Note: The final Service Pack for Windows XP
(XP Service Pack 3) is available through
Windows Update
Remember, Before you
install it: Backup, Turn off running programs, Turn off Antivirus
(Right-click icon in system tray by clock - Disable), and if you've
installed XP theme changing programs, like VistaMizer - Un-install it first.
Not
much time left to get a new XP PC.
Three major PC vendors (HP, Acer and Lenovo) will be selling computers pre-
installed with XP until the Microsoft-imposed deadline on June 30, 2008, but
if you want to buy a new Dell with XP, you'd better order in the next couple
of days; their cut-off date for pure XP PCs (without buying Vista) is June
18th. There is, however, a way to get around the deadline: you can still get
PCs with XP (Pro only) installed after the end of month deadline if you buy
a machine with Vista Business or Ultimate and opt for the
"downgrade." Read
more here
Note Mom & Pop shops still do not
have these restrictions
Windows XP combines the best of
the reliable Windows 2000 with the goodies of Windows
ME, and then goes a step further.
Although Windows XP looks totally different, its foundation is Windows 2000, which
offers better reliability than Windows Me or Windows 98 SE. Microsoft says Windows XP
offers the broadest support
for hardware and software.
On top of all this, Microsoft has added some new services, and updated others, that are
designed to make a better user experience.
IF YOU'RE USED TO rebooting older versions of Windows on a fairly regular basis, as I was, this is a big
deal: Windows XP just works better.
Since you can get the same level of reliability from Windows 2000, XP has to
do more.
The user interface has been simplified, but made more helpful at the same time. There is a
task orientation in this OS that helps users do things they want to do, rather than merely
find features they are looking for.
The visual design, which is different from, though intertwined with the user interface, is
quite nice. The colors, menus, graphics, task bar, and other items work well together.
Some problems, such as overcrowded task bars, start menus, and system trays, have been
addressed.
Support for digital media and entertainment, lacking in Windows 2000 and sometimes clunky
in Windows Me, is much improved. This system anticipates users having digital cameras and
MP3 devices and works well with them.
XP's network management, which Windows 2000 does better than Me, gets a friendly user
interface, including some important but geeky technical features.
This is the first major redesign of the graphical user
interface since 1995, the so-called Luna interface has a clean, simple look with colorful
screens, bold graphical icons, and smooth buttons.
The interface has also been redesigned to make it easier to accomplish key tasks,
especially digital photography, audio, and video. For instance, you should be able to plug
in a digital camera, preview and select the images you want, perform basic operations such
as rotate, and order prints, all from a single window, and without ever installing a
single driver or third-party application.
Microsoft has been going to great lengths to say that
there's no Windows 9x code left anywhere in Windows XP, even in the bundled applications
such as MovieMaker.
One trait of Windows 9x that Microsoft carried over into Windows XP is a high
level of compatibility with a broad array of software and hardware, something lacking in
Windows 2000.
But in the event that some legacy application or peripheral still won't work, Windows XP
will supposedly have the ability to trick it by mimicking Windows 95 or Windows 98,
without hurting performance.
Windows XP will be available in
Home and Professional versions, which to the customer are nearly identical. But the
Professional version will offer more sophisticated networking, dual-processor support and
other advanced features not typically used in the home.
Windows XP has all of the following
features:
Instant messenger
Copyright encoding of music
Thumbnail Browser for images
Remote access
CD burning
CD ripping or audio encoding software
Digital Audio player
Video player
Internet browser
Email
Simple Firewall
Data compression
Moviemaker
CD burning note:
Although Windows XP includes an integrated CD burning engine, experienced
users may want to use third-party software. The integrated burning engine
is a simple engine, intended for inexperienced users.
XP Pro or XP Home?
XP/Pro contains the following features that are not in XP/Home:
Very heavy security. XP/Pro includes everything from Active Directory integration to the Encrypting File System, which allows you scramble all the data on the hard drive. If strong security is what you need, get XP/Pro.
Offline Folders. XP/Pro can store copies of shared network files and folders on your hard drive. If you take your PC or portable offline, you can capture these files to work with off the network. In addition, XP/Pro will synchronize the files when the portable is hooked back up again.
Roaming Profiles. Now you can take your settings with you, no matter which PC on a network you happen to be using.
Remote Desktop. This feature in XP/Pro allows you to control your office computer while you're on the road.
Some additional features include: dual processor support, Personal Web Server, Multi-lingual switching on the fly, and Remote Installation Services (so a server can load software onto your machine).
If your not in a large office environment,
XP Home is fine.
System Restore
Recover from a crash with XP's System Restore
Your computer just crashed when you downloaded and installed the latest video card driver for your system. If you have Windows XP, don’t sweat it. XP has a great new feature called System Restore that allows you to restore XP systems to a previous state.
It does this by monitoring changes to your files and folders and taking a snapshot of your system at regular intervals. If a problem with your system is encountered, you can restore the system to a previous point and roll back your system files and registry to a point when the operating system was
working properly.
Let's look at how to configure your System Restore options and how to put the feature to work.
System Restore runs in the background as a service, constantly logging changes to your system in C:\Windows\System32\Restore. In addition to this logging, System Restore also takes regular snapshots of your system state, which includes User Accounts and System Settings.
For example, let's say you recently installed a new device driver, and a warning message is displayed that tells you this driver is not supported by XP or is unsigned. You continue with the installation anyway. As soon as you choose to continue, the System Restore feature creates a restore point automatically so that you can restore the system if it crashes when you reboot. Restore points are also created when you install or upgrade to Windows XP or when you install any update patches from the Windows Update Web site.
By default, System Restore will create a restore point every 24 hours. If a machine is left on all the time, you can count on this happening once every 24 hours. If you shut down the machine and restart it, a restore point is created at
boot-up, as long as one has not been created in the last 24 hours.
Windows XP, what about DOS?
The best thing about XP is the death of DOS as we know it.
It's a public acknowledgment that the arcane command-line operating system that built
Microsoft has been the cause of a decade of consumer frustration.
Yet, what's really important to consumers is not that XP has a lot more bells and
whistles, but that it was built on the DOS-free Windows NT/2000 kernel. That leaves the
distinct possibility that even when a program crashes, it won't take the whole operating
system down. A weary, frustrated world of consumers and small businesses would rather hear
about stability, reliability and security.
DOS has long remained the bastion of game players, who are among the most passionate power
users. And there are still millions of DOS applications running every day, which has kept
enormous pressure on Microsoft to maintain a platform that was of absolutely no use to the
vast majority of its customers. So there sat DOS, encased in Windows and useless to most.
In truth, the mature DOS is indeed a solid, remarkably stable operating system, especially
when you consider that it was never designed to address more than 640-kilobytes of RAM,
yet is now chugging along in the bowels of machines that use gigabytes of memory. And this
OS that many programmers insisted was not designed to allow multiple applications to share
the same code, now supports an extremely complex multitasking platform. Code abuse.
While no complex code is bug-free, much of DOS' early reputation for poor stability was
the result of bad programmers who broke the rules by, for instance, bypassing the OS and
sending instructions directly to the computer's basic input/output system. When Compaq
introduced the first of a generation of early "IBM compatibles,"
legitimate variations in the machines' BIOS often caused such programs to crash, and DOS
was blamed.
We users were also abusive. I recall simultaneously
running four "terminate and stay resident" programs (TSRs), demanding more
attention than DOS could give.
Actually, the NT kernel that Windows XP will use does have an emulator that supports
command line instructions for many DOS tasks. Old DOS and Windows programs will
still run, and may even run better.
The
Registration/Activation Factor
Another thing in Windows XP that you should take into consideration is the registration
factor. In an attempt to make piracy more difficult, Microsoft has instituted a new
registration policy called Microsoft Product Activation, which will only allow you to
install Windows XP on one system at a time. Under this new policy, you must use the CD Key
code that comes with the software to install the operating system. You'll then have 30
days in which to contact Microsoft, either via the Internet or by telephone, and activate
the software.
When you do, you won't have to give Microsoft any personal information, just your CD Key
code. Microsoft will assign you an activation code, which you'll then enter in the
appropriate text box in the Microsoft Product Activation wizard. If you don't activate the
software within the 30-day period, you won't be able to boot Windows XP past a dialog box
that prompts you to enter activation code.
When you enter the activation code, it supposedly analyzes your system's specific hardware
configuration, generates hardware ID code based on this information, and then associates
the activation code with this hardware ID code. If for some reason you have to reinstall
Windows XP on the same system, you'll be able to use the same activation code.
However, if you purchase an additional system and want to install Windows XP on your new
system instead, you'll need to reactivate the software. While Microsoft says it's possible
to install it on another machine, it's unclear how exactly this will work under its
license agreement. Consumers should refer to the terms of their license agreement to
determine whether or not it is legal to transfer a license to another computer. But in
those cases where it is allowed, the product must first be removed from the previous
computer. Users may be required to complete the activation on the new computer by placing
a call to the Microsoft Activation Center.
If you only have one PC and rarely reinstall the operating system, this really won't be a
problem. However, if you have multiple PCs in your home, you won't be able to buy one copy
of Windows XP and install it on all the PCs in your home. Instead, you'll need to buy one
copy for each system.
Changes
that can trigger reactivation
There has been a lot of confusion about Windows XP's built-in activation. Administrators often confuse registration and activation, plus
many admins aren't aware of what triggers the reactivation code. Microsoft is
partially to blame, for it has indicated only that "substantial changes" trigger reactivation.
A product's Installation ID, which is based on the product ID and numeric hardware hash, determine product activation. Here are the
components that make up the hardware hash:
* Processor Type
* Processor Serial Number
* RAM Amount Range
* Hard Drive Device
* Hard Drive Volume Serial Number
* Display Adapter
* SCSI Adapter
* IDE Adapter
* Network Adapter MAC Address
* CD-ROM/CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Replacement of all other hardware devices, including mice, keyboards, and floppy drives, do not require product reactivation.
The exact number of components on the list that can be changed or replaced without triggering the reactivation code depends on the type of the
machine and whether a network adapter exists. For example:
* Desktop computers with an installed network card can change six components. If there isn't a network card or if it's replaced, only four
changes are allowed before the reactivation code is triggered.
* Laptops with a network card can change nine components. If there isn't a network card, only seven changes are allowed before the reactivation
code is triggered.
NOTE: Changing the same component several times only counts as one change.
Microsoft made several changes in the activation process with Service
Pack 1 for Windows XP. Here's a look at a few of the changes:
* There's a three-day grace period for reactivation.
* During Windows XP setup, the system checks the product key. If the key is on the known pirated product key list, installation fails. The
following two product IDs automatically fail during setup:
1. XXXXX-640-0000356-23XXX
2. XXXXX-640-2001765-23XXX
* The product key that's used to install Windows XP will be included in the Installation ID, which is required during the activation process.
* Windows Update checks a list of valid product keys before installing updates, which helps prevent the installation of updates on cracked and
pirated versions of Windows XP.
* Service Pack 1 also contains fixes for known holes that bypass product activation.
Requirements
Here's What You Need to Use Windows XP Home
Edition
Microsoft Says:
PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233-MHz minimum
required; Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible
processor recommended (I recommend a 600MHz or better) 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended
(I recommend 512m or better), 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space.
For DVD video playback:
DVD drive and DVD decoder card or DVD decoder software
8 MB of video RAM (I recommend 128 meg video ram or better)
For Windows Movie Maker:
Video capture feature requires appropriate digital or analog video capture device,
400-MHz or higher processor for digital video camera capture
Cost (Retail Stores)
Consumers can expect to pay 10 percent more for XP than for previous Windows
versions.
Windows XP comes in two flavors, one for home users and the other for business
professionals.
Upgrading: The Home Edition carries a manufacturer's authorized price of $99 (for
the upgrade edition), or about $10 more than Windows Me. Those buying the full version
will have to pay $199, an increase of about $20. (I've seen the Home version
average about
$140.00)
The Professional Edition will cost around $199 as an upgrade or $299 for the full
version,
which in both instances is about a $20 increase over Windows 2000 (I've seen
it average about $170.00). The commercial XP
version will cost nearly $80 more.
Upgrading to Windows XP
Experts recommend fresh installs of Windows over upgrades. Upgrades are useful because it's unnecessary to reinstall all programs; however, this is the only advantage over a fresh install.
You can upgrade to Windows XP from two operating-system lines: Windows 2000/Windows NT 4 with SP 5 and Windows 98/Me. Upgrading from Windows 2000/NT 4 will provide the best results, since Windows XP is just a minor upgrade from Windows 2000. Users who are upgrading from Windows 98 and Me might experience more problems, however, because Windows XP is a completely different operating system. Some Windows 9x applications might not
work at all under Windows XP.
Apart from the compatibility problems, there are several other limitations when upgrading from Windows 98/Me, including the following:
* No upgrade of Windows 9x-only devices
* No upgrade of Windows 9x-only device settings and features
* No upgrade of Windows 9x-only system configuration options (DriveSpace compression, etc.)
* No migration of Windows 9x system tools
* No migration of Windows 9x third-party shells
* No migration of Windows 9x passwords
In addition, the following utilities will not be present after an upgrade:
*Backup (if upgrading to Windows XP Home Edition)
Drivespace
ScanDisk
*Note:
To install the Backup utility:
Insert the Windows XP Home Edition CD.
Click Perform additional tasks.
Navigate to the VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP folder.
Double-click the ntbackup.msi file.
That's it.
I don't recommend
upgrading (using an upgrade version). Best... is save (back-up) your important files and
do a clean install. This
gets rid of bloat, bad files and driver conflicts you have accumulated over time.
(But if you must... Go here Installing
XP Upgrade)
XP Media Center Edition
Adds a TV-mode interface that users can control from across the room with an included infrared remote. The result is a computer that lets you watch TV, record your favorite shows, and incidentally do everything else you might want to do on a PC. It's great for students and anyone else who lives and works in cramped quarters.
Windows XP Media Center Edition PCs will be able to play back video recorded on any other XP MCE PC as well as all Windows XP PCs equipped with Windows Media Player 9. Media Center Edition PC owners soon can record television shows on DVDs that will be playable in any DVD player.
This flexibility could give Microsoft's new platform an edge over competing products such as TiVo and SonicBlue's ReplayTV.
Microsoft notes, however, that your ability to play back a copied show could be limited if the broadcast contains an industry-standard (but at the moment, rarely used) no-copy flag. The approach puts the copy-control ball back in the content providers' court.
