Precision WorkStation 620 MT ISSUES AND QUESTIONS

1. Xeon is the name Intel gives to its Workstation (or server) class processors. As for comparison to a P4 it depends on what Xeon version. I believe that the Xeon name first appeared sometime after the Pentium Pro processor and has included Xeon versions of PII, PIII, and now I believe P4. For detailed information see the Intel web site.

2. Dual means that you have 2 processors. A multi-PROCESSING machine. This can be a big boost in a server environment where the machine is being called upon to service a number of concurrent requests. Certain software also makes use of this feature. Win2K, WinXP and the server versions of same support at a minimum 2 processors. One of the major differences among the server versions is how many processors are supported. For example Windows 2000 Server supports 4 process while (I believe) that the Enterprise version supports 8. Win 2K pro and WinXP Pro support 2 processors. Note: It is my understanding that the Hyper threading feature of the P4 appears to certain versions of Windows as 2 processors. I believe that Win XP differentiates between HT and Dual processors. -- or maybe the change was introduced in Server 2003 (sorry for the uncertainty).

3. I am not personally familiar with the 620 but from what you have listed below it seems to be a relatively capable machine. Without info on the processors that is either missing from the list or hiding from my quick scan I cannot be more specific.

4. The reason you are being prompted to select an OS is because the machine had 2 OS's installed at one time and these were added to the boot menu. If you want to eliminate the prompt go to My Computer->right click->properties->Advanced->Startup and Recovery. At the top of the dialog you should see a pull down that will allow you to select which OS to boot to. Below that there will be a checkbox asking if you want the OS options listed on startup. You may deselect this or alternatively change the wait time before the machine boots into the default OS (Selected above). Most of my Servers also have Windows Pro installed as well and I simply set the display time to a short 5-10 seconds.

5. Blue screen on boot to Windows XP. The 2000 and XP startup files are different. In general MS will tell you to load the OS's in the order of release -- e.g. Windows 2000 then Windows XP. In theory the newer startup files should also recognize the older os's and allow both to boot. In practice I have never been able to get this to work between 2000 and XP (works fine between 2000 Pro and Server versions). On my systems if I really want to install both 2000 and XP I write a little script that will automate moving the correct boot files into place and setting the default OS to boot to. I then run this file to reboot into the other OS when needed.

6. As for what the best use for this machine would be, here is my take based on the guess that this is an older box probably running the Xeon version of the PIII probably between 500MHz and 750MHz. For my purposes (I am a software developer) this would make a great server for my small LAN. It would make a great development machine (on occasion I still use an old PII 550 to develop on) and it should do great for general business / home use. In my estimation (remember I am basing this on a guess) this would not make a very good game machine (at least not for newer games) as it probably does not have the HP to process the latest graphics, etc.

If you provide us with more information on what your specific usage scenarios are, more information on the processors, etc. Myself or someone else may be able to offer more help.

Hope this answers some of your questions.