Rating: 
Summary: Windows XP
Review: Windows XP is by far the best Windows operating system to date. This OS is wonderful! It does so many different things, and the best part is that it doesn't crash! I've had a lot of programs lock up, and they are easily shut down in less than 5 seconds. The best part is, that Microsoft took out the infamous "Blue Screen of Death" it's gone now! The best part is that it comes with a lot of built in features that are like a lot of Norton Utilities. The great thing about this version is the fact that you don't have that stupid Microsoft activation code, so that you can install it on many different computers!
Rating: 
Summary: Excelent OS!
Review: This is what windows was meant to be! This OS is a perfect os for gamers and just as good when it comes to buisness! My computer runs atleast three times faster with this new OS my machine! It was also the best and fastest installation of windows ever! (When you install windows xp, make sure that if u have a secondary cd rom drive like a cdrw drive, make sure there are no IDE plugs going into it. windows installation sometimes gets confused with which drive it is reading)Gamers should love this OS because it has a compatibility mode on it, which reads the code, and, if it can, transfer it to the new xp coding. My games run a lot faster with XP, and i'm a heavy gamer! Buisness geeks should enjoy this OS also. It is extremely easy to use and run power hungry buisness APS. New users to windows or mac users will love the new interfase especially, but i have used every version of windows from 3.1 to xp, and i LOVE the new interfase. It may take a day to get used to it, but it is completely worth it. If you don't like the interfase, you can switch it to classic mode. The Start Menu is much better than any other version of windows. When you click on the start menu, it will show the start menu but with only your most used or most important files. You can then click on the ALL PROGRAMS button to show all of your programs! Product Activation is easier than everyone else thinks. You can do it once you install XP! So, my opinion is that this is a great OS. Just dont make the mistake i did. Disconnect your secondary drive, and DONT USE THIS OS WITHOUT ATLEAST 256 MB OF MEMORY! You will definetly regret using only 128mb after installing xp on a 733mhz computer or lower. I have a 500mhz. It ran slugishly at 128. Yes, this is wierd, but i upgraded. It was no big deal. If you have 128, but get another 128. You only need that much. At amazon.com it only costs you . . . a few. . . dollars for an extra 128mb of ram! Get xp at the best place there is! Amazon.com, and don't forget to upgrade your ram! Get it at amazon.com!!!
Rating: 
Summary: The next opportunity for Microsoft to drain your wallet
Review: It's a operating system... That's way too expensive.
Yes, windows XP is better then the previous versions... but so was Win95 better then 3.1, and Windows 98 better then 95, and windows 98 SE better then 98, and Windows ME better then 98 SE.(well.. actually I'm not sure about that one :p )
And now Windows XP better then Windows Me. Frankly, where will it end?
How many times does it take to get a decent operating system? Plus, when you upgrade, you're going to find that many of the things you used with windows ME/98 won't work because there are no drivers out yet. For example my Studio DC10 plus capture card... No drivers yet. But the company plans on it but keeps delaying it. I think companies are sick and tired of having to make new drivers every other year! In addition, Windows XP includes sub par programs for music, images, etc.
They take up space, and are sometimes difficult to change away from your default program for a certain image type or music. When you can find free programs like winamp that do the job better, with less strain on your computer... with less bugs. And, your going to have a lovely time with the activation system in place. Whenever you change your hardware, or even sometimes install new software (yes its rare, but it still waisted my time) you will have to reactivate it.. Wonderful waist of time! Perhaps it's the subliminal messages to use Microsoft services like MSN messenger which I have yet to figure out how to uninstall. Or, a Microsoft owned location to print pictures in your "my pictures" folder. Or the MSN search page whenever you mistype a URL (let alone the pre-installed MSN services). Perchance it's the fact that the interface looks so similar to the new Mac interface that you can sometimes mistake them. Maybe windows XP just scares me... Take my advice and stick with windows 98SE
Rating: 
Summary: (...)!
Review: XP Home Edition is an oxymoron. Based on my experience and most of the reviews I have read, I believe that your home computer is the last place you want to install XP. It appears that only new hardware and high-end applications (...) will run on XP. Since, for home use, most people have older machines and typically run low-end applications and games (...) then most people will be disappointed with XP. I put XP Home on the machine my wife and kids use as a trial. BIG MISTAKE! Most of the games and apps. that my wife and kids use (...) will not run on XP. I will say that my hardware was new enough that it all works (printer, CD-RW, graphics card, etc.), but I did have to fork over more money for memory to even make the machine usable. My friends at (...) use XP Professional at work and love it, but then again they have new hardware and work almost entirely using MS software. I think I'll keep (...) on my own machine and put it on the machine my wife and kids use as well. (...) will run kids' games and a home OS like Windows XP Home Edition will not. I guess all MS's talented developers have been working on XBox (still waiting for meaningful reviews on that). Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: Improvement over previous versions of Windows OSs
Review: The feature I like most, is the ability to set up the login screen requiring a password to get on a system. Being able to add your picture(s) to this login screen is an added bonus.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Windows Operating Systes
Review: I've bgeen involved with the WINXP development cycle for the last year. Started out with Beta #1, then Beta #2, and then finally on to RC1 and RC2. I have been impressed with all four versions. I installed the "full release" on a 500Mhz system running WIN2K Pro. This system would not support all the devices running under the WIN9x family, such as DVD drives, or several of my legacy devices (eg, a UMAX 2000P scanner, etc). When I upgraded to WINXP Pro, those devices became accesable again. All the drivers had been upgraded and updated. All the devices which I had to hang off an old WIN98 systsem (which crashed every two days...man did I want get rid of that peice of junk) are now supported under WINXP. But, seriously, if you are a WIN9x user...this is a must. The stability of the product is even better that WIN2K (which is far better than WIN9x). The interface is much crisper than the WIN9x versions. As for security...sorry, in today's age of bradband network access, everyone has to become a "semi" security specialist. Even so, WINXP goes a long way to improve the default settings of the OS (it's actually much better than WIN2K). Is this perfect...no, but better than before. As for implementation....it was a breeze. Started the porcess, came back 30 minutes later, and everything was done. The much faulted registration process took about 30 seconds to complete. Overall, my impression of the product is very positive. I will upgrading the rest of the PC's at home to WINXP Pro over the next few weeks based on my experience (no pun intended). My comment to the people who don't like the price...don't pay it. It's a free world. No one is forcing you to upgrade. As for Linux...as soon as there are any half decent, working applications, it may be a viable OS. Until then, I'm sorry, but I'm sticking WINXP.
Rating:
Summary: What Microsoft, And The Press, Didn't Tell You About XP
Review: I rated Windows XP 1 STAR only because 0 STARS was not an option. While Windows XP may be a great system when it is factory installed on a new computer, it is a disasterous system for computer users whose current system's use a lot of installed peripherals and non-Microsoft software. Don't even consider upgrading to XP unless you are prepared to spend countless hours, and one hell of a lot of money, upgrading and reconfiguring both your existing hardware and software. Windows XP's documentation states that some existing software and hardware might not be compatible with this new operating system. That is a gross understatement. I am currenting using a six-month-old Dell system with 1.2 Gig. Pentium 4, 512k Ram and factory installed DVD Drive, CDR, and 56k modem. I also have a relatively new HP Scanner, and a Lexmark Z32 printer. The DVD, the CDR, the modem, the scanner, and the printer all are incompatible with XP. While the DVD and the CDR both would read conventional CD's, the DVD drive would not read DVD's, and the CDR would not write to new CD's. I was able to find a free upgrade for the DVD drive, but had to purchase new software for the CDR. Similarly I was able to find a software fix for the printer, but will have to replace my scanner. While my modem will dial out and allow me to connect to the internet, I am unable to access/manupliate any of the modem's settings so eventually I will have to replace it. AS for software, forget about any anti-virus software you own such as McAfee or Norton Anti-virus. Only anti-virus programs written expressly for XP will run on this system, and unlike previous Windows upgrades, McAfee Anti-virus software does not come bundled with Windows XP Plus. Also trouble shooting programs / maintenance like Norton System Works are gonners. I've had Windows XP for about one month now and so far it has cost me close to 50 hours of my time and nearly ($...) just to bring my system back to the functionalily it had before I installed it. Why I didn't just uninstall XP and go back my old Windows ME? Unlike previous Microsoft upgrades that archived your old operating system, uninstall is not an option with XP. Once you've upgraded to XP you are stuck with it unless you chose to format your hard drive and start all over from scratch.
Rating:
Summary: Windows XP Home Edition - Bugs
Review: There are over 100 games which will no longer run or cause problems under XP and some of them are Microsoft games such as Midtown Madness II. A few others I have that don't work are Star Wars Racer, Math Blaster, Print Master Gold, Nascar 4. The workaround that Microsoft lists on this link also does not help in running these games. Overall I would rate my upgrade to XP a bust!! Good Luck with yours. (...)
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!
Review: I definitely recommed XP home edition to anyone and everyone running windows on their PC. It is more reliable, more interactive and better looking overall. I love using it, you'll be blown away with how fast everything works, especially if you're running a P3 at 1 GHZ or faster!! Only downside is that if your computer isn't very new (compatible with ME) then you might want to just buy a new computer, because some programs wont work at all with XP and if sucks.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the trouble
Review: I upgraded to XP and had the same problems that everyone else did with hardware. I totally lost my modem and had to uninstall every time I wanted to connect to the Microsoft site to get help on upgrading from Windows ME. Luckily I bought XP at Home Depot and they let me return the opened box without a question. I spent two days on the phone with Microsoft and on all of hardware vendor internet sites looking for help.
After much frustration, I decided it was not worth the trouble. One note of CAUTION! Since I had uninstalled and re-installed so many programs to try to get things working, I was glad to have the RESTORE utility on ME so I could return to my previous configurations. I was shocked to find that XP had erased all of my RESTORE dates. Be careful what you do to your old OS because if you go back to it, you may have to spend some time trying to get it back to what you had before the upgrade.
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