Rating: 
Summary: Limited usefulness for multiple home systems.
Review: I have an aquaintance that did beta testing on XP and was very impressed with it. However he states that unlike previous Windows Operating Systems, this product can only be installed on a single system and should you "upgrade" the computer in a manner that will require re-installation of Windows XP you will not be able to do so without contacting Microsoft and getting a new "code". Microsoft will determine whether or not you will be able to re-install. If they do not allow you to do so, then you'll be forced to purchase another copy of XP. Also, this means should you have two systems (e.g. desktop & laptop) you will be required to purchase two operating systems. I think this is a big error on Microsoft's part since most "home" users are not the problem in copy protection violations. A two hundred dollar investment for home use seems to be exorbitant.
Rating: 
Summary: ICS and Windows XP
Review: ICS in WinXP
Hello,
I wanted to let you know that I have compleated testing the Win XP ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) setup.
I have connected two computers together. The Main Computer connects directly thru a network card to a cable modem.
The second computer connects thru the second network card on the main machine.
The Second Computer also has WIN XP and setup for ICS just like the first using DHCP mode.
The only problem which dows not affect the connection is that on the main machine, the network card connected to the cable modem says it's running at 10.0 Mbs speed (may be cable modem) while the second network card says it's running at 100.0 Mps.
The speeds of both machines seem to be as fast as when using Win 98 and therefore are not affected by this problem.
Windows XP will run some games (Microsoft, Microprose) but when I run the 'ONI' Game, it seems to be a driver problem that I have to look into.
I am using Optonline to connect to internet and have run Hotmail (which I am using to type this) and Windows Messenger. I have run Norton Utilities 2002 which works. I ran Mechwarriors from Microsoft (Graphic Intensive) with no problems. Works with Need for Speed Porche Unleased and Quake III.
Overall, I thing that Win XP is worth buying when the full version comes out.
Rating: 
Summary: My PC works great and does more! Love it!
Review: I agree with most of these reviews... WinXP is STABLE (never crashes!), it LOOKS GREAT, and is EASIER TO USE THAN THE MAC. My favorite features: - when you rip albums with Windows Media Player, the folders of music have *album art*, show the artist, album title, etc. Great for organizing music! - when you copy digital pictures, the My Pictures folder shows you thumnail previews, a filmstrip view, slideshow, and makes it really easy to print and *order prints* of your pictures. - you can set it up with people's names, so that 2 or 3 or 4 people-- or your whole family-- can share a PC and each person gets their own desktop, start menu, etc... and their programs keep running ALL THE TIME. it's really fast to switch between people! - BEST OF ALL... the new Windows Messenger lets you do IM chats with VIDEO. Yes, buy a $40 webcam and a cheap microphone, and you can have a video conversation with your family across the US. Works great. (and if mom has trouble with her PC, you can see her screen via "remote assistance" and help fix the problem.) I've been super happy with XP, and would strongly recommend it to anyone with more than 64mb of memory and a fairly new PC.
Rating:
Summary: Been running since Beta 2... never crashes, easy to use!
Review: I've been running Windows XP for MONTHS and it almost NEVER has crashed my PC... what a welcome change from Win98. On top of being just as stable (maybe more stable) than Win2000, Windows XP has a great looking interface that makes it fast and easy to use, and in particular is great at dealing with digital pictures and music, from fast thumbnails to album cover art! And Windows Messenger-- with VIDEO CHAT-- is the coolest IM program there is. If you're on Win98 and have > 64mb, this is a terrific upgrade.
Rating: 
Summary: Win XP
Review: To be honest; I do not have this (yet), but I have used it.
Stable: even in beta, Windows XP had widespread reports of being more stable than Win2K; this in itself is a reason to upgrade
Novelty: the user interface is all new but is not a stand-alone reason to upgrade. XP's core is based on the Win2k code, so if you're running win2k there isn't much reason to upgrade, but if you're using Win9x/ME its a big change.
Security: much improved over previous versions. built-in 'firewall' (thou it blocks incomming only, not outbound). Multiple user accounts can be logged in at once.
Nuisances: the infamous Product Activation: not as bad as people make it out to be: it is NOT linked with product registration (which is optional) so it does NOT get information about you or your system. Privacy isn't really the issue, just inconvenience.
Rating:
Summary: Sweeet!!!
Review: I've used the XP pro beta and I like what I saw very much... I had no problems with it, in fact it work a lot better the windows ME (well anything works better then Windows ME). I was at a computer store and saw a laptop with XP home edition, so I sat there and used and its a great OS.... Way to go Microsoft...
Rating:
Summary: Finally Windows 2000 stability for the home user...
Review: I have been fortunate enough to be a beta tester for this product, though I did not initially install the beta on my drive, after hearing about the "activation" clause. I won't get into that "feature" until the end, since it's the most talked about I have been a user of DOS, Windows 3.11, Windows 95, 98, and ME. My favorite OS, however, has been Windows 2000 Professional. After severe crashes, and abysmal memory management in 98 and Me, Win2000 provided a staple platform, which ran my most used applications (Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Office 2000, Flash 5) without a problem. It could be said that XP is the culmination of the best of WinME and Win2000. Now, I had never been a fan of the "appearance" of Windows, (Mac OS 9 - and 10- had the trophy for the most attractive GUI) but the look had grown a bit stale...until Windows XP. On installation, you notice that the beginning has a look of WinME - with it's installation wizard - but the second part of the installation looks like Windows 2000 - with it's DOS look. That is the end of the physical similarities. During the installation, it picked up all of my components with no problem, and had all of the drivers needed, including my Network card, and monitor. At first boot-up (which is about half the Windows 2000 wait on my Athlon 1.2Ghz), you notice an attractive boot splash screen, which then brings you to the first major feature: After setting up and selecting your profile, you come to the main screen. Built with a cleaner, highly customizable GUI, Windows XP can be either exciting for someone who loves to tweak, or a bit intimidating to those who don't (Be aware of that before going in). The start menu is different (though you can revert to the "Classic" style), in layout and function. It provides full access to the main parts you need. The requisite "Start" menu has been revised to include My Computer, Network Neighborhoods, and/or whatever else you may want. It's quite customizable. XP Useful features:
Not built on the older DOS engine
- Compatibility mode - allows setting programs, which may no be native to XP, to run in 95/98/ME/NT/2000 "mode". Great feature, and it has worked on all programs I have tried.
- Enhanced battery life for laptops by:
a) Lid Power. Display is shut down when "lid" (screen) is closed.
b) LCD Dimming. When using battery power, the display is dimmed, and brightness is restored when plugged into AC.
- Device driver rollback - a wonderful feature which allows you to "roll-back" to the previous driver, in case you have a conflict with your newly installed one. Allows beta-testing drivers.
- Search Companion - much more advanced (and needed) search feature.
- ClearType - much more precise and clean look for LCD and laptop displays. Also looks great on typical monitors.
System Restore - carried over from WinME, this feature allows "points" to be created, in order to restore system setting in case you run into problems. Timesaving.
- Completely re-designed GUI
- Customized Desktops - allows multiple "profiles" to be set up (husband, wife, and kids for example) which retain settings for icon placement, wallpaper, icons shown, and more. This is great if one of you likes a cluttered (i.e. save everything to desktop J) desktop, and another likes a clean one. In my case, my wife doesn't want to see all of my icons for my programs, just the one little game she plays all the time. This feature gives XP some personality that has been missing.
XP Fairly Useful Features:
- CD Burning - Nice inclusion of basic CD burning capabilities, but it must be said, that "basic" means "basic." Not hybrid Mac/PC burns, no on-the-fly burning, VCD, etc. Get Nero 5.5.5.1 if you want great burning software.
- Windows Messenger - MS answer to AOL Instant Messenger, allows quick connection to friends, and allows file trading. But it's also annoying. It takes a toll on the system resources, so you may find yourself disabling it (like I did ;-).
- Self-contained Firewall - though not as robust as third-party ones (ZoneAlarm, Norton, etc.), it is adequate for most users. XP Misleading/Irritating Features:
- DVD playback - this would be a nice feature...it existed. As it is, however, you need a third-party CODEC, in order to view DVDs.
Microsoft Media Player - MP3 ripping/playing is relegated to 96-bitrate, due to "protecting copyrights" of CDs. You must get the Plus! Pack in order to do higher bitrate ripping. It's ironic that the WMA (Microsoft's own format) can be ripped to and played at higher bitrates. Stability:
Anyone familiar with Windows 2000/NT, will be impressed with XP's stability. I have had to reboot only a couple of times, through the Beta and final versions, and then only due to my motherboard settings. Users of Win95/98/ME will be very happy to know that they will not have the conflicts/crashes which plagues those OSs. Compatibility info:
Some of my Software (all but one worked with no problem)
Photoshop 6
Dreamweaver 4
Fireworks 4
Flash 5
Cute FTP 1.0 Pro
NTI CD
Easy Creator 5 Deluxe (Problem. Error pop-ups (missing file) when opening. Re-installed WITHOUT Direct CD program. Fixed)
Some of my Hardware (all but one worked with no problem)
Asus Geforce MX 7100 video card
KDS VS-190 monitor
Netgear FA311 NIC card
Sony 4x4x32 CDRW
SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 sound card (I did have a problem with this card at first. System would reboot with page-fault errors. I removed-rebooted-reinstalled-rebooted, and updated the drivers - Fixed the problem)
Athlon 1.2Ghz CPU
Asus A7V133 RAID motherboard From here you are on your own, but believe me, it is quite a bit of fun to get to know this OS. NOTE: Microsoft has release it's first bug fix/update...SP1. Contains numerous fixes, including the SB Live! 5.1...
Rating:
Summary: Qualitative vs Quanitative
Review: People say windows 98 was simply '95 with IE4 preinstalled or that ME is really just a bug patch. I'd like for you to recall, for those who remember, taking the step from windows 3.1 to '95. There was a difference in the kind of operating system, not simply a difference in the degree of useability. XP is another such leap, and well worth jumping for if you have sufficient hardware. Go for it!
Rating:
Summary: Windows XP the one we have been waiting for.
Review: This is the one we thought we were getting (stability,funcitionality),with the ability to tweak it for personal use.when we purchased Windows 98. This still has a few bugs but, is much better than the previous versions. I have been using the beta version for a few months.
Rating:
Summary: The wizards have arrived
Review: I must say, I have been frustrated over the years by Windows identify a problem only to have a wizard walk me through the steps that typically do not solve the problem. I have done 2 installs of XP and it actually did what it was supposed to do and provided good information. It was very easy to network the two computers, even for a novice like myself. The functionality seems pretty good too!
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