Rating: 
Summary: Why buy into M$ upgrades? Win98SE is fine 4 home.
Review: For the home user, this OS is not worth they money that buys you some stability at the price of performance. Some nice driver roll-back features, other new monopolistic features (cd burning). Also, look to be calling M$ if you ever decide to upgrade hardware inside your computer because the system will be shut off. This being the first step to paying M$ a monthly tribute to use their mediocre software!
Rating: 
Summary: Windows XP Professional is one big step from 98 or ME
Review: Windows XP Professional has to be the most robust, fastest OS from Windows yet. On my Gateway Essential 1.1Ghz 384 MB of Ram it loads windows in about 7 seconds, with personal settings. You can select your name from a list of names you personalize, and it will load your files. Not just does it load your desktop, it loads your files, which means you basically have a section of your personal hard drive. Its been running 3 days now as a web server, and hasn't crashed yet, which is a big step from ME. My friend decided he couldn't use XP due to his Boston Aucustics speakers due to updated drivers from Gateway, and he clicked uninstall, and it loaded back up in 20 seconds as ME. One downside to all this is that if you are one of the office users that finds the computer a complex item, you might not want this. Instead of opening a file from C:\Windows\Desktop\Kris\Review.doc you will be opening "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\Kris\Review.doc", and If you find the new file system hard, dont upgrade. Otherwise this Operating System is the most personal, customizable OS out yet.-Kris
Rating:
Summary: The new Micro$oft scam.
Review: Can you imagine buying a CD for your stereo, and then finding out that when you want to use it in your car you have to call the company for permission? Only to have them inform you that for your car you'll have to buy an entirely new CD?
This is XP. After you pay good money and get the thing, you still have to ask Micrs "can I use it please?" and if u ask too often, they'll tell you to fork over more cash. It's an insult - not only geared tword computer rookie's wowed by good looking useless things, it prohibits the experienced from constantly upgrading, and handcuffs users with it's copyright protection nonsense.
This one's right out of the Monte Burns school of software. I can hear BGates now...Excellant!
Rating: 
Summary: Windows XP: Yes I Can...
Review: I think Windows XP is the best there is at this moment. For this moment i use RC1, it's the trial version of Windows XP Professional. It is great in use and it is very nice, all those colors. I am gonna buy the Dutch Version on 25.10.2001. Let's make these world better. Yes I Can...
Rating: 
Summary: How do you know this is stable??
Review: I have a degree in computer science, and no, this does not mean I know what's best for everyone. However, it does mean that I am more knowledgeable of the history and trends that goes on within the world of IT. Everyone is saying "Win XP is so stable!". What's funny is just about every OS that Microsoft came out with seemed 'really stable' at first. The only one that has really stood the test of time is Windows NT 4.0, which ironically, was largely coded by another company (and when nearing completion, Microsoft bought the rights to). Even Windows 2000 is pretty flaky once you've loaded up enough software on it. I'm not one of those ABM (anyone but Microsoft) geeks: prior to Mac OSX 10.1 (which no one reading this would be interested in since they are upgrading Pentium-based machines), I think Windows was the undisputed champion. Linux is still way too obtuse for most people who don't like compiling their own code and wasting tons of time searching for drivers and utilities on the web. All the previous Mac OSes were severely crash-prone (MACINTOSH = Most Applications Crash, If Not, The Operating System Hangs) and none of Windows challengers had the vendor support that Microsoft enjoyed... especially Linux. Can Windows XP carry on the legacy? There's no doubt in my mind that it's more stable than Windows ME or 98, but by how much? Windows 2000 has crappy stability by Unix-based standards, and since XP is largely Windows 2000 with more software compatibility from the Win98/ME generation, more than likely, the stability will be slightly worse, but still a marked improvement over ME or 98. So who should get it? People who only want to surf the internet and/or just use Word and such... MAYBE!
More than likely, if you don't install lots of weird stuff, your computer will remain stable even if you're using Windows 98 and since some applications may not work after the upgrade, why blow ...for some frilly cosmetic changes? Also, not to take suck up to Microsoft, but the OS is often unfairly blamed for computer crashes and unless you're certain it's the OS that is making your system unstable, you should look elsewhere for a solution. How about techies that like to tinker with their hardware a lot... PROBABLY!
The reactivation of your OS is irritating, but you can live with it unless you change your hardware every five minutes. Also, you have the most to gain by upgrading. People who own several computers and want to upgrade ALL of them: I DON'T THINK SO.
Windows XP hasn't proven itself to the point where I could recommend spending that kind of money for all the computers, and Microsoft isn't letting you install this OS on multiple computers. Gamers: NOT FAVORABLE.
Again, I'd wait a bit before taking the plunge. This is uncharted territory and most reviews seem favorable, but every true gamer has at least one old classic game that might not work so well on Win XP. BOTTOM LINE: Microsoft only works as hard as they have to in order to stay on top. It's obvious to me that the pressures around them (the Government breathing down their neck for a while, Linux gaining immense popularity, Apple's revolutionary new OS helping their computers to sell quite strong despite the economic downturn) that they needed something to keep the sceptre in their hands. I can't deny that this is the best OS they've come out with for non-commercial use. Nevertheless, I doubt it'll quite live up to the hype once a year or so passes. Also, the hegemonic piracy scheme might be a little much.
Rating:
Summary: The technological backslide continues...
Review: After one day of evaluating XP, I've discovered it can't play DVDs, can't run AOL, can't install a Windows 2000 compatible USB CF card reader, can't install a *Microsoft* mouse, and can't remember my settings and preferences. In short, the experience Microsoft has gained producing unstable, worthless garbage all these years has paid off, if their goal was to maximize user rage and disappointment. In 1980, you could just plug in a joystick into a computer's joystick port and it worked right away. You didn't need a CD, a license agreement or 30+ minutes of escalating frustration and hard reboots. With Microsoft XP, a new mouse can flick around randomly and click everything clickable immediately, filling the screen and taskbar with multiple copies of "Desktop settings" windows. XP's "troubleshooting" can lead you through 15 screens with no troubles shot. A mouse is a pretty basic element of a computer system--if Microsoft can't get this right, how can they hope to make something as complex as an OS work? Oh yes, I remember; Millionaires have no incentive to produce competitive, quality merchandise.
Rating:
Summary: Truly the best yet!
Review: I truly don't see how anyone who uses this version of Windows could say anything but WOW! I have been working with Windows since 3.x and this is truly the most stable version yet. I upgraded from Windows 2000 and while it was a more stable os than 98 or ME it still had its share of problems. Windows XP Pro takes the best of the multimedia and speed of ME and the reliability of 2000 pro and combined them beautifully. I can run office and still let my kids play a game now and then. It is truly a step up for Windows. Try it for yourself and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Overpriced and underwhelming
Review: After all the hype, and the steep price tag, I was expecting something a lot more revolutionary. All it is is windows 2000 dressed up with an annoyingly cutesy copy of the (much beter looking) Mac OS X. Bundle in a few apps (media player, etc), that you can download for free anyway and hey presto, a 'very similar to the last one' operating system. Oh, and don't forget that you need a new PC with stacks of RAM to get it to run at a decent speed. Stick with Windows 2000 and if the interface really bugs you, download a free XP copy skin from the web.
Rating:
Summary: Great OS But at a Price
Review: This is a really good OS for a beginner, Very stable (as far as Windows is conserned) lots of sucrity and good for multimedia
But it does have one major drawback, Since it is based on the NTFS File system in isnt very compatable with games. If you like to or plan on playing games then stick with Windows 95,98,ME. But this has a MUCH MUCH more stable Enviroment, Great for Busnisses, Web BVrosing and things like that
Rating:
Summary: At first apprehensive, then ecstatic ...
Review: There is still some room for improvement, especially in multimedia interfacing, and a couple other areas, else would get five starts, but read on ... I've been running Win98SE, and then WinME and have been absolutely sickened by the 5-10 daily crashes of my computer that is a Gateway G6-400 with 192MB of RAM. It's been this way for 2-3 years. I ran the compatibility software and there were to many non-compatible problems. My SIIG parallel/serial expansion card, my HP PSC380, my 3ComImpact IQ ISDN Modem, and others including various programs were flagged. Thus I opted out of upgrading to WinXP at that time. However, I did initially upgrade to Win 2000 Pro, because I was able to find drivers for everything except my HP PSC380 which lost all it's multifunction capabilities and only functions as a printer. But was unhappy with Win 2000 Pro, which plainly sucked even with fewer crashes. Surprise, surprise upon running the compatibility checker after my Win 2000 upgrade. Everything was compatible except for 2 items which were easy to upgrade. I've only had problems with a single program (Picture Works that came with 3Com HomeConnect Webcam that is no longer in business). Thus, by first upgrading to Win2000 Pro, the compatibility issues nearly disappeared. Thus I suspect you can upgrade most noncompatible hardware using Win2000 drivers and get rid of your non-functioning hardware. *********** A few words of advice. During upgrade it tells you to remove certain programs before upgrading. DO THIS! I spent hours editing my registry and deleting files by hand since the uninstallers somehow didn't work well after the upgrade, even after I loosened restrictions.******************************* So everything works fine except the HP printer/scanner/copier which became a printer. (Actually I find that HP didn't provide updated drivers for many of their printers. They want to sell more printers instead of give away free drivers.) I've lost faith in HP and now look to Canon for my printing needs. So, I did the upgrade because there were still so many problems problems with Win 2000 Pro on my system. I upgraded to WinXP 5.1 (Build 2600). It's WinXP Pro. I have to say the system is amazing in comparison to WinME. I can start up many programs and don't get the unannounced lock due to lack of system resources. I've only had to reboot due to system problems one time in two weeks now. The system runs for days at a time. All the little issues with Win2000 (I won't list here) were magically fixed. In short, it now works they way it should have been working 10 years ago. I guess what is most amazing is that without any reformatting of my harddisk I went this route Win98SE -> WinME -> Win2000 Pro -> WinXP Pro, and it works like a brand new system. Quick and slick. The Pro version has some nice networking features. Also there is a built-in firewall that works well (tested using freeware at grc.com) that is also in the Home edition. The multimedia capabilities are slick, but still not perfected. I have two digital cameras (Sony DSC-P1 and Olympus C-3040) and both connect with no added actions via USB. Downloading pictures to the computer is simple and quick. I'm not sure of the reason why but I've noted that Internet logon, downloads and page-viewing all occur much faster now. IE 6 maybe behind the page-viewing speedup, but not sure why downloads and logon go so fast now (of course I'm running ISDN at 230.4k). The DOS window is gone, and no DOS program will function. However, for command line driven programs (I'm a Java Programmer you see), there is a command-line window that works identically. Most functionality is easy to figure out. I checked out several tips/tricks on the C N E T website and realized I had already found them on my own except for one. There is a nifty multi-account function so you can set up user accounts with limited functionality. This is great for my 4 yo who can no longer reek havoc upon getting bored with Thomas' Great Festival Adventure. I lock out nearly all functionality and rest easy. I create a guest account and the screen savor locks out the main account and a passerby can still use a guest account while your programs run happily in the background unreachable by the guest. This is good because I can chat with lots of opposite sex people in the Inet and you-know-who can't pop in unannounced and see all my chats if I've stepped away for a few minutes. The interface is easy to change as all that sky blue ...wears thin quickly on your visual centers. Overall, I'm ecstatic about WinXP Pro, but admit, this is the way the opsys should have operated all along. Stabile, fast, intuitive. I want to give MS a kudo, but ...all I can utter is, "It's about ...time!"
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