WindowseXPerience (Microsoft Windows XP - Home Edition)

Member Name: Del_Boy

Product:	Microsoft Windows XP - Home Edition
Date:	21/11/01 (2541 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Doesn't crash, Fast, Just very very nice

Disadvantages: Quite expensive, Needs a good PC

I installed Windows XP a few days after it was launched. I installed it on top of a Standard Windows 98 install, and now after using it for several weeks I feel able to give my opinion on this new Operating System (OS).

First of all, if you want improvements in games, forget it. Although all the games I have tried have worked perfectly, speed gains for games are not what this OS is about.

Installation
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As I have mentioned I installed over a Windows 98se Installation. Before I installed I did a compatibility check, this goes over all hardware and software on your computer and highlights potential problem areas. It highlighted several potential problem areas which included my USB Saitek P2000 Joypad, and my Creative Labs Webcam.

Both of these devices work perfectly in XP so those potential problems proved unfounded. Unfortunately there was one piece of software (out of hundreds on my computer) that XP said wouldn't work. That was my AVG Virus Checker; and it didn't (at least it warned me though).

After the problems were identified I ran the installer, a minimum of interaction was needed during the installation process. Within the hour Windows XP was fully installed and functional.

First impressions
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The new interface looks like something akin to 'My first computer' Fisher Price style. It's nicely designed, but the bright colours and chunky menu bars brought on a headache rather quickly for me. So first of all I set about using the Windows 9x style background and menu bars, this is easy to do via a menu. So now the interface looks just like an older version of windows, but with a radiant blue background.

The speed is also noticeable, it boots up quicker than the older versions of Windows. Also when using XP you will notice that everything opens up so much faster. If you are like me and have quite a large amount of ram in your compu
ter, then you will see even bigger performance gains.

Previous versions of Windows, were well known to have a tendency to crash. Indeed if a crash occurred usually it would involve rebooting the Computer as it would hard lock the OS. That doesn't happen in Windows XP, I have had not one single OS crashing error. On the rare occasions something does go wrong, it's simplicity in itself to close down the offending program and to continue with your work. If something does go wrong, it will also tell you the nature of the problem and

Other notable inclusions include a system restore feature, which allows you to back up your computer so as to be able to restore it to good working order should something go amiss. I have noticed no performance drops with this feature enabled, that in itself impressed me.

Driver rollback feature is also impressive, if you happen to install a driver for a piece of hardware that doesn't work as well as anticipated simply select rollback from the drivers update page and it will allow you to revert to the last driver you used. This was in the last versions of Win9x, but this time it's much more reliable and user friendly.

If you own a CD writer, then Microsoft have made it even easier to copy files, simply highlight one and select the option Burn to CD, it will then ready all the files you have selected to be burned when you want them to be burned.

General info about XP
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Increased file security is available when using XP and formatting the drive in a NTFS, instead of FAT32 manner. This enables you to password protect certain files, folders etc For the normal user however this probably isn't anything to get excited about. If you need me to elaborate, or to post a link to information that elaborates further then just ask.

Multiple logons made easy, you can create different user profiles for different users. You can for example all ha
ve different desktop screens, different programs etc It's nice, as it personalizes Windows to the users.

To switch users you simply press, Windows Key and L. The switch is instant, suddenly you are using a different profile. The best thing about this is, that as soon as you switch back whatever activity you were doing when you logged out (within reason) will still be there on the screen for you. More memory and a fast processor will help the logging in and out feature even more streamlined and fast.

Problems about XP
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Some people seem to hate the idea of product activation, I can say that it is a painless procedure that takes around 20 seconds to do! This is a method of registering the software, as to stop it being pirated so easily. Judging by the amount of copies circulating though for sale on Ebay, this measure hasn't worked one iota.


Overall about XP
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I have been extremely impressed with Windows XP.

If you have a computer of a decent specification (see below for what I recommend) and require an OS that is stable as well as having support for virtually every piece of software then XP is definitely for you.

Some people seem to be waiting for the bugs to be fixed before they will upgrade to XP, I will take this opportunity to say this is basically Windows 2000 Service Pack 3. It is remarkably un-buggy thus far, with only a couple of update patches released. It is indeed testament to XP that an install over Win98 hasn't been at all problematic. Normally an upgrade over an old installation of an OS can be a disaster.

Specifications needed
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I won't mention the minimum specs as I believe them to be incorrect, here is the system I would recommend first of all as a bare minimum:

P3 or Athlon (any speed)
128mb ram or over
At least 2gigs free space on HD, preferably 10+
Soundcard

(If you use a SB Live and are having crackling problems using it, check out my op on the SB Live entitled Aural Sex for details on how to fix it)

Any questions feel free to ask, I am mindful that this is only an opinion and shouldn't be a manual on how to use XP. With that in mind, I have deliberately condensed this opinion. If you have any query about it, JUST ASK, the best questions (or only questions!) I will add to this review with the answer(s).

Kev

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