Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition- Let The Games Begin!
Written: Nov 12 '01 (Updated Nov 15 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Much more stable than the 9X/ME series.
Cons: With its introduction, it begins a new wave computing that may have some privacy concerns.
The Bottom Line: Gone are the days of manual configuration. Legacy support is somewhat supported but not guaranteed. The future is here, grab it here and now, with Windows XP!
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| rpllingrock's Full Review: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (N09-00048) For ... |
Microsoft releases a new Operating System. Big deal right? We’ve seen it all before, do more and do it easier. Well, Windows XP promises both and much more! But does it deliver?
This Review
This review is based on my experiences with an upgrade to Windows XP Home from Windows ME. I purchased both the Home and Pro version for my home, but will leave the opinion for the Pro version for another time.
The following system was used during my assessment.
512 MB RAM, GeForce MX AGP, Athlon 1.33 GHz.
Microsoft has a way of underestimating the minimum requirements, this so they can snare in as many potential users as possible.
I cannot possibly cover every improvement in complete detail and promise to keep this opinion at a reasonable size.
Since I did work with both the Home and Pro versions, I’ve made a great effort to separate the two in my review, and concentrate mostly on the Home version. So, if you see something that slipped through my fingers, let me know and I’ll correct it.
First, The Hype
Since the release of Windows 95 the hype surrounding these releases have been blown way out of proportions. There were two monumental steps taken with the release of the “Home User” based operating systems, Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. The third in this series is Windows XP.
The hype leading up to the release of XP has been nothing short of spectacular. Being the skeptic that I am, I just blew it all off thinking it was just another Windows Millennium. (a small improvement over the 9X systems)
Main Differences Between Home & Pro
Below I’ll list what’s on the Pro version and obviously missing from Home. I only list this so you can make an assessment if Pro is in your future.
· Remote Desktop- Very similar to pcAnywhere (pcA) by Symantec. Although its function is basic compared to pcA, it is possible, over a slow Internet connection, to control your own desktop from a remote location.
· Dual-Processor Support
· Built-in Encryption of Files or Folders- This, from what I can gather, is only possible if you’re using NTFS and not FAT.
· Built-in Fax Capabilities- Windows 95 had this capability inherent, but MS found it necessary to remove it in subsequent home versions of their OS’s.
The Installation
Before installation, you can check the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) on the XP site, or, before the install takes place, XP will inspect your system for incompatible programs and hardware. You’ll then have the choice to go ahead with the upgrade or cancel.
In my case, I proceeded to go ahead and install with the conflicting items, hardware and software. Much to my surprise, out of the 8 or so items listed in the problem list, only 3 did not work to my satisfaction and were removed.
The Problems
With the introduction of any new OS, there will always be some type of compatibly problems, and XP is no different. As Microsoft tries to improve on their systems by making them more stable (signed drivers), there will be hardware and software glitches.
Below is a list of incompatible software on my system.
Symantec pcAnywhere v10 (although could be considered minor)
Norton Anti Virus 2001 (an update to 2002 is currently needed)
Roxio Direct CD v 5.01 (update is provided)
You must realize that I have many applications on my system. The killer for me was Norton AV and Direct CD packet writing.
You can install drivers that are not signed, but XP warns of this and automatically creates a Restore point just in case your system becomes unstable.
Features I Liked
Much of what I describe here can be associated with third party equivalents, some of which were available in other Windows versions. These are not listed in any particular order.
· Not really a feature I guess, but it is to me. The incredible speed and stability of the system overall. I’ve tasted stability using Windows 2000, this is just icing on the cake! As I put XP through the wringer, it failed, failed to choke that is. Running programs that would cause problems on both 98 and ME performed without a hitch.
· Internet Time Server- An option to have your system clock set to the correct time via a timeserver over the Internet. Currently there are two servers listed.
· The grouping of similar taskbar buttons. For example, you have 4 IE browser windows open, they will be sorted in order opened onto one button on the task bar. Clicking it opens the menu of pages.
· Hide those inactive or active icons in the tray. View them again by clicking button located near the clock. If you have a ton of items in your tray, it does save real estate on the taskbar.
· Integrated CD burning capability. Although not a complete burning package, it will suffice for minor burning of files to CD-R(W). What it does is save all of your files to a temporary directory until you’ve accumulated enough to burn to a CD. Roxio supplied this technology, makers of Easy CD Creator and DirectCD.
· When inserting a CD, XP reads the disk, and offers a list of options pertaining to the contents on that disk. For example, pop in a CD with family photos, an auto-play window pops up, reads the contents, and offers to “copy pictures to a folder”, “print the pictures”, “view slideshow”, “open folder to view” or take “no action”.
· Remote Assistance- Both computer must both be running XP Home or Pro and Windows Messenger. A way to lend help to fellow XP users or to be on the receiving end of such help. This can be accomplished in several ways. By sending an e-mail invite via the Windows “Help & Support Center”, by Windows Messaging directly, or by filling out a form and attaching it to e-mail.
Of course there are options of limiting how long the invitation will last and password protecting your system from the unscrupulous. Connection rate does come into play though. If both users are connected via dial-up, well, brew a pot of coffee! ;)
If one user is on via broadband, the torture is not quite as bad.
Worth Mentioning
· Windows Movie Maker- Just a toy compared to most video editing software, but does allow for a user to get their feet wet in editing.
· Windows Media Player v8 only available on XP. Although it offers a “prettier” interface and a few extras, it is not a factor for an upgrade.
· If you don’t like the overhauled interface, you may change it back to a more typical Windows 98 style.
· Built in firewall with limited capabilities. I chose to depend on a third party utility. It appears that the XP firewall does not question outbound traffic as ZoneAlarm or similar firewalls do.
What I Don’t Like
· On some devices, when installing a driver that wasn’t XP certified by MS, it does its backup, but when restarting the computer, it is sometimes necessary to go through the install process. This particular problem involves two items, my USB hub and my USB Digital Card Reader from LexarMedia.
· There is one annoyance that irks me to no end. If I set a particular graphics program to open images by default, the Windows Picture Viewer overrides any selection. This forces you to right-click the image and select “Open with” from the pop-up context menu. I am sure there is a way to override this I just haven’t found it. But this is another example of how MS has decided to make computing less confusing for many users, but poses challenges to seasoned users, forcing them to scramble in search of ways to bypass such nuisances.
· Gone are the “Recent Documents” and “Quick Launch” from the Start button and Task bar. A real pain if you were used to this on previous versions. But fret not! There is a way to coax it back.
XP Phone Home!
For those of you concerned with privacy, Windows XP introduces new way to control many aspects of your system. Granted, today’s systems rely heavily on interaction with the Internet, including registration, driver and virus updates, so it only stands to reason that the operating systems have the capability to communicate with the Internet as well.
I’ve counted no less than 10 interactions with Microsoft (intercepted with Sygate Personal Firewall), all of which must be turned off manually, or through the use of a Firewall. While some of these seem benign, they do interact with the Mother Ship.
Just few examples:
· The timeserver default is to a MS site.
· Every time you click Windows Help, on the lower right of the window, “Did You Know?” updates subjects of interest from MS.
· Automatic Update is on by default.
· Windows Messenger (MSN) starts automatically by default. Here’s another one for you. If you choose to not start with Windows, it magically starts whenever you browse to your Hotmail account.
· Media Player contacts to update its Media Guide.
You may be saying to yourself, “So what?”- The fact of the matter remains, these objects do not ask for permission before interacting. Sure some of these have been going on for years, even other companies do it. But does that make it right? Only when consumers cause a ruckus over such matters do these companies back off, at least until injecting some other form of prying into their programs. I like to call it PryWare. ;)
Losing Control
So how has Windows progressed over the years? Let me put it this way, as the upgrades increased in size and $$, user intervention has decreased, making the OS nothing more than a tool to carry out daily activities.
Gone are the days of manually configuring ports, IRQ, DMA and so on. This is a good in some respects, but in the process, we as a people are losing control of our own computers. Think about it for a minute. The second you throw in the Windows XP CD and enter your key, you have lost total control of your computer. Your next step is to activate your copy through MS, and from this point on my friends, all you have to do is click your mouse, MS will take care of everything else. ;)
Overall
I can say without hesitation that XP (Pro & Home) is by far the most stable (Windows 2000 included), fastest and visually appealing OS that I have ever used!
Windows NT and the 9X series were always on different playing fields. NT the rock, and 9X the soft-shell crab. ;) The introduction of XP put both systems in line with each other. No longer will you have to wait for a driver to work with 98,Win 2k or ME, if it’s written for XP, it’ll work with both versions.
Do I think it is worth the upgrade?
Yes if you have a fairly fast CPU, and plenty of disk space and memory. If your system depends on older hardware, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.
Do I think it is worth buying a new PC over? Maybe!
If you’re running the bare minimum and were considering a new system anyway, select one that runs XP over 98 or 2000.
Do I think your upgrade will be 100% trouble free? No.
As with most OS upgrades, it is usually best to do a clean install. This rids you of excess baggage left behind by uninstalled programs and will limit some of the problems faced when upgrading. During one upgrade, XP said a program that I had wasn’t compatible with XP. Funny thing, I removed it months before upgrading.
Recommended:
Yes
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