Microsoft
Operating Systems
Currently
we are working to quickly phase out any remaining Microsoft
operating systems older than Windows 2000 Professional.
These include Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0,
and Windows ME.
Macintosh
Operating Systems
Computer services does not offer support of any kind to
Macintosh operating systems.
Linux/Unix
Operating Systems
Computer services does not offer support of any kind to Linux/Unix
operating systems.
Other
Operating Systems
Computer Services offers no support on any operating system
not listed in the 'Supported Operating Systems' section.
Why Only Support 2 Versions of Windows?
Recently, Microsoft has announced the complete end of support
for Windows 98 & 98 SE. This includes all free as well
as paid support. Without these resources, Computer Services
will be unable to efficiently keep these computers running.
This also means that all security and bug fixes for these operating systems will
also stop, making them a very unsecure system.
There
are also other considerations. Earlier versions of
Windows are poor at memory management and stability which
can cause numerous crashes and blue screens. Current software
being developed is for Windows 2000 & XP, there is no guarantee
it will continue to run on older systems. We also need
to consider the amount of time and effort requred by Computer
Services in supporting
numerous systems. By being able
to focus on only 2 versions, we are able to more efficiently
focus on and respond to problems. We will not need to take
as much time researching previous version instabilities.
Here
is a breakdown of supported (green) and unsupported (red)
systems:
| Windows
98 |
Windows
98 SE |
Windows
ME |
Windows
NT 4.0 |
Windows
2000 Pro |
Windows XP |
Windows
Vista *2006 |
Key:
| Unsupported |
| Supported but Being Replaced |
| Supported |
| Supported in the Future |
Why not
just phase out Windows 98? What about Windows ME?
Unfortunately, Windows ME is very similar in design to
Windows 98 and is subject to the same instabilities. It
was also a poorly supported Operating System by vendors.
Many never created device drivers to work with ME. Like
mentioned above, we are also attempting to limit the number
of systems we need to focus on to improve response efficiency.
How Long
Until You Completely Stop Supporting Windows 98?
While this is difficult to say, it is likely it will be
in the next few months. We can say with certainty that
we will absolutely not support Windows 98 by June 2006
when Microsoft's remaining support also ends.
I Need
Windows 98 In My Lab To Run My Equipment!
We recognize the need for Windows 98 in some labs as the
equipment requires it to run correctly. You are free to
continue to do so if necessary. Unfortunately, we will
be unable to support these computers. In most cases,
this will not cause the situation to change as Computer
Services also does not provide any support for lab equipment.
