I just gave away my last legit copy of 2000 but if you can talk her into XP, you can purchase the disc and a license through MSDNAA for like $7 as well as other Microsoft software cheap. You can read the requirements but basically you have to currently be taking at least one CS class. Here is the address:
http://www.acm.byu.edu/index.php?page=msdnaa
Personally, I would recommend XP over 2000 any day. They are about to come out with the second service pack in the next few weeks or so which is supposed to help with some of the security issues and make it even more stable. You can even change XP to look like 2000 if she just likes the interface better. I personally have never had a blue screen of death or other issues like I had with 2000 but I also have very stable name brand hardware/drivers which makes a difference.
Good luck! Dave Darrough
If I remember correctly (and I am about 75% sure I do), MS licensing allows you to run earlier versions of the software if you have a later license, so as long as you have a license for XP you can run 2000, NT4.0, or NT3.5, etc legitimately.
This came up in one of the companies I have worked for which had to do the big MS licensing thing for the next 4 years. It came up that we were going to need some Win98 machines (for some sort of embedded systems maintenance). The MS guy said that they don't sell Win98 licenses anymore and pointed out the allowing proviso in one of the licensing documents.
Also, I believe (about 75% sure) that MS licenses are non-transferable. So you technically cannot sell them to someone else or donate them for that matter), even if you are giving away the hardware that originally came with the software. This incredibly lame bit of the EULA is not usually enforced, but I seem to recall a Slashdot story about some school being BSA audited over donated computers with Win98 on them a few years ago (a quick search shows many articles and comments which mention the non-transferability of the MS license). Just so you know.
Adam Augustine
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