I think that you are probably legal, since the PC probably came with 98SE
pre-installed.

As for a "fallback", consider getting a good backup program, such as Acronis
True Image. Version 6 or higher should work on your PC. Backup to an
external USB disk. Do a full disk image, and even the master boot record
will be saved. Unused space is not saved or is compressed away. The
restore function works from a bootable CD that the software makes when you
install it (or any time you want to make a bootable CD). That CD runs
LINUX, and can handle a wider range of hardware and file system types than
98SE.

Norton GHOST is also a possibility for backup software, but the very latest
GHOST is really intended for XP or higher.

In any event, avoid NT and ME. NT is not friendly, even to professional IT
folks. ME was a good idea with bad implementation. 2000 is a possibility,
but I would stick with 98SE. "If it ain't broken, don't fix it." The PC
might also be able to run XP home edition. That would run slower than 98SE,
but has better plug-n-play. Still, if 98SE suits your needs, keep it.

wrote in message
ups.com...
What are the advantages and disadvantages of these operating systems?

I will be running them on an HP Pavilion 6630. It has a 500MHz Celeron
processor and about 200MB of RAM.

I acquired this computer from roadside garbage day salvage and it has a
successful version of SE. In order to be legal, and to have a fallback
operating system installation, I'm looking to buy a copy of SE with
COA. However, I don't have to get SE; I can get ME, NT or 2000.

Any ideas on the merits and disadvantages of each of these operating
systems?

TIA,

Dan