Advice from the old guy.
Windows is really a delicate operating system it can be broken with one false move. We have an excellent uptime record for our servers. You can too if you follow a few basic rules.
Your webserver is a critical system that has to stay running. It is NOT your home or office computer. Every time we have seen cases where users are having problem with their machines as soon as we login we see why. Customized desktops and menus, pictures of somebody's dog on the desktop etc. A production server is not the place for this stuff. This stuff is a absolute no-no at any major company. We also find that the person has tried in some cases hundreds of programs. They have installed and uninstalled every "cool tool" they could find. Don't do this stuff, leave the server alone unless it's something you really need. If so test it on an offline server. A production server is no place for software testing. Here's a stat: Most people use less than 20% of the features of a word processor. But when a new version comes out they want it so they can have more features. Don't fall into this trap. New software puts you back on a learning curve and your production goes down accordingly. This applies also to your webserver.
Don't become upgrade crazy. Just because somebody has a new version of something doesn't mean you have to have it. Ask yourself:
 | What will the new version do for me that the old one won't? |
| If it has new features do I really need them or will I use them? |
| Is the new version going to eat more server resources? |
| Is the new version going to work with the other software I have on my server? Compatibility! |
| My server works fine the way it is, do I really want to mess with it? |
| What's going to happen if this new software crashes my server? |
As the old saying goes, if it's not broken don't fix it. Don't believe every software vendor that says they have a new and improved version. That's what they said about the last version.
Back up your registry on a regular basis and particularly BEFORE you load any new software.
With a little common sense you can have a reliable Windows machine.
Thank you
Larry Johnson