Windows XP or 98?

For my server that i will be running a webserver and other stuff on, would xp or 98 be faster?

It only has 256MB RAM and i need as much RAM as possible to run a CS Server on it.

Which one would you go with?

98 is faster, xp is more stable. I wouldn't really use either. If I were to use windows for a server on a box that old, I'd use nt 4.0 probably, or maybe 2k. The 9x series is just so unstable and insecure.

linux would be faster and more stable than either though, it might be a better idea for an old rig like that if you do not absolutely need windows for some reason.

I'm running a file/print server on a k6-2 333 using linux. It's been up for a month or so now without any crashes (before that the power went out) and it doesn't waste resources on gui stuff. That tends to not matter on a fast box, but on a slow box, you'll really feel the cpu cycles you lose to the gui.

Note, that HLDS is available for Linux, so you could use it.

Yes i currently run it on Gentoo which is installed. I'm just looking for another OS to add to the system.

A 98 box doing a simple task can be left running only a couple of weeks, doing anything heavy, it needs rebooting every 48 hours minimum.

Running a server on 98 is begging for lots and lots of trouble. You'd be better off putting a hamster inside your case on a wheel.

I would steer clear of anything before windows 2000. There is little/no support in software and drivers and it's just not worth the trouble trying to fix it. XP is much more reliable and has many more options and configurations.