Rating: 
Summary: One big annoyance
Review: Sure, everyone and their dogs use Windows but this has got to be one of the most non intuitive, unfriendly versions of Windows ever. One sentence describes this beast. "Get out of my way and let me get my job done." This OS simply will not leave you alone and seems to try and actually stop you from finding what you need. Convoluted, ugly, and yes, annoying. I went back to using 98 and soon I'll be moving to Mac OS X.Ask yourself, why would anyone use something where you have to buy an additional book called "Windows Annoyances." And oh, by the way, I can do with out the billion or so viruses Bill...fix that will you, we pay you enough!!
Rating: 
Summary: XP: A step forward in functionality
Review: When Windows XP was released, the most people saw at first was its sleek design and interface, which many criticized for being simply "bells and whistles". But they, like myself, found that XP was more than just a pretty picture, having features that actually enhanced efficiency and functionality.
One of my favorites is the fact that when a digital camera is plugged in, it automatically asks you if you would like to upload the pictures, view them in a slidshow, etc. XP comes with its own picture uploading tool that loads the pictures quickly and easily. Another of my favorites is the user switching, where two (or three, or four...) profiles can be switched between very quickly, making it a great application for more than one regular user.
Of course, you can turn these things off if you so desire, but why bother? Windows XP is stylish and efficient, bright but effective.
There is one issue that has created much controversy among computer users who upgrade their computers frequently. Product activation is Microsoft's newest attempt to stop piracy in its tracks. Within a month of installation, it requires you to enter your product key, and, if you have internet access, it will contact Microsoft and activate the software for you. If you don't have an internet connection, you'll have to call Microsoft.
This is not generally a problem, it only takes a minute or two to activate Windows. However, some users complain that when you upgrade anything on your computer, it requires you to activate again. This is only partially true. Windows XP will only deactivate itself if... and only if... your computer's hardware has changed drastically. It also occurs if you change hard drives. On the third reactivation, you will have to call a Microsoft employee to ask for a new product key.
This isn't a big deal; it only takes a minute. The truth is that activation is a very small inconvenience that shouldn't bother most people... unless, of course, you pirated your copy.
It is definitely worth upgrading to Windows XP for its greater stability and easier maneuverability.
Rating:
Summary: Do you need the Pro version?
Review: Windows XP Home and Pro are 100% identical, except that "Pro" costs much more and has a few additional features. If you don't need these features, stick with the Home version. 1) Support for Windows domains: This is the main difference. If you log into a Windows "domain" at work, then you need XP Pro. 2) Remote Desktop: This is like PC Anywhere, and it comes with XP Pro. 3) Do you already have Win 2000 or NT?: If you are buying an upgrade version (which this product is), be aware that the XP Pro "Upgrade" version requires Windows NT or Windows 2000. If you buy the XP Home "Upgrade" version, then your computer must already have Win 98 or ME installed.
Rating: 
Summary: My personal experience with Windows XP Professional
Review: This program is great for networking, only. It's not a program for the basic home pc owner. When I used the program, even though I have a small home based online business, I had a lot of problems using it. The program is meant for networking, meaning that what it's specialization is.
Rating:
Summary: Windows XP Home, The Best of Microsoft!
Review: This program is the best of Microsoft! The "extras" seem to be endless and user friendly! Even for the new-comers to the computer world this program makes life easy! For anyone! I would highly recomend this CD-Rom to run your entire computer!
Rating: 
Summary: Cleanest Windows OS yet
Review: I recently upgraded form Windows 98 to XP on my home PC. I use Windows 2000 at work and I have to say that XP is by far the best choice for the home PC. I did the XP Upgrade and I must say that is was extremely easy to convert my 98 system to XP. I takes A L-O-N-G time to do the install (a single cd, yet prepare to spend about 2 hours once you hit "go"). MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER.... If you do nothing else to prepare for the upgrade; take the time to run the hardware & software compatibility check before you commit yourself to the install. This is most critical & here's a good example. The driver for my PC's modem/chipset was incompatible with XP. This was highlighted when I ran the test and it allowed me to retrieve the updated driver before launching the upgrade. If I had not done this, then I would have been toast. After the upgrade I would not have been able to use my modem to access the internet to get the new driver after the fact. So do yourself a favor, run the test, print it out, get all your patches beforehand & you'll save yourself a ton of frustration and wasted time. Other than that it's great and very easy to load. They did a great job with the user interface and instructions. It was a no brainer to install. Just remeber to read everything first, run the compatibility test, print out the important stuff (it even tells you what the important stuff is!) and get your patches before you hit "go". Now go & dump your 5 year old OS and get up to date.
Rating:
Summary: A Joke from Mr. Gates
Review: I tried installing this on two different computers: my own home machine and my bother-in-law's. Each install took at least 3 hours, and each machine crashed twice during the process, requiring a re-boot. Not a user friendly experience at all. But hey, everyone says this is the way to go, the "os of the future". If it is, we are all in BIG trouble.
Anyway, the photo minipulation software is okay, up to a point, as are the other "extras" in the home version of XP, but they are NOT as powerful or user friendly or as well intergrated as those on Mac OS X, and don't let anyone tell you different; they are lying. I know, I use both systems on a regular basis. In fact, I used to be a die-hard Windows only user. Then I actually used a Macintosh for more than 10 minutes and that changed my mind, forever. OS X never crashes, is far more powerful (just look at the Dock, for example; Windows taskbar doesn't even come close), certainly more stunning visually. That's why a lot of people, including my brother in law as well as the folks at my job, are switching. Don't get me started on Win virusus, either. Really, a poor programming job wrapped in a green box. People should demand better; I guess this is what you get when you don't. I'm not ever going to use Windows again.
Rating:
Summary: Not so Great for an Older Computer
Review: I purchased this upgrade hoping to improve my Windows 98 speed. Instead, it slowed down CONSIDERABLY. For example, it took about 30 seconds to close 1 of 2 open windows. Very aggravating!
I took my PC to a repair service and they tell me that XP is only good for Pentium IV processors; otherwise, Windows 98 is still better. I couldnt agree more!
Rating:
Summary: I SHOULD'VE LISTENED
Review: This product is the absolute worst.........well let me be fair....I'm still unable to install the OS.....It's been 4 days now I've been trying to install the software and it continues to hang/not respond during certain stages of setup.......now I'm to the point I can't even begin the setup...
Rating:
Summary: Just do it, you'll be happy!
Review: I have to laugh at the few (and you'll notice it's very few) reviewers who hate XP. Several of those reviewers seem to think that XP pales in comparison to Millennium! That's the OS that even MS thinks of as the bastard child no one should talk about and they admit was junk. I'm not sure how you can take their opinion seriously. The other few bad reviews seem to be from Mac freaks who just want to bad-mouth Windows. BTW, my wife has a PowerBook and she spends a fair share of time swearing at it over lockups and system glitches. I am an IT Director for fairly large company, we now have XP (Pro) on about one third of our systems and I have helped install both the Pro and Home version on probably a dozen or so personal PC, so I have some experience. The only reason not to install this upgrade would be that your PC is so old it isn't capable of running it. In that case, go out and buy a new PC with XP on it. If you have a competent system for XP, you will be amazed at the difference; I have several friends who thought they had gotten a new computer after installing XP. As to the negative comments by other reviewers: -Yes, it does have a memory appetite, but that's a good thing, I want the OS to know how to use the RAM. The biggest problem with the 98x OS's was the memory limitation and the computer would spend half the time swapping stuff in and out of RAM. Besides, memory costs next to nothing these days. -Yes, a full install is the way to go, but I have always recommended that. It's the only way to make sure you have flushed all the old files. XP supports so much hardware; you probably won't have to go searching for any drivers. -Activation is necessary in most cases. Again, so what? It takes 10 seconds online and you don't have to give any personal info. The only reason I think people complain about this is that they can no longer get free copies from their friends, isn't that sad? -No anti-virus built in. Could you imagine the antitrust howls if MS started "bundling" anti-virus software? -Not stable, not compatible, etc. XP is built on Windows 2000, which is fairly universally regarded as a very stable OS, but is not built on the same kernel as the 98x OS's so you may have problems with some very old software. I emphasize "very old" because I personally have not run into any problems with old software that weren't solved with the "compatibility" settings in the program properties. I think most of the problems that some have experienced stem from not knowing how to set the compatibility properties (read the manual). The other cases may be true problems with old software, but at some point you might need to move on to something newer than WordStar, my old Beta tapes don't run in my DVD player either! In short, assuming you have a reasonably new system with a proper amount of memory, switching to XP will be a pleasant experience.
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