[clue-tech] [OT?]How do I multiboot Windows NT 3.51 and Windows2000?

[William]

Hex Star wrote:
> Wow, NT 3.51 is really that old? Guess it should be fairly obvious of 
> such due to the fact that NT 3.51 has the interface also seen in Windows 
> 3.1...however one thing I find interesting is the fact that despite it 
> having the interface of a 16bit OS (namely windows 3.1) it apparently 
> can run 32bit programs? This is not a production server and as such I 
> thought this would be a good time to play with some server OSes...NT has 
> always captured my interest due to its robustness, high security, and 
> administration tools...and to me I don't care how old software is, if it 
> can do something useful or is fun to play with I like it, a program 
> doesn't have to have a flashy interface or 3D graphics for me to like it 
> :-)

In my opinion -- and that's all this is -- I believe you've missed the 
point to "toying with OSes".  This isn't about "a flashy interface or 3D 
graphics."  The fundamental reason to toy with any OS is to learn it. 
The reason to learn an OS is to build skills that will contribute to 
your livelihood.  The number one contributor to any individual's 
livelihood is their source of income; AKA their job or any future job. 
When you toy with an OS, you are adding to your marketability when -- 
and only when -- the skills you are gaining are, or will be, in demand.

Windows NT 3.51 died a very long time ago.  Windows NT 4.0 died within 
the last year.  When a product reaches its "End-of-Life", that means the 
vendor won't support it any further.  That means no updates, no security 
patches, and no technical support.  Whatever Windows NT is vulnerable 
to, it will forever be vulnerable to.  Learning Windows NT today serves 
no benefit to anyone in the present or the future.

I was an Assistant Network Administrator during the era of transfer from 
Windows NT 3.51 to Windows NT 4.  I helped move major corporate network 
systems from Windows NT 3.51 (and Novell servers) to Windows NT 4.0.  At 
that time, my Windows NT administrative skill set was both beneficial 
and marketable.  There was a place for Windows NT servers and those who 
knew how to manage them.  Today, no one cares that I can guide NT 
administrative tasks blind (as in, over the phone).  No one needs 
someone like me to help them recover a failed NTFS installation after a 
bad driver installation (anyone remember the nightmare that was Service 
Pack 3?).

Continuing to force Windows NT 3.51 onto a modern PC (Pentium III, as 
you said) is a waste of time.  Insisting on Windows NT 4.0 is equally 
so.  Just because you can, or are inclined to do so, does not mean it is 
a good idea or the right thing to spend your resources on.  Invest in a 
newer, supported, more secure operating system and you will probably 
open potential career paths that are presently not available to you.

I'll be totally honest with you.  I know Linux today only because I 
could not afford to keep up with Windows Server platforms.  It is just 
too expensive and when it dies, that's it -- you have to invest in all 
new hardware, all new OS licensing fees, and all new Microsoft Support 
plans.  I was bred on (Commodore 64, then Apple II, then Tandy, then) 
MS-DOS 3 (through 6) and I grew up with Windows.  Even today, I slant 
toward Windows as I still don't personally recognize Linux as the kind 
of workstation platform that meets my needs.  I didn't want Linux, but 
it became my only option when I needed to grow.

Today, I run Linux (CentOS) on 5 out of 7 of my home servers.  I was 
always curious, in an "appreciation for the underdog kind-of-way", about 
Unix/Linux and I had a need to start hosting my own Internet services at 
home.  That was 5 years ago.  Today, my home network is running strong 
and I feel quite comfortable with the Linux command-line (I don't 
install any graphical environments).

As for the other two machines, one is Windows NT 4.0 and the other is 
Windows 2000 Server.  At $800 a pop for the Windows OSes, that was all 
that I could afford, and in the case of the NT 4 machine, it is a 
first-generation Pentium/100MHz box that can't really run much else. 
Besides, it is the network PDC and file server, which drives all of my 
family's workstation logons and file security (all Windows XP Pro).

In the end, you have to ask yourself why you are determined to install 
Windows NT 3.51, a dead OS that will bring you no benefit.  Setting 
aside a want to satisfy intellectual curiosity, you'll only find 
second-hand software for it -- and nothing appreciable by today's 
standards.  Any skill you may derive from "the experience" of installing 
or using it is moot.  You can't use that skill anywhere that would pay. 
  That path is a dead end which offers no pragmatic advantage.

Go back to eBay, sell off your Windows NT 3.51 set, and pick up a copy 
of Windows 2000 Server or, better, Windows 2003 Server.  Learn how to 
install and administer either or both of those OSes.  Dual-boot them 
with any (SMP/multi-CPU) Enterprise Linux breed.  This will build skills 
that you can use and sell.  I can safely claim to be a versed Network 
Administrator.  I deal with a respectable, mixed environment at home and 
a large corporate (all Windows) network at work.  I assert to others 
that I have learned to apply OSes like tools; each to the right job.  So 
long as Windows continues to dominate the workstation realm, I will 
continue to keep up with Microsoft.  In recognizing the potential and 
powerful utility of Linux, I will also keep up with Red Had and descendants.

You could do the same, but you have to start by letting go of the 
worthless things that will only waste your time, money, and energy.  You 
don't have to leave Windows, but you need to forget NT 3 and NT 4.

-- 
William Kimball, Jr.
http://www.kimballstuff.com/
"Programming is an art-form that fights back!" (Unknown)

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