Microsoft Windows XP Professional: The best Windows yet still has some room for improvement

Microsoft launched its latest operating system in October of 2001. It has been over five years and we still haven’t seen a new OS from Microsoft on the market yet. Microsoft has religiously released a new Windows version every two or three years since 1992, so why the big delay in a new Operating system? Well, for one reason it’s hard to beat the features and ease of use with Windows XP. Another reason is that it takes time to get the software and hardware industries to incorporate compatibility with a new operating system while keeping compatibility with the older ones. What ever the case, Windows XP has been a major part of the computing world for five years, which has allowed it to become the dominating operating system for most of the computer world.

If you buy a new name brand computer, chances are it will have Windows XP on it. Most name-brand, store-bought computers do not have Windows XP Professional on them, but you can upgrade using either the upgrade version of Professional or the full version. Personally, I build my own computers for the most part (with the exception of a few recent insurance replacements) and I always install Windows XP Professional.


Windows XP Professional

The latest version of Microsoft’s premier operating system is Windows XP Professional. If you bought this product in it earlier releases, you will find that you have had to download many patches and security fixes over the last five years. If you recently purchased it, you will find that even though you have Service Pack 2 already included with the software, you still have some security downloads and patches available. The good news is that with these downloads; it shows that Microsoft is constantly making adjustments to improve their product. This is a good thing. The downside however, is that most of these security holes and patches should have been thought of and included in the original product five years ago.

Even with its apparent security flaws, Windows XP Professional is still the most stable and reliable Windows operating system available to date. Even the highly stable Windows 2000 does not compare to Windows XP with its compatibility. Windows XP was built on Windows 2000 (which is also referred to as Windows NT 5.0) but XP goes further towards multimedia and compatibility than any previous version.


GUI: Graphical User Interface

The Windows XP GUI is basically the same as all previous Windows version from Windows 95 on to the present. The differences are basically cosmetic but there are some functional changes as well, mostly for the better. You still have the same old “Start” menu and same old desktop with your most used icons on it. The biggest difference in functionality is the ability to switch between users without having any users log off. This is a feature not available in any previous Windows versions. This “Fast User Switching” is available in all Windows XP products.

The GUI has also been revamped for looks with drop shadows for the mouse, menu and windows. It also includes “Clear Type” which makes it easier to see and read the fonts on the desktop by darkening the area just behind the text and this really helps make a difference on older LCD screens.

The biggest visible change in the GUI is the way the Start menu and windows appear. The new Start menu lists all your most used program icons for quick access, which is a new feature of Windows XP. Windows are fully colored and contain a quick task list on the left side of the window; this is also a new feature of Windows XP. These settings can be changed to look like the familiar Windows 95/98 if you prefer and doing this also reduces some system strain that may cause some computers to run slower.


Compatibility

Windows XP really shines when it comes to compatibility. All new computer peripherals made for the PC, are designed to work with Windows XP and most of the older peripherals are still compatible with it as well. There are some older scanners and web cams that are not compatible but the only reason they’re not is because the manufacturers of these devices have dropped support for them, therefore there are no drivers available for Windows XP.

Software compatibility is a little different. Current software designed for Windows works with Windows XP, but older software is questionable. Windows XP does not recognize does not work with most DOS-based applications and most 16-bit applications. Older 32-bit applications may not work with Windows XP either, like older versions of some Antivirus programs.

Any program that needs to directly access the hardware will most likely not work or work with limited functionality because Windows XP prevents software from directly accessing the hardware. This is a security measure and has been updated several times over the last five years because of flaws in the basic structure of the software. When a program needs to access a piece of hardware it must request the information from Windows, which in turn accesses the hardware for the program. If you saw the movie “Tron”, think of the MCP and you get the idea of the way this works.

If you stick with software and hardware released after 2001, you should have no problem with compatibility.


Stability

Windows XP Professional is (in my humble opinion) the most stable Windows ever released. I have run up to fifteen different programs at the same time without so much as a hiccup. Multitasking is dependant not only on the operating system but also on the type of processor and the amount of memory in the computer as well. Even so, I have had several programs running on a computer with a Celeron 500MHz processor and only 128MB of RAM installed running Windows XP Professional without crashing. It did run very slow but that is to be expected with a slow processor the minimum RAM requirements.

Yes, Windows XP Professional is definitely the most stable Windows yet, however it still is not as stable as Linux or the Mac OS X which are in my opinion, much more stable by far. Why, you ask? Well for starters, even as stable as Windows XP is, I have had to reinstall it more than eight times in the last five years due to problems caused by software or hardware failure.

If Windows is running a program and the program crashes, most of the time you can use CTRL-ALT-DELETE to open the task manager and shut down the crashed program. This allows you to continue working without having to turn the computer off and reboot. The thing is, it doesn’t always work and when it doesn’t work, there is no option left except to turn off the computer and turn it back on. When you do this, there is always a chance that system files can get corrupted and if that happens, you may be facing a Windows reinstallation.

Sometimes Windows can get corrupted by having a failed hardware component as well. For example; if your sound card fails while playing a song or a game, information in memory can get corrupted and this can cause all kinds of havoc with Windows XP. Most of the time, the problem will correct itself and you can replace the sound card but sometimes the corrupted data in the memory causes problems with the operating system that don’t go away after rebooting.


Why Professional?

What is the big difference between Professional and the Home version? Why would you want to pay the extra for Professional?

Windows XP Professional is designed with system administrators in mind. With professional, you can set parameters for individual PC usage and limitations on users. Both versions allow assigning limited users and for giving administrator privileges to users but with Windows XP professional administrators have more abilities.

Administrators can set disk quotas for users which set the amount of disk space a user can take up. If a user uses all their allotted disk space, they must delete some items before they can save anything else to disk. Administrators can also manage groups of users; all users are assigned to specific groups like users, power users, remote desktop users, backup operators, administrators and guests. Administrators can also set expiration dates for passwords for each group or for a specific user.

Windows XP Professional also includes IIS (Internet Information Services) which is Microsoft’s web server software that was previously only available on Microsoft’s server operating systems like Windows NT and Windows 2000. This is feature is not available on the home version of Windows XP. In order set up IIS, you must install it after the initial Windows XP Professional installation as it does not install with the operating system. If you plan on running your own web server, Windows XP Professional makes it a fairly simple task to set up.


The Windows XP Advantage

The advantages of using Windows XP Professional are that you get the best compatibility, adaptability and stability in a Windows operating system. Windows XP Professional recognizes multiple processors so it can take advantage of the power needed by demand of large servers. It also natively recognizes large capacity hard drives and utilizes the FAT32 and the more secure NTFS files system.

Windows XP incorporates CD burning technology within the operating system, so there is no need for CD burning software to make simple backups and Media Player 9 can be used to burn music CDs. You can literally start burning CDs right after the operating system is installed. Media Player 9 offers an easy way to categorize and organize your digital music and can communicate directly to MP3 players for quick files transfers.

Management tools are packed into the software for troubleshooting and technical support. The management console gives you the necessary tools to manage your network, hard drives, errors, and operating system services. From one single console, you can manage every aspect of the operating system.

Remote assistance allows people to ask for and receive help from other people on the network. Once a session is started the person requesting help can allow another remote user to take control of the computer for troubleshooting. This makes managing a large network easier since troubleshooting can begin before anyone physically touches the computer. Remote assistance can also be turned off for a more secure network as well.

Remote desktop allows users to access a computer on the network from another computer. With this feature you can log on to a remote computer and use it from the local computer just as you would if you were sitting in front of the remote system. You can even personalize your desktop on the remote computer, change network settings, browse the web, and install software as well as simply run programs.

Word Pad is a simple but efficient, basic word processor program that comes with Windows XP. It allows you to create any text document such as letters, resumes and brochures right out of the box, but it is completely manual with no special features.
Windows XP also recognizes much of the latest hardware without the need to install additional drivers. Devices like flash drives, USB card readers, and many digital cameras and camcorders can be plugged in and used without installing any drivers. Also many internal modems and sound devices are also natively recognized as well.

Windows has a feature called Automatic Updates that allows your computer to automatically download updates for the operating system and install them without ever bothering you about it. This is a great feature that keep your computer up to date with the latest patches and bug fixes as well as keeping it safe from known recent types of attack from certain spyware and spam.


The Windows XP Disadvantage

Some problems with incompatibility with older software and hardware may be found after installation. Windows XP Professional has a compatibility program that you can run before installation that finds most incompatibilities if you are upgrading from an older version of Windows. You can not upgrade to Windows XP from Windows 95 or earlier, you must perform a complete installation by booting to the CD and formatting the hard drive.

Windows XP requires a more powerful computer to run on than previous versions of Windows. If you have an older computer you should check the system requirements before you decide to install Windows XP.

Windows XP must be maintained regularly or it fills with garbage by default. The Internet cache retains all the web pages viewed and the temporary files folder keeps installation files for programs already installed. Both of these folders must be emptied periodically to keep the hard drive from filling with junk. Windows XP manages hard drive fragmentation better than previous Windows operating systems but you still must defrag the hard disk from time to time.

All system services are turned on by default and some can be safely turned off to get more speed from the computer. The latest release of Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 installs with the Messenger service turned off by default but previous versions had it turned on. This service is used on networks to send a message from one console to another across the network but is not necessary for most users. Spam advertisements can be sent directly to your computer if this service is not turned off.

Microsoft requires that Windows XP be activated after installation. This can be done over the Internet or by telephone with a provided toll-free number. Each time Windows is installed (or reinstalled from scratch) it must be activated before 30 days or it will no longer function except for the activation window.


If you upgrade several components at the same time, you may be required to re-activate Windows. Microsoft uses a point system to determine whether or not re-activation is required. The activation is based on the hardware in your computer and a special code is derived from the hardware. This code is forwarded to Microsoft and associated with the hardware of your computer at activation.

If you upgrade the hard drive, modem, motherboard, graphics card and network card at the same time these points will add up to require reactivation because the code has changed too much. You may not be able to re-activate Windows over the Internet, you may have to call the telephone number and speak to a representative to get the activation code. Microsoft does not collect any personal information during activation. I have had to reactivate Windows several times and have never been denied my activation by Microsoft.


System Requirements

* 300MHz or faster processor (500MHz or faster recommended)
* 64MB RAM minimum (128MB required for special features) 256MB recommended
* 4GB hard disk space (8GB or more recommended)
* 56k modem or network interface for Internet access

Windows XP Professional can be installed on a blank hard drive or you can upgrade from a previous version of Windows 98/ME or 2000. You can not upgrade from Windows 95.


Personal Use

I have been using Windows XP since September of 2001 when I obtained a full version of Windows XP Professional at a Microsoft road show in Baltimore, MD. It is the primary operating system on all of my computers and has worked very well with the exception of having to reinstall it a few times over the last five years. To be fair, it is not always Windows’ fault that it had to be reinstalled.

I have had some compatibility issues with my old web cam and an old parallel port scanner. Most of my Windows XP experience has been good and when I have had problems, I can usually figure out why and how to prevent it happening again. Windows XP Professional is not necessary for most users but it is a good operating system for network environments where many different people may be using the computer.

I have found that the administration tools and management console get more use from me than Spider Solitaire and Hearts. If this sounds like you, then Windows XP Professional is the way to go, however if you just want a good game of Internet Checkers, you may want to opt for the Home version to save about a hundred dollars.


Conclusion

Windows XP Professional is a solid operating system with good support and high compatibility. If you need a secure and stable operating system capable of small server applications, Windows XP Professional will do the job. If the option is available, make sure you get it with Service Pack 2, this will save you time downloading updates after installation.

Thanks for reading,

Gr8ful :-)