Rating: 
Summary: Great OS for the real world
Review: I have been running Windows XP Home and XP Pro since they were in Beta testing and have had very few issues or problems. Previous to XP, I ran Win2K on one machine and WinMe on another. XP is as stable as Win2K, but is much more compatible with my hardware. I've noticed a couple of erroneous reports of problems in earlier reviews: "Buy full version so you don't have to load on top of old OS" WRONG! You can boot your system using the upgrade CD and re-partition and format your hard drive as part of the installation. At some point in the install XP will note that there is no eligible OS on the machine, so then when prompted, put your old Windows CD into the CD drive and the system will recognize it so that you can complete the setup. This isn't rocket science. XP will prompt and lead you all the way through.The other issue is software compatibility. If your old software won't run on XP, change the compatibility mode to Windows 98 for that particular application. Start/Programs/Accessories is where you will find the compatibility wizard. If you want to be able to run almost every application ever written for Windows, Windows XP is a good solid choice.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Upgrade!
Review: I have been using XP for a while now, and it is so much easier to use than the older versions. Even thought the Program Compatibility Wizard is an excellent addition to this software, it can sometimes be frustrating when all you want to do is pop the CD-ROM in and let Auto-Play work its magic. A word to the wise, make sure your printer, scanner, etc. is compatible with XP before purchasing.
Rating: 
Summary: Buggy, Security Issues, Many Lockups
Review: Unfortunately I have to use this at work. It locks up constantly and security patches come every few days. Software that I need to run that doesn't have a specific Windows XP version simply doesn't run well under Windows XP. It isn't compatible though I understand that Microsoft had to make a break with the past if they were ever going to build a fully capable OS. It just gets old trying to keep my computer secure because they can't seem to learn how to prevent buffer overflows and the like and having to constantly save my work because a crash could come at any time. Either stick with the older versions of Microsoft OS's or switch to Linux where you can get everything - office apps included - ...
Rating: 
Summary: Not thrilled, but some nice stuff...
Review: WinXP came with my new Gateway laptop. It's got some nice features, like restore, but they hardly make up for my 2 biggest complaints. 1: My Canon Multipass will not print correctly. Canon sent me a disk, I've downloaded the drivers, and nothing helps. Now I'll have to go get a new printer or hire a geek to fix the problem. 2: I never got instant message pop-ups with 95 or 98 and I can't find a way to make them stop. I never use instant messenger but I can't figure out how to turn it off or delete it entirely. Overall, I miss my relatively dependable Win98. Just to be fair, I only use my computer for simple games, shopping, e-mail, and writing, so I probably have way more computing power than I'll ever need. I even installed an ancient copy of Microsoft Works (from 95) because I don't like the new Word programs, so it's not like I really know what I'm doing geek-wise.
Rating:
Summary: Hype, hype & more hype
Review: I have Windows 2000 Professional and I love it. I've only ran into 1 out of over 200 (!) software applications/games made for Windows 98 that wouldn't work on it. I don't know how many times I've read on the net that something for Win 98 won't work on XP that works fine on my Win 2K machine. XP stability? Got it already. Good graphics? Run the same game or whatever on the same machine with Win XP and then Win 2K or even 98 and you won't be able to tell the difference in the graphics. Plus I won't have to beg M$ for permission to use their OS on my computer if I need to reinstall it. So do yourself a favor and buy a copy of Windows 2000 here on Amazon.com or ebay, spend less and not have to hope Microsoft doesn't cheat you out of it like they have so many others when it came to re-activating XP.
Rating:
Summary: Fsck Linux. You need Windows XP!
Review: Microsoft introduced a new feature in Windows 2000: rock-solid stability. Microsoft took that stability and married it with Windows 98's multimedia and gaming technologies. Windows XP was the happy result. A note to any befuddled home users wondering what all the noise is about surrounding Linux: I heard a nice quote on Usenet. It says, "Linux is only free if your time has no value." Linux is a nice tool, but it works best as a server operating system, just like the Unixes from which it derives. Unix was never meant to run on a home computer. How much do you want to struggle to make server software run on your home computer? In fact, Linux's parent Unix was created when there WAS no such thing as a home computer. Offering Linux's KDE or GNOME as a full-on substitute for Microsoft Windows is a lot like trying to put rollerskates on a dog; you can do it, it theoretically adds features, but it just isn't practical in the real world. Let a dog be a dog, and let Windows XP be your next operating system.
Rating:
Summary: color me IMPRESSED
Review: so windows isn't always the most friendly digital creature any of us have ever met, but i must say, given one really outdated machine (with a cranky copy of 98) and about an hour, the thing is up and running xp like a champion. it was so incredibly easy to upgrade i couldn't believe it. no blue screen of death. no ringing the help line. no panicking. if you have win98 and are looking to upgrade, so long as your machine is fairly powerful (i was working with a 600mhz with 256) it's a relatively simple operation and soooooooooo worthwhile. all in all i'm VERY impressed with the improvements microsoft has made.
Rating:
Summary: It's pretty, but that's about it
Review: My husband and I purchased an XP-equipped HP computer shortly before XP was widely released to the public. At first we were impressed by the smooth, somehow friendlier look that XP offered. Actually, XP worked quite well for some time, although there were several times over the course of the past year and a half where we had to restart the computer due to instability and such, which is frustrating, but expected for a Microsoft product.
My main problem with XP is the fact that aesthetically it mimics what Apple has been doing for years, only it doesn't have the same stability that Apple has had all along. In order to have proper virus protection, you have to buy third-party virus protection and pay to update it constantly; with Apple this is never a problem.
The main reason we brought a PC into our home was because of the wider variety of programs available for PCs than for Macs. There were several programs my husband and I both wanted to run, but couldn't on our iMac. This was not our most wise decision. After a year and a half of relatively smooth sailing, our computer became so bogged down with spyware and adware that we had to reformat our hard drive twice in one week. After that our email never did work right; every week Netscape would ask us for information, which we would supply, and then it would delete all of our old emails, even the saved messages. We ran virus scans, and there was none, but still it just had no stability whatsoever after that point.
Now we have a Mac G4 tower running OS X- Jaguar that works beautifully, just as Mac has been all along. Some people are definitely put off by the higher prices of Macs, but they have none of the problems that Microsoft and XP have to offer and all of the benefits; Apple has made great strides in recent years to increase compatibility of their machines with PC products. And if you simply must have a PC, go for a Mac and partition the hard drive with a section devoted to Virtual PC 6 instead, and run on Windows 98 if possible; most programs written now are still compatible with 98. You may spend more money at first, but the ease of use offered will be far worth it in the long run.
Rating:
Summary: over priced,
Review: I BIN LOOKING TO GET WIN XP PRO AN YOUR PRICE IS AT LEAST 50 TO A 100 DOLLARS HIGHER THAN WHAT I<VE SEEN
Rating:
Summary: better advised to throw your money down a hole
Review: Let me first say that XP is more stable than ME. Outside of this, there is little advantage to this new OS. There are, however, a number of drawbacks. First, XP takes up massive amounts of space on your hard drive. Similarly, you'll need to max out your RAM to make your system run properly. Secondly, it seems to be tailored to people who know almost nothing about computers, to the detriment of people who do get them. Finally, XP not only scams you out of the $... for the upgrade, but also to force you to buy new software that is no longer compatible with XP (and believe me, more of your software is incompatible than you'd think). XP reminds me of the old saying about buying a boat: the two happiest days experienced in buying a boat are the day you buy it and the day you get rid of it. If you want to throw your money down a hole, I'll give you directions to my backyard. Buenas Suerte.
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