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Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (N09-00048) For PC

Posted by Josh under Software

Windows XP (Home Edition): My eXPerience … (updated) Pros: stability improved interface increased speed (over ME)Cons: Not fully compatible with Win9x and Win2000 privacy concerns most necessary upgrades not freeThe Bottom Line: WindowsXP lives up to expectations (stability) compatibility a little bit behind (make sure it does not affect existing software that you cannot live without) Was waiting for that category to become available. So now 2 weeks after I happily upgraded to WindowsXP (from WinME) I would like to take a moment and go over the things I encountered during install and use. In a nutshell however Windows XP has been released with a big media hype and most users of the Win9x variant are certainly looking for some relief this new version promises to deliver. (STABILITY) The first encounter … is exciting and since I was desperate to have these constant stability issues of WinME go away I was happy to get the upgrade the very first day. Hoping of course it would do what I expect. Installation is very easy. Just run the setup to figure out your installed software and hardware compatibility. The wizzard actually pointed out a couple problem areas and so I went out to gather suggested updates to make sure I have it available. (in case my internet connection would cease to exist after the upgrade). Some programs however fell victim to the god of deletion. Well prepared I started the upgrade. 72 minutes were predicted by WinXP and realistically it spent about 90. WinMe tried to pull the same trick suggesting a much shorter time than it actually took (but there the resulting 150 minutes were way off). WinXP apparently spent the installation time well and pretty much recreated almost all settings and software (registry etc.). Another positive side note: Practically no interaction is needed and that is a nice improvement over Me where one had to acknowledge some steps and in return spend the time computersitting. To keep it up to date Windows integrated an Autoupdate feature (like LiveUpdate from Symantec) that supposedly scans the web for system updates (Microsoft) and if desired automatically installs them. This worked once and now I am getting rejected (Access Denied - Network Policy Settings). Since I am using NetZero I could think of some issues there but otherwise I still have to figure out what the actual problem is (since I am not on a network). Beauty is only skin-deep … but who says that skin in not important? I mean the new interface now has the ability to integrate some of the functionality known from WindowsFX or WindowsBlinds and make this a lot easier to the eye. Skins (or themes) are nothing new but this way it’s practically compatible by default (within its limits) An optional WindowsXP Plus! package