Rating: 
Summary: Great OS and stability
Review: I can't believe people are actually complaining about MS fixing the security holes: would you rather have them stay there? This is software, and it will always have security holes (ask Mac users or Linux users if they don't have to update every so often too!), I for one like the extended support they give the OS with the downloads and stuff.
The OS looks cool and the only problems I've seen are hardware problems so if you make sure your stuff runs on XP you're gold.
Rating: 
Summary: eXPerience the pain
Review: Microsoft has made a great line of operating systems greater, they advertise. They should have put down "Helpful new bugs to increase your productivity" on the features list. Microsoft is well-known for its security failures, but Windows XP is the worst. There are critical updates every week in Windows Update, making me wonder about my security. There was an update last week that corrected a problem about a security hole in Internet Explorer. They may keep correcting the bugs, but wouldn't it be better to make it with no bugs in the first place? I will be switching to a Mac or Linux.
Rating:
Summary: Cool Interface Slowest OS on the Market
Review: I read all the hype about Microsoft XP and being the fair person that I am I gave it a chance. Big mistake. Sure it looks really great but unless you have a brand new computer dont bother upgrading because the system gets slowed down dramatically. My advise leave the dead end Microsoft PC Windows world and buy a Mac.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't upgrade to Home if you connect to a Windows domain
Review: I upgraded my Win98 PC to XP Home and it's been pretty crash proof and works well so far. The biggest pain is not having Domains in the Home Edition. I have a work laptop that has Win2K and a corporate domain and I was able to file share before with it in Win98 -- now I can't -- you need XP Pro and MSFT won't credit you for the [cost of] XP Home -- so you could end up paying [nearly tripple] if you need the so-called Oops upgrade. Just skip XP Home and go for XP Pro if you need to file share w/ another PC. Another annoyance is all the MSFT popups when you pop a CD in or hook up a digital camera via USB.
Rating:
Summary: Open this Windows and get a Breath of Fresh Air
Review: From the day I got my laptop, I was impressed with this version of Windows. I've had Windows 3.11, Win95, Win98, and Win2000, and this one is definitely the best - no question about it in my mind. It seems others have questioned it in their reviews, but I'll tell you why this product really is a must-have!Compatibility. This is something new users might not always consider - your operating system needs to work all of the programs you have and will get, your printer, etc. This is not a problem for WinXP! For hardware, it has the most comprehensive database of drivers included with an operating system to date, so it should work with your hardware. For software, new software will be designed for it and old software will work as well because you can actually tell WinXP to run a program under Win98 mode, or Win95 mode, etc. Usability. Installing hardware? It's easy - especially with USB. USB is finally realized in WinXP! I just plugged in my printer to the computer and before I could do anything, it give me a little message "New hardware has been detected." Then, it displays "An HP Deskjet 812c has been detected. Please wait..." Finally, it displays "Your printer is now ready for you to use." I didn't press a button! Maybe if you have hardware from 5+ years ago, it wouldn't be as easy (that's a two-year-old printer, though). But generally, Microsoft has done a great deal of work to write things in plain English. Its control panel used to be a place for only tech experts, but now it's understandable to any user. Aesthetics. Say "goodbye" to drab, gray rectangles! I always thought Windows looked too much business, not enough personality. Now, some reviews have indicated that their personalities clashed with WinXP's out-of-box personality, but Windows includes many themes and I'm sure one of them would match anyone's personality. I'm just crazy about the rounded corners of everything. Also, I think it gives everything a larger feeling of depth - the feeling of more room makes things look less cluttered to me. Multimedia. WinXP seems to have really been built with multimedia in mind. For folders with images and movies in them, you can set the fold to display as a slideshow (with the icons at the bottom and it displayed above), as thumbnails, or your standard views (list, icons, etc). For movies, WinXP includes Windows Movie Maker which allows you to edit and organize your movies. Media Player really is multimedia convergence at its best. From this one program, you can watch movie files, DVDs, organize and listen to music, and now it will actually burn CDs. Speaking of burning CDs, all you need to do now is drag files onto the CD burner drive icon and WinXP makes a list of things that you want to burn onto the CD and will then do it at the press of a button. Remote Assistance. I hope people take advantage of this great feature. You can let a technical support person or friend remotely control your computer! First of all, don't worry about people doing without your authorization - Microsoft knew that would be a risk and has taken extraordinary measures to ensure that doesn't happen. But with remote assistance, an expert can show you how to do something or solve a problem on your computer while they're thousands of miles away! User Switching. Does more than one person use your computer? WinXP makes it feel as though each user has his or her own computer! "My Documents" really become your documents as you have your own folder that other users can't see unless you let them. There's nothing more an OS can do to assist multi-user computers - computer time allotments are still your problem : ). Security. You may have seen a security issue on the news with WinXP, but by the time you hear it on the news, Microsoft has already come out with a patch that fixes it - in fact, as soon as your computer goes on-line, WinXP checks for such patches and will automatically download and install them! WinXP was built on the Win2000 engine, so a high level of security is a given. Experts Welcome. As a computer science major, I know that I always shudder at the thought that the ability to access features will be sacrificed for user-friendliness. Now, WinXP is user-friendly, very user-friendly if you ask me. However, with the click of a few options, experts still have access to all the features they've had in previous versions of Windows (in fact, you can even configure WinXP to look like older versions - of course, I prefer the new look). One Warning: Microsoft gives minimum requirements for your computer - listen to them (especially have 128MB of RAM). Performance will either be slow or non-existent! As I read some of these other reviews, I couldn't help but think - are these people speaking of the same product that I am? Windows XP is by far the greatest edition of Windows. It's great for new users and old users alike. I just can't say enough about how great this product is! This review doesn't cover everything either (check out Microsoft.com for more info)!
Rating: 
Summary: Stay with Windows 2000!!
Review: It is piece ...!! I almost ended trashing my system.
Stay put with Windows 2000, though XP has a greater look,
W2K is much more reliable.. Pros:-
It comes with a great appearance, CD writing capabilities,
Firewall etc.. Cons:- It needs time to mature..
My BIOS is 2 years old, It takes atleast 2 minutes to boot as compared what Microsoft claims as 30sec boot.
You need to upgrade Norton Antivirus and other software,
scanners, Modem, NIC etc...
It likes only hardwares that are manufactured in last 6 months or so. Believe me... It doesn't worth the trouble upgrading your Windows 2000, if you have.. I hope Microsoft would soon come up with (un)service pack..
Rating:
Summary: Well, it could be a lot worse.
Review: Do you have windows NT? Yes? Don't switch. Do you have windows 98/2000/ME? Switch.
Windows XP runs off of the NT base and as such is much more efficient than previous releases of Windows. I would advise that when and/or if you get this version, you turn set it to visually run at peak performance, instead of the pretty looking stuff. I would take XP over ME/2000 any day of the week. XP is more stable (still not great), easier to use, less draining on my system and overall bigger pleasure to use.
Rating:
Summary: A Superior Operating System - A Must Have
Review: I recently purchased a laptop with Windows XP pre-installed. I have been very pleased. The program seems to run much more smoothly than previous versions, and it has a new slim-line look. It is superior for veiwing DVDs, editing digital films, or even the casual word processing. It is very user friendly, with upgraded tutorials and online help included. Mr. Gates certainly has outdone himself this time... With every product, however, comes disadvantages. I have only found two. First, since it is not DOS based, it is unable to run many old video games. However, by not beind DOS based it is more userfriendly and dependable. Secondly, the graphics orientated nature can really drain a battery. I highly recommend upgrading to this product. I am sure you will not be disappointed. However, if you are, you can just go into control panel and tell it to run like Windows 98!
Rating:
Summary: Terrible
Review: I don't understand why Windows would make such a terrible product. It served me pretty well for a year, relatively error free. I did encounter one problem where it would take about 4 minutes to load one of my games which would load instantly at my dad's house on Windows 98, and my computer is better than his in all regards. Therefore my game should load even more instantaneously. But it does not. I also encountered the problem where my computer would not turn off 25% of the time when I told it to. I would have to turn off the power on my power strip to turn it off, highly damaging to the computer. It also does not turn off when there is an internet connection active. That was just the beginning, however. Now, it freezes 50% of the time whenever I run WinAmp, and about half the time freezes before shutting all the way down. It has also frozen me when on the internet. And now, a new game I have installed succesfully, will not even get past the loading phase of the game. My computer should be able to handle this game with ease, again my dad's does. In summary, Windows ME is a more recent, inferior version of Windows 98. DO NOT BUY THIS OPERATING SYSTEM!! I look forward to buying Windows XP, and if that doesn't work, down to 98.
Rating:
Summary: Windows XP - I'd rather stick needles in my eyes
Review: Summary:
DO NOT BOTHER with XP if you are already running Windows 2000 or other operating system that is running to your satisfaction. If you decide to go for it, you should be comfortable doing things like upgrading the BIOS, and changing settings in the Device Manager. My XP experience:
I purchased the Windows XP (Home Edition) upgrade for its much-touted stability. The prospect of no more system lock-ups and Windows Blue Screens of Death made it hard to pass up. When I attempted to run the upgrade, XP gave me a message stating that there was a hardware conflict between my motherboard and video card (I never had a problem with this previously - the video card is an nVidia GeForce2 MX, and the motherboard an Asus P5A). This 'blocking issue' (XP-speak) would not allow the OS to install. I won't bore you with the details, but after upgrading the motherboard BIOS, and going through it line-by-line trying find the 'hardware conflict' I still had the same error. Time to get Microsoft support involved. I went to the Microsoft web site to get installation support. First I tried checking the FAQ and Knowledge Database. Any topic that seemed remotely close to my problem just bounced me to a page where I could buy XP compatible stuff. So then I tried to find actual tech support. In order to get into the tech support system, I was forced to sign up for a .net Passport. OK fine ' now that I'm in the system what I get is a phone number in Washington (not even toll-free). Finally I find an email address & submit my problem. The next day I get a response which tells me to call the long distance number that I saw on the website. Now I'm really mad! My next irate email was answered by an actual 'Tech Support Specialist' ' finally. Well not quite ' turns out tech support was not very technical and I gave up on them after a couple of weeks (yes weeks ' it was typically 2 days response time from Microsoft, and I did not have time to work on this every day). I finally solved the problem myself, with the help of the IT administrator where I work. So, after about 3 weeks I was able to install XP. I gave XP a score of 2 (rather than 1) because once running, I have to admit that my system is much more stable than with Win98, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that most applications seem to run a little faster. Would I do it all over again? I doubt it.
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