Purchased From:
Came With PC
Price Paid:
Free
Introduction
Windows XP uses the ground technology that powers Windows2000, and as a result, XP is more stable than previous Windows Operating Systems (such as the dreadful ME).
Windows XP comes in two flavours, Home Edition and Professional Edition. I have and am reviewing the latter.
On the whole, the operating system is pretty good, however some things which were boasted about at its release, don't hold true in some cases, such as the ability to save programs once they appear to have crashed. Im my experience of using XP, i've encountered many crashes, and have never had the system restablise itself, I simply get a popup asking if I want to send an error report.
Having said that, games and programs appear to run much smoother on XP than previous windows installments.
There are a number of service packs and updates available which help to secure your computer from known problems, and fixes any loopholes that may exist.
The features on XP are quite vast, and navigating around the system is pretty straight forward. The control pannel now comes in a catagorised mode which makes it easy to find the place that you need to be at when you need to change some system settings. If you are an experienced user however, and prefer the old layout, you can switch between the two modes at the touch of a button.
Screensavers and backgrounds that come preloaded with Windows are better than past windows versions, and mainly the backgrounds are better. Screesavers consist mainly of the usually 3d flying objects, 3dpipes etc.
Good Points
Easy to use which should encourage first time users of PCs.
Compatability is good with this Operating System. Nearly every computing application under the sun is built for use with Windows.
Smoother processing of applications.
Plug n Play feature. This is really excellent. When you plug something into your pc, XP instantly recognises it and asks you for the appropriate action (install the drivers for example) which is a great improvment on past windows versions which required you to 'Add or Remove Hardware'.
A new sylised start menu and task bar which makes a nice change from the boring grey colour it used to be.
Automatic update searches for you to find any updates you may wish to download and install.
Comes loaded with standard drivers which will power most devices without you needing to install drivers from other cds and disks.
Multiple users can be added to the system to have their own settings.
Multiple users can be logged in at once, and at a click of a button, you can switch to another user, while maintaining all of your saved work and open applications meaning you do not need to close everything down, should somebody else need to use the computer quickly. This is a great feature, but beware that someone else may decide to shut down the PC, and although they will recieve a prompt warning them that other users are logged in and may lose work if they shutdown, you should make sure you save your work before switching users in case the other person chooses to ignore this warning.
Bad Points
Program crashes are quite common, and XP fails to restablise them as it's supposed to do.
Much older computers may encounter problems when trying to install this operating system.
Basic windows installation has some security loopholes which require the Windows updates to be downloaded and installed.
The Verdict
Windows XP is a great step up from previous Windows operating systems for the average user, although its said that Windows2000 is in a lot of ways better than XP, and for technical guys who need a very secure operating system you think about using something other than Windows XP.
However, for the average Joe using a PC, Windows XP is a great choice and people new to PC's and applications should find it easier to use that other Windows Applications. Nearly all PCs comes pre-loaded with this operating system.
