Rating: 
Summary: Great....until you have a problem
Review: I have had XP for 6 months and it was working fine. I installed the Office service packs today and the whole system came crashing down! I don't know what MS is thinking, but they seriously need to get their act together. I would recommend to anyone considering XP to get an Apple.
Rating: 
Summary: Things I learned about installing XP
Review: 1. Choose which one you want. I chose XP Pro over home. If you EVER think you may network, you should get pro. Plus it is more robust than home. 2. Install the full version not the upgrade. I read reviews that said this and at first I balked at it but you are going to back up your files anyway, you will be much happier (trust me) if you install the full version. For example: When I first tried to install a full xp over ME, I kept getting an error message. I had to re-install ME, then install XP pro. That goes to show you that you never know what you have picked up over the months on your computer that may hinder installation. If you try to upgrade, you will be scouring the forums late at night trying to find an answer. 3. Buy OEM. If you are knowledgeable about computers why pay double just for the book, pretty packaging and support? Has support ever really helped you? Me neither. If you follow number 1 and 2, you won't need to worry about support. 4. XP runs fine on average computers. I have a toshiba satellite, PIII, 850 mhz with 128 mb of ram. It runs great. I plan to upgrade memory in just a few days but I was planning to anyway. 5. You will be surprised at how few incompatability issues you will have. Don't listen to all the anti-microsoft crowd or apple pushers. I hate microsoft too, but it's a microsoft world and xp pro is a great product.
I have yet to encounter incompatability issues. I didn't even need all the disks/drivers for my hardware. For example, I use a mouse with my laptop, I didn't need to re-install anything. The same with my printer (hp deskjet). I plugged in the cable and it recognized it. I even have an older version of lotus smartsuite that works on it. My advice, if you think it might not work, try it anyway, you could be surprised. Or possibly find an update online. Hope this helps. If you have ME, take my word for it. You NEED to upgrade. A $150 OEM version is well worth your trouble. I experienced crashes every day with ME. None so far with XP. I'm happy. And I don't usually write reviews.
Rating: 
Summary: Completely blows ME out of the water!
Review: I have had XP on my Dell system for over 2 years now and have had NO problems with it. Yes, when I installed XP, I had some hardware that needed newer drivers and I have software that won't run. The software was designed for DOS use only and will not run in a DOS Shell, never did, even with 95. The drivers were simply XP/2000 specific drivers rather than the 95/98/ME that were initially installed by Dell with ME. ME crashed all the time for no apparent reason. To this day (12/27/2003), XP has simply never crashed. If you have an older PC, there are some major considerations as XP is NOT 100% "backward" compatible. However, if you bought your NEW computer with-in the last 3 years, you should be fine. For the most part, I have found that software with the "made for Windows" logo works fine, Norton AV being the exception. You must have a 2001 or newer version of Norton. If upgrading your system from ME/98 and have Norton, you should uninstall Norton first, then re-install after the upgrade is complete. I saw another review here about Norton2004 not working after upgrading Windows. Since I don't have 2004 I can't be certain, but I say the same as for other versions, uninstall first and be sure it is Norton2001 or newer. Also, some software may need updates to function properly under XP, especially if the software was specifically intended for 95/98/ME. This is not another version of the 95/98 flavor, but rather a complete restructuring that brings tried and true technology out of the corporate world and into your home. If you own older hardware, such as a printer or scanner, you should visit the manufacturer's web site for those devices to insure compatibility, NOT MICROSOFT. While Microsoft does have a hardware compatibility list, the nonexistence of a particular device doesn't indicate incompatibility. Microsoft simply cannot guarantee compatibility of the thousands of products on the market.
Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Alot of bells and whistles, but most go unused
Review: WindowsXP was one of the most anticipated upgrades in computer history, but much like many other things Microsoft related, this product has proven to be more trouble than it is help. There's alot of good to be said about XP Pro. Bootup times are much quicker than any other MS operating system, better user management than Windows 2000, and lots of compatability. My favorite feature has to be the automatic recognition of Plug-n-play devices, which has served as a life saver in quick situations. For those who like a PC with a nice interface, XP has unlimited skinning properties, which is good. But they take up extra RAM, which is bad. Crashes are also down as well, which is good. XP Pro has a ton of features that come automatically enabled. I can't list how many of these I've just turned off because they just plain didn't serve a purpose or were an annoyance. The IP addresser of the windows XP messenger has become a haven for spammers. The "services" that windows automatically enables do nothing more than take up RAM and slow you down. The System Restore will eat a big chunk of your PC if you don't know how to turn it down/off. The CD burning feature is tricky and pointless. I see no reason why you would use this over a commerical product such as Nero (or even a free CD burning program, such as Burn At Once). This is all not mentioning the numerous security holes in the operating system. Microsoft tries to fix this my automatically running Windows update while you're online. If you have a fast PC and broadband, then you might not notice it going. But if you're on an older PC or have dial-up, then it will cut into your internet speeds and processor speeds. If you turn it off, then you have to remember to check it on your own. I also can't count the numer of times I've gotten phone calls asking me how to put My Computer and My Documents back on the desktop, since they're hidden by default. All in all, it's nice, but unless you're going to have a "computer person" install and tweak it for you, you're going to have things happen that you don't like. Stick with 2000 until longhorn comes out.
Rating: 
Summary: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Review: I currently and unfortunately own and use this operating system.
I have owned and used other Microsoft Operating System software in the past and compared to them, Windows XP Home Edition stinks. Out of all of the past operating systems, I feel that Microsoft Windows ME is the best of the best. Windows XP is just a lot of hype and is not even close to operating systems in the past.
Rating:
Summary: Great OS
Review: Just did a complete new installation of XP, which only took one hour. Coming from 98 this system is totally crash proof. The ease of use and format are leaps and bounds above 98. Would recommend this OS to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Windows Yet!
Review: I actually survived the living hell that was Windows ME! Windows XP,the latest Microsoft OS,is by far the best Windows yet.There is a lot of new features,but the most noticable new feature is the OS's new facelift.The windows are curved,and you can actually set the overall look of the OS to look like a Mac! Windows XP has made networking much easyer.It is also better at multimedia.Though a few programs I had did not work with Windows XP,you can configure the computer to treat an older program as if the OS were ME or earlyer. The new Windows Activation is a good idea,as Microsoft is having problems with software pirates,ect. My only problem with Windows XP was that it would refuse to run some of Norton SystemWorks utilities.Also,uninstalling Systemworks was a pain and I eventually had to use System Restore to return to the day I got XP.But that wasn't that long ago,so it didn't really matter.Oh,that's another improvement!In this version of Windows,System Restore actually works!In ME,no matter how many times you try,the System Restore will not work. I know this is a bit off subject,but installing a new OS over Windows ME is nearly impossible.I hade to try a few times in order to install XP over (ME).It kept complaining about Norton,and the disk drive,and open applications... Overall,Windows XP is a must have for anyone with a crappy OS such as ME.Buy it now!
Rating:
Summary: Avoid upgrade
Review: I tried this as an upgrade to ME. Was a big mess that I had to undo. But you can use the upgrade disk to do a clean install, and reformat your drive to NTSF and install it as a clean OS for XP home, if you have a previous Windows OS version. WindowsXP is the most stable Microsoft OS since the 95 nightmares began. I built PCs for friends occasionally and some of them as "idiots" crash other windows versions quickly playing around or over accessorising with no real OS knowledge, but they don't bother me constantly with problems on XP built computers.
As for myself, I used to mirror a clean windows install and generally refreshed it almost monthly, when prior Win OS programs developed inevitable problems, and bogged down or crashed frequently. I've only done one reinstall of XP (pro), and it is tough to really mess it up bad. XP home was used on friends PCs I built. XP is far beyond previous versions for stability. System restore works more the 50% of the time if you do have a bad install issue. For some reason winXPPro seems to be a bit more stable, even without server or private networking needs.
Rating:
Summary: Stick with Windows 2000 for another year..
Review: By far Windows 2000 is the best OS from MS at the moment. Here are the pros and cons of both. - 2000 is a way more stable than XP and uses less resourses.
- Most software still works with 2000. Most new software is made compatible with 2000.
- 2000 is still updated by MS.
- Graphics on 2000 are not the best. - XP uses a lot of resourses and requires a new computer system.
- XP still has some bugs and issues that need to be fixed.
- XP is heavy on memory and can sometimes hang for ages.
- XP is what all domestic home computer users should get if they are getting a new machine. 2000 or XP. The choice is yours. I would get 2000 but MS may not be supporting it as much past the start of 2005 from what I hear.
Rating:
Summary: HORRIBLE
Review: WOW! I NEVER KNOW SOME SOFTWARE, AND ESPECIALLY THIS CAN BE SO HORRIBLY BAD!! FIRST OFF, I HAVE NO CLUE WHERE ANY OF MY PREVIOUS STUFF WENT, I FOUND 10 OF MY DOCS AND I FRANTICALLY SEARCHED EVERY FOLDER. MY MUSIC WONT RE FORMAT AND ALL OF MY DATA IS JUST NOTHING. THIS BROUGHT ME NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. I WISH I JUST STUCK WITH ME WHICK IS 1OOX BETTER IN EVERY WAY. IN THIS ONE THEY TREAT YOU LIKE YOU HAVNT EVER USED A COMPUTER BEFORE AND TAKE THE "PERSONAL" AWAY FROM PC. DONT GET THIS LOAD OF JUNK.
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