Windows 2000 is an older operating system still used in some small and large offices. Windows 2000 professional is the operating system edition used on client machines. Even though the operating system has been replaced by several newer Windows versions, it still has some advantages and disadvantages for client machines and networks.
Security
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The Windows 2000 Professional operating system uses the NTFS standard for its file system. NTFS allows users to share folders and set permissions on the machine. Users can also set profiles for each person who accesses the machine. Each user has a different profile that contains custom settings, so backgrounds, fonts and startup programs are specific for the person logging in. The NTFS file system also offers users the ability to set permissions on files, so users could only read some documents without changing the content. If users want to block other users from seeing the file, Windows 2000 Professional allows them to password-protect the folder.
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Stability
The Windows 2000 operating system has been on the market for several years. Because it's been a part of the Windows operating system for so long, several patches and security hotfixes are available. This makes it incredibly stable compared to newer Windows operating systems. The amount of time the operating system has been on the market has allowed Microsoft to fix any issues that arise for newer Windows versions, which is why some users choose to keep the older Windows 2000 version.
Support
Microsoft no longer supports Windows 2000 Professional as of July 13, 2010. Because of this, updates, hotfixes and phone support are no longer offered for this product. For this reason, users with Windows 2000 on a machine may encounter an issue that cannot be fixed. Windows 2000 users should consider upgrading to avoid loss of support features.