Rating: 
Summary: Best MS OS to date
Review: Forget the negative reviews from people on here who probably haven't even used Windows XP. If you can look past the fact that it's a Microsoft product, you'll see a very robust, stable OS that is more user friendly than 9x. And Product Activation? It's done before you know it started, then that's it. It has been proven to protect your privacy, while simply enforcing the same EULA that MS has had all along. No big deal, and certainly not a reason not to upgrade. Just be sure to take the results of the Upgrade advisor seriously. If it says something may not work, it wont work. But if your hardware is compliant, this is a must have upgrade in my opinion. 1 crash since I installed it on Oct 25th, and that was the fault of the video driver and has been fixed. And I keep my PC up 24 hours a day. Give XP a shot, you won't be dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Many features reviewers haven't discussed
Review: I have read through these reviews and many people state that XP is just a flashy operating system that was designed for looks. Well if you ever plan on doing video editing on your computer which many will be doing as DVD burners get more popular, Windows 2000, XP and NT are your only choices with the NTFS file system option. Windows 98 and Windows ME use FAT 32 which limits the size of a file to 4 gig. This is roughly about 18 minutes of video. Windows XP and Windows 2000 allow the user to select the NTFS file system which get past this file size limitation. I don't know about you, but with my 100 gig hard drive, I want to be able to work with files that are larger than 4 gigs. The size of a burned DVD is 4.7 even in compressed format. If you are using ME you will be limited to 4 gigs for burning DVD's with the rest not used.Windows XP and 2000 are the only way to go for digital camera/DVD enthusiasts.
Rating:
Summary: I love it!
Review: I have to say that this OS couldn't have come at a better time. I was running WinMe on my Dell PIII 866, and it was a dog. Rife with problems, crashes and just generally slow. I was to the point (after 3 reloads of Me) of downgrading to 98se. Then, XP pro came along. It's remarkably faster in every respect (from boot-up to my dial-up internet connection), stable and a snap to install. I had one minor problem with my Turtle Beach sound card drivers that was quickly remedied by a quick download from TB's homepage. Other than that small glitch, it was a seemless upgrade. I recommend this OS to anyone who's running on the Win9x platforms, especially WinMe. Microsoft has finally gotten it right!
Rating:
Summary: Great System
Review: Well this is a great system, i am sick from Win 98 the system crash and crash and crash well now i am working prefectly normal, in the begining my ISDN conetion is not recognaised well i call the makers and they help me with the drivers now i perfetly normal my norton 2002 works great and my office 2000 too, i have some problem with some old plays and well i reinstall them and they work, and here is another good news for me i am using an old computer with the minimun requierements not 1 GHZ or something like that only 333 MHZ and now is fast than ever be in the past definitly don't see more and buy the product and call to the harward makers and you see all beging great for you
Rating:
Summary: BRILLIANT operating system, but with CAVEATS
Review: ...Is it a good product? YES! it's the best operating system I've seen out of Microsoft to date.
This is the first time that an upgrade has sped up my computer's operation....and that's just for starters.
For one thing, this OS is STABLE. One of my programs seemed to have hung(it was actually just taking too long) and I hit CTRL-ALT-DEL and eliminated the offending program without touching the rest of the system.
The new TrueType font display makes reading text on a screen a 100 times easier.
The new look is a lot slicker with its glossy taskbar and new-style Start menu.
The new Media Player works a lot more smoothly.
Internet Explorer seems to be loading up pages faster.
The startup and shutdown is quicker. For once, logging into a home system is secure, as the OS supports multiple users, at two different security levels (Admin and limited).
DirectX in conjunction with other tweaks has improved the overall multimedia experience.
The built-in firewall offers some additional(but minimal) security
This is the BEST home OS to ever be released by Microsoft. Now, the CAVEATS:
In order for this OS to be stable, they had to dump any and all legacy code. This means that you should do an INTENSIVE INVENTORY of your system and make sure that drivers compatible XP are available for all your stuff and newer versions of software or patches for old software, otherwise, DO NOT UPGRADE. This is not just the same stuff with a snazzier looking start button. There is a SIGNIFICANT difference in this code, so if you are running a DOS program that's very dear to you, forget it, it's not gonna work. Even for stuff which is only 1 yr to 6 months old, check with the manufacturer BEFORE YOU PERFORM THIS UPGRADE, NOT AFTER. There is NO DVD DECODER built in, you have to obtain this from either your computer manufacturer or your DVD Player manufacturer.
The Control Panel and other parts to the Windows Explorer interface have changed, to give a more basic and user-friendly look. HOWEVER IT IS POSSIBLE TO REVERT EVERYTHING TO THE OLD-STYLE IF YOU CAN NO LONGER FIND WHAT YOU USED TO LOOK FOR.
If you are somebody who tampers with your computer every two weeks, then the activation feature will ANNOY YOU GREATLY. However, if you leave your computer alone for the most part, then you will probably only ever need to activate your computer once, and activating your computer does NOT require you to send any private information about you or your computer to Microsoft. That is a fallacy. You can activate your computer by phone too, if you refuse to use the internet. An automated voice dictates a code to you which you enter to activate Windows. Yes activating windows is annoying and it does reek of despotism, but for most users, you shouldn't have to do this often, probably only once. To which I'm sure someone will make the argument: Yea but this is a Microsoft operating system. That means I'll have to reformat my hard drive and re-install at least once a year --> to which my response is that for once Microsoft has produced a STABLE system and you probably won't need to redo everything (but even if you do you can re-install 3 times without having to call Microsoft to re-activate). VERDICT:
If your computer is brand spankin' new, this OS is for you.
If you have lots of old software programs you are very attached to, or hardware, do NOT upgrade
If you want a system that is stable, fast, and nice to look at, and only have Word documents, MP3s and Photos on your current computer, and like to browse the web, DO UPGRADE.
Just to repeat: DO NOT UPGRADE IF YOUR COMPUTER HAS LOTS OF OLD HARDWARE/SOFTWARE ON IT. AND FOR THOSE WHO DO DECIDE TO UPGRADE, MAKE SURE THAT _ALL_ OF YOUR STUFF IS COMPATIBLE BEFORE YOU UPGRADE.
Rating: 
Summary: Fails on Virgin Hardware
Review: I have loaded this junk several times on a new Intel 1.6 pentium 4 board with a brand new hard drive. It only reboots with the original installation. Download Windows upgrade and it fails to reboot. Norton 2002 Suite installs and then XP fails the reboot. What's wrong with this picture? (...) It hasn't been this bad sice the upgrade from DOS 5 to 6. Maybe I should have gone Apple.
Rating:
Summary: XP is terrible
Review: Like many others, I installed the Windows XP upgrade and found that half of my software no longer worked. In order to get it to work, I had to spend more money for costly upgrades, such as a forty dollar upgrade to Norton Internet Security and AV. And that was just the beginning. So, instead of spending a quantum amount of cash just for a new look to my desktop, I opted to wipe my hard drive and reinstall Windows ME. BUYER BEWARE! XP is not worth the time and money!
Rating:
Summary: My computer works!!!!!
Review: Buy it! This is the first time in memory that my computer has actually worked (dare I say all the time?). The only problem with installation was that according to the screen it would be completed in fourteen minutes but actually took several hours. This installation resolved several problems with different applications which now work almost flawlessly. I saved enough time to pay for this software several times over within the first few weeks of use. Sure, some of my hardware appears to be incompatible, but that is a small price to pay given the superior performance. Also, I believe this will allow me to put off replacing my computer for another year.
Rating:
Summary: Research before buy!!!
Review: Before I bought WinXP Home Edition I did a lot of research to find out if it was for my computer. I have a home made PIII, with 128K Ram and a 8 GB hard drive. Lots of USB devices and, an old MODEM. The computer is about 18 months old. Finishing my research I decided I was enough prepared to get and install XP. IT WORKS GREAT EVEN IN MY HOME MADE COMPUTER. I only had to manually install the modem in order to get it working. Then a few weeks ago, I changed to internet cable in a swift with no issues with the system.
XP works great with USB hardware, I've known of bad stories with Linux and USB devices. So, after many ANGRY reviews all I can say is RESEARCH FIRST, not just buy because is new. If I did it from my humble home in the third world, with no Microsoft support, you guys should have no problems.
Rating:
Summary: Windows XP (is bad)
Review: Don't buy the upgrade if you have a system over 1 year old, I upgraded from my system which is about 2 years old now, I have a Compaq, Compaq does not support my system for Windows XP, my plextor CD rom is also not supported, CD creator is also not support and I have to pay (price) for the new software, My Macafee antivirus is also not supported, Every vendor i talked to does not support XP and they want me to buy the new software for XP, You are better off buying a new system, it will cost you about the same.
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