least XP SP 2
- I do not do any extra work for compatibility with something ancient and non-supported. It gets dropped, simple as that.

There will be a time for XP too, but by then you won't only have to worry about WinUAE. Oh and what KG said.