NT is a more stable OS than 98 is. Everything is 32bit, unlike 98 which still uses 16bit printer drivers,ect.. NT dosen't support USB. Few other differences such as security, but these are the basic ones. Windows 2000 Pro is basically NT 5.0, which does support more hardware than both NT and 98. 2000 also is stablier and does support USB.
Windows 9x (95,98,ME) relies heavily on plug-n-play to detect and set up hardware. So the system communicates with the hardware via drivers. If the driver is corrupt or not installed then the system becomes unstable. Win9x also does not mange memory usage very well nor does it have a very strong security setup. On the plus side for Win9x, it is widely compatible with most hardware and software packages and its easy to setup and use. (Compared to NT).
Windows NT (3x, 4x) is not very plug-n-play compatible. Service Packs give it better compatibility here. Usually hardware has to be manually set up. The OS does not directly communicate with the Hardware directly. It goes through a software program (part of NT) called the HAL-Hardware Abstract Layer. This minimizes the crashes and lockups associated with Windows 9x. NT has MUCH better security in the form of Folder AND File level. (Thanks to NTFS). Also in order to log on to NT you MUST enter a valid user name and password. With 9x you can just hit ESC or CANCEL.
Windows 2000 is a combination of sorts between Windows 9x and NT. It has all the advantages of plug-n-play and ease of use from Windows 9x with all the security of NT. As with NT you must enter a valid user name and password to enter.
Before I get a bunch of people telling me I left this or that out, or I did not explain well enough, this is a VERY rough summary (In a nut shell). James Collins
Computer Hardware Engineer
A+, MCP
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