8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
The best operating system
Date of Review: Mar 11, 2007
The Bottom Line: time to use it
The big "gotchas" with Windows XP --activation, .NET passport requirement for some services, lack of password requirements, and hardware compatibility issues--are summarized below:
Activation. The most controversial aspect of the new Windows version is a requirement called activation. Activation is designed to stop software theft. The "off the shelf" copies of Windows XP all require activation, either over the Internet or by calling Microsoft. If users wish to install the product on a different PC later on (i.e., move the license) or if they make too many changes to their hardware configuration, they are also required to call Microsoft.
Departments ordering with a purchase order can avoid activation completely by purchasing the XP product through OETC (http://www.oetc.org) or the UO Bookstore. OETC can order individual copies, whereas the Bookstore requires an order of five copies or more.
.NET Passport. MSN Instant Messenger, included with Windows XP, now requires users to sign up for a .NET passport. This is a single username and password that enables logins to multiple web sites. While Microsoft promotes this as a convenience, we recommend extreme caution when putting personal information into any website or service, and especially those that store financial information about you (see "Beware Passport Perils" on page 7, column 3). For this and other security related reasons beyond the scope of this article, we simply recommend you avoid using any service that requires your personal information-- including MSN Instant Messenger, .NET, the Microsoft Wallet, etc.
No Password Requirements. By default, Windows XP does not require passwords for login. We recommend users assign a password using the "User Accounts" control panel after their initial login. In fact, this is required for users who wish to log in on Windows servers.
Hardware Compatibility Issues. Windows XP requires a special piece of software called a "driver" to communicate with hardware devices like the video card, hard disk, and other computer components. Drivers made for Windows 2000 might work on Windows XP, but often will not. In addition, new operating systems almost always require additional memory and hard disk space and XP is no different.
The cost of upgrading these components in an older PC to accommodate the new version of Windows is generally not worth the cost, given that prices for brand-new PCs have come down. If you particularly want to run Windows XP, we recommend purchasing a new computer with that operating system pre-installed. This should avoid any hardware compatibility issues.
If you have a modern PC with fast processor and more than average RAM and disk space, then upgrading to XP may be a reasonable option. Should you decide to upgrade an existing PC, make sure you have important data backed up before you begin. You should also verify that drivers designed for XP exist for your video card and other components like your printer, scanner, or digital camera if you have these.
In short, if you're happy running an earlier version of Windows like 98, ME, or 2000, we don't recommend upgrading. If you need a new computer anyway, you will likely get XP pre-installed in any PC you buy, so you should not have any hardware compatibility problems.
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