Make your computer happy!
Written: Nov 16 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Rock-solid stability, great compatibility, even fun!
Cons: None yet.
The Bottom Line: Buy it and make you and your computer happy.
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| titaniumtommy's Full Review: Microsoft Windows XP Professional (E85-00086) For ... |
Windows XP Pro is an unbelievable upgrade to the Windows family of products. Skip the Home version if you need things like Remote Connection (so you can control your computer or anyone else who asks for you to help--great for helping family members that are not so computer literate). The windows messenger is absolutely flawless, I have done video/voice/application sharing conferencing all at the same time through my DSL and it was beautiful. The messenger white board is also a sweet tool. I was able to see and control my friend's desktop. It was a no brainer to install or use.
The language bar is great for those of users who need multiple languages. Out of the box, Windows XP supports input using handwriting recognition for tons of languages (including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, Thai, Farsi, German, Spanish, and about 50 other languages). It also support voice recognition input for Chinese, Japanese, and English (recognition engines for most of the other languages are in the works). Talk about great language features! It's great for me who needs Engilsh, Thai, and Chinese input...just a key combination and I can switch between all three in seconds!
The photo and video handling is another sweet item. I installed a FireWire card and hooked up my DV camcorder in less than 10 minutes. Windows XP recognized both, automatically found the drivers and installed them without my intervention. Whenever I connect my camcorder now, it will ask me if I want to copy the video using Windows Movie Maker. This piece of software makes video capture down right easy. Just set it to the right source (I have 3-1) ATI Rage Theater for TV captures, 2) MagicImage 400 WebCam, 3) Firewire camcorder), choose the level of compression, and hit Record. That's it. Then it's just a matter of waiting. The compression process is quite slow, but that's true of any video software. The photo filmstrip mode is great for those of us with a digital camera and takes tons of pictures. The filmstrip auto previews each image and lets you rotate and do a few other rudimentary things to the photos. It definitely makes your life easier when trying to find a certain picture or organize them.
The PowerToys that you can download from the Windows XP site is pretty sweet too. Tweak UI for XP is included in that. It allows you to do the same types of mods you did with Tweak UI for 98 and Me. Some cool powertoys: Alt-Tab preview allows you to see a mini preview of the applications as you cycle through them with Alt-Tab, Multi-Desktop Manager allows you to have 4 virtual desktops and switch between them with a simple key stroke, multi file rename (select a bunch of files, rename one, and the rest will rename with numbering in succession).
ClearType is also a great reason to upgrade. The letters are much clearer and pop out of the screen (especially on laptop screens.
Multi-monitor support is also built-in...great for those of us with two screens. There is a new feature that allows laptops to do dual monitors as well. One screen will be you standard LCD screen, while the other will be external screen. It's just sweet!
I recommend at least 256 MB of RAM (I have 512 MB on my Athlon 750 and it runs like a dream). That's no problem because RAM is cheap now.
Windows XP is an amazing improvement on your computing experience. Many people will say, "oh I don't need those things." But when WinXP makes you more efficient and actually makes computing easier, you'll be amazed. I've seen too many people who I show this OS too and watch their jaw drop as I give them a tour of what it can do.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
titaniumtommy
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Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 1 member
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