I originally posted this on the VWS forum, but thought someone here might derive some benefit from it. And, besides running VWS, this computer now has Weather Display running on it so I can learn about it while keeping SLOweather running with VWS.
Disclaimer
I know that the following is not for every one, and that likely no one will exactly duplicate my current setup. Some of you run VWS on old iron. Some run it on your everyday computer. This is my personal experience with VWS and finding a stable solution. It’s submitted in the hope that some of my fellow forum members might find something of value from my experiences.
Background
I’ve been running VWS for over 6 years (the earliest archive The Wayback Machine has of my VWS-based weather page is August 17, 2000). I’ve run VWS on Windows 98, 2000 Pro, XP Home, XP Media Center, and, now, XP Pro. This current installation is by far the most stable, even though I’m running more concurrent apps on the computer than ever before. With Win 98, I was lucky to get 4 days to a week without a reboot. With this XP Pro build, I generally reboot the computer for some other reason, like a software installation or update, before it needs a reboot itself.
The Computer
I custom built this machine around a Gigabyte motherboard, 3 GHz P4 processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 120 MB IDE drive, and a 450 watt power supply. The case is from the Gateway XP Media Center PC (those guts went into a PC Theater case for the entertainment center).
The XP Pro license was from a dead computer at work. After building the computer and installing the OS, I applied all of the Windows service packs and updates, except IE7.
The motherboard was selected because it had 3 PCI slots, and 6 USB ports. However, it only has one on-board serial port, and a second serial port header.
To handle all of the legacy serial port needs I anticipated needing at “build-out”, I added an 8 port serial card based on the Sunix chipset. Previous experience showed that Netmos based boards were, er, junk on Win2K Pro and XP. Next, the Boltek StormTracker PCI card went in.
After the computer was built and the OS and initial peripherals installed, I started installing the software. Because of VWS’s cranky FTP, I started using WebDrive a couple of years ago.
The software was installed one or 2 programs at a time and then tested to make sure they would all run together. So far, there have been no problems (knock on wood…). 
Here is a list of what is currently running on that machine, in no particular order (and not counting the ancillary programs necessary for the hardware, like the network card, sound mixer, and video stuff that runs in the system tray):
WebDrive
StartWatch
VirtualVP
VWS
WeatherLink (sometimes)
WinAPRS
WD
Hamachi (free VPN)
RealVNC (used with Hamachi to remotely administer the computer)
NexStorm
Syncom (syncs my lightning data to StrikeStar)
WASP2
WxSim (just started running this)
HomeSeer with the VWS and WAPSeer plugins.
Hyperterminal as an interface to the phone call monitor on our phone system, and/or Programmator to program the system as needed.
WinAmp and the ShoutCast DSP for streaming a couple of scanners onto the net.
In addition, the computer runs Skype and the software for the USB phone interface to our phone system, serves as the print server for a USB color laser printer, and a Dymo label printer, and runs the software for an HP flatbed scanner.
Since the computer is installed behind my router, Windows Firewall is turned off. The only anti-virus installed is AVG free, which I run manually every few days. It has always come back clean. Automatic updates are turned off. After a couple of bad experiences, I only update manually, when I can control the process, and roll back if necessary. (While it shouldn’t be necessary, System Restore can be a real computer saver.)
Notes
I don’t think XP Pro is necessary to the success of this project. XP Home should have sufficed, but the Pro license was available. OTOH, I’d avoid Media Center Edition. It seems to have issues with networking.
A multi-port serial/USB adaptor might work OK. I used my old InsideOut Networks Edgeport4 until the Sunix board arrived, with no problems.
Legacy serial port applications can use different COM port number ranges. Some can use only COMs 1-4, some 1-8, and some up to 256. With 10 legacy ports available (2 on-board, 8 on the PCI card), and with VirtualVP taking 8 more ports, it takes a little research and planning to assign all of the ports so that everything runs.
Next
I need to add my Leopard II to HomeSeer through one of the serial ports.
Finally
I think the main key here is that I started with a clean installation of the operating system. Off-the-shelf name-brand computers, whether purchased from the manufacturer’s on-line site or from a big box store, contain an incredible amount of pre-installed software. Then, after-market programs can add even more. I see it every day as a computer tech doing tuneups on client machines. Even some of the programs and features you never use have little bits that load at start-up and take up RAM and CPU cycles, and sometimes bandwidth.
And, I minimized the impact of the “protection” programs by only runningan AV program. Norton and McAfee are notorious resource hogs, more so if you are running the Internet security versions. If you run one of those, it may try to scan everything your weather programs FTP to your website, and slowing things down.
After I posted this, there was a question posted:
Pretty much, it means that I run that computer (and most of mine, for that matter), more nekkid than most.
90% or more of computer protection is or should be user behavior based. That computer is only used by me, exclusively for the purposes of which I wrote. Any web surfing done on it is for downloading drivers or programs necessary for the operation of the computer.
There’s no email running on it, so there is no vector there for virii or malware. I never click on any part of the rare pop-up that might
appear when surfing (I mainly run FireFox) except the Close box. The only time I use IE is for “\server-name” access to another computer somewhere, or if a necessary site won’t run in FF. I don’t load or use any browser toolbar or “search assistant”.
It’s already behind a hardware firewall, so I disabled the Windows firewall.
While I do have sharing enabled on it for files and printers on my home network and the Hamachi VPN, there is no peer-to-peer file sharing running. I think Messenger is running, but since there’s no login associated with it, I don’t see a problem there. Skype does have an IM feature, but I’ve never had any problems with it.
In my experience, McAfee and Norton are OK for the masses who can’t be trusted to do the right things on-line. Even with them, I see computers come into the shop for a tune-up all crapped up with stuff. Some come back in like clockwork every few months. I’ve about given up on user education, (plus it’s job security ).
On those computers, if the anti-virus is close to expiring or has never been registered, I take it off and install Grisoft AVG Free unless it’s a business machine. Then we put on the paid-for AVG.
Invariably, AVG will find stuff the other packages missed. (Think about it. If you were going to write a virus or something, you’d try to write it to circumvent the big-gun AV programs as much as possible…)
Every few weeks, I do a mini tuneup on the weather computer, updating AVG and running it, and checking the Task Manager and MSCONFIG for stuff that shouldn’t be or doesn’t need to be running.
As far as the rest of the computers and users around here, it’s pretty much the same. Our email provider does a great job of stopping spam and viruses upstream before they even get here. Every now and then, my wife or my parents will click on something stupid on their computers, but it’s generally not hard to clean up.