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Why upgrade? At the
meeting, several people commented that we didn't show the killer feature
or the clear benefits of upgrading, especially from Windows 2000.
That's because, IMO1, there isn't a distinct
knock-your-socks-off feature/benefit. Instead, there are a number of
minor enhancements that, collectively, make Windows XP a compelling
upgrade for me. We tried to dash through them but perhaps didn't
adequately demonstrate the benefit.
1 In My Opinion. IMHO is often used by humbler authors.
Here's a brief summary of my favorites:
Stability. Windows XP has the ability
to run a large number of apps without running out of resources, without
crashing. (If you're running Windows 2000, you already have this, so
there's no gain.)
Security. This is a huge topic that I
can't adequately cover in a few sentences: suffice it to say that
security of your data and your privacy in Windows XP is leaps and bounds
beyond anything available in Windows 9x. (Again, if you have Windows
2000, you already have most of the security capabilities of Windows XP.)
UI enhancements. A variety of changes
in Start menu, taskbar, Windows Explorer, and Control Panel make
everyday tasks such as launching programs, switching between windows,
and managing files just a little bit faster, easier, and more
convenient. These features can each be customized, so you can use the
ones you like and change others back to Windows 9x/2000 style.
(Similarly, you can banish the new look of Windows XP while still
enjoying its other benefits.)
Fast User Switching. Great for shared
computers, FUS lets someone else log on without requiring you to first
close all your documents and applications.
Power management. Standby and
hibernation let me save power (on desktop PCs as well as portables) yet
still have fast boot time, bringing me right back to where I left off.
(That is, all the windows that I left open when the system powers down
are already open when I power up.)
Digital photo support. I was never a
fan of digital photography until I got XP because it was such a hassle
before. But the support for cameras and scanners, as well as the
features built in to Windows Explorer for viewing, printing, e-mailing,
and manipulating images have actually made it fun and practical to work
with photos in new ways.
Remote Assistance. The ability to
actually see and work with someone else's screen while conversing with
them through text, voice, and video chat is a killer feature for anyone
who's looked upon as a computer guru and gets calls for support from
relatives, friends, and neighbors. (I suspect that includes most PIBMUG
members!)
Remote Desktop. The ability to
connect with my home computer from the office (or vice versa) is
awesome. It looks and acts exactly as if I'm at that computer five miles
away, and I have access to all its files, printers, and other
resources. And like remote assistance, it's acceptably fast if you have
broadband Internet access. I also use it to work with other computers on
my own LAN; that's sometimes easier than hopping back and forth between
two computers.
Better help. It's easier to navigate,
integrates information from the Microsoft Knowledge Base, and includes
links to a number of diagnostic tools. (Of course, it doesn't have all
the answers. You still need our book!)
There are dozens of other
enhancements--built-in CD burning, built-in ZIP file support, Windows
Media Player, Movie Maker, etc. etc.--but those listed above are the
ones I personally find useful.
What's Wrong With XP? Not Much
What's wrong with Windows XP; we promised to talk
about "what bites" but some felt we didn't deliver. That's because
there really isn't much I don't like; here's my full list:
Windows product activation (WPA). I
dislike it on principle, but in practice it's not a problem for me or
for most users. It's anonymous, and it's a one-time operation that
involves clicking Next a few times to get through a wizard--and then you
never think about it again. Windows does NOT phone home on its own at
any time to confirm your activation status, as has been reported. But as
Ed mentioned, it's a classic Microsoft version 1.0 product.
If you want to avoid activation altogether,
get XP preinstalled on your next computer from a major OEM vendor like
Dell. Those versions ofXP do not have product activation, so it'll never
kick in when you change a number of components in your system--one of
the major flaws in the current implementation. You should be aware,
however, that Windows XP versions from major manufacturers are linked to
the system BIOS--which means, for example, that you can't take the
Windows XP CD that comes with your Dell and install it on a Gateway or a
white box system.
Price. Now that MS is enforcing the
one copy/one machine limitation (it's always been part of the license
agreement, but they've never had a way to prevent people from copying to
all machines until WP A ), I think the price--at least for copies after
the first one--should be significantly lower, say $50- 75 for Home,
twice that for Pro. OTOH, it is a pretty good value, even at $100/$200.
Messenger and Passport in your face. I
use them constantly, so it doesn't bother me that they always start.
But I'd be frustrated ifI didn't want to use them and discovered how
difficult it is to vanquish them.
UI is too chummy in some respects.
Wizards have replaced some dialog boxes, advanced options are now
further buried, etc. As a power user who knows his way around, these
slow me down. F ortunately , there aren't many of these impediments in
areas that I use frequently.
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Support for "legacy" hardware.
Some people mentioned HP products in particular, but there are a number
of unsupported products that are not that old. Microsoft has always left
device driver development to hardware manufacturers, and it supplies
plenty of support to manufacturers. It's clearly in Microsoft's best
interest to have all hardware supported.
Manufacturers, however, don't have any
incentive (other than the wrath heaped on them by disgruntled customers)
to provide drivers for discontinued products; they'd prefer that you
buy their latest and greatest. Regardless of whose fault it is, it's a
real problem that affects all of us consumers.
Networking. It's a little difficult
to set up a mixed network--one with Windows XP and Windows 9x
workstations. (But it's not impossible, and the steps to successful
networking are fully documented in our book!) Windows XP Home Edition
uses only the Simple File Sharing model, which is indeed simple, but
also somewhat inflexible. You can set up a folder to be private (so that
only your user account can access it, either when logged on locally or
over the network) or you can share it with everyone. But you can't, for
example, easily set up a shared folder that you and your spouse can
access but your kids cannot. (As we mentioned, there is a
workaround--detailed in the book--that lets you set up more
complex security arrangements using Safe Mode. )
Which Version is Best for you?
Home Edition or Professional? The essential differences are these:
You can't use Remote Desktop to connect to a
computer running Home Edition. (Btw , the computer you connect from can
be running any version of Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP.) You can, however, use
Remote Assistance to connect to a Home Edition computer .
You can't use Home Edition on a multiprocessor system.
With Home Edition, your computer can't join a
Windows NT/2000 domain. (You can, however, use all domain resources if
you have a domain user account. )
With Home Edition, you're essentially stuck
with Simple File Sharing. You can share/protect only at the folder
level, and you can only make a folder private or share it with everyone.
The Windows 2000 security model that's available in Professional offers
granular security control that lets you assign specific types of access
to specific users for specific files. (Most home user won't need this
level of control.)
If you install Professional now, you won't
be able to upgrade to the Home Edition of Windows, so you'll pay an
extra $100 now and again the next time you upgrade Windows.
Pro includes everything that's in Home. If
you're unsure about which to get (that is, the points above don't seem
to apply to you), try Home Edition. Worst case: you later decide to
upgrade to Pro. The Home Edition-to-Professional upgrade is $125, so
you're only out an additional $25 compared to purchasing Pro initially.
You can find Microsoft's advice on this choice at www.microsoft.com/ windowsxp/ pro/ howtobuy/ choosing.asp
What's the Bottom line?
If you're buying a new computer, get XP. (Before you do that,
however, run the Windows XP Upgrade Advisor on your current system. Be
sure that any software or peripherals you plan to use with your new
system will work with XP, or can be inexpensively upgraded. ) Don't fret
too much about the learning curve for a new OS and its new features;
nearly
everything you know about your current system can be applied to Windows
XP, and you can learn about the new features as you need them.
If you're using Windows 9x AND if your
computer has the horsepower (practical minimum: 300 MHz processor, 128
MB RAM, 1.5 GB free disk space) and is compatible (run the Windows XP
Upgrade Advisor), strongly consider upgrading to "XP .
If you're using Windows 2000 and you're
happy with it, hold off on upgrading until you get your next computer.
If one of the nifty features like Remote Desktop, Remote Assistance, or
digital photo support would make your life easier, pop for XP now.
I've decided that XP Professional is right
for my newest systems (the rest run Windows 2000), but I don't mean to
suggest that it's right for everyone. Besides, Ed and I have written
books about earlier versions of Windows too. We'd be just as happy if
you bought one of those books. :-)
Get Some Help
Here are a few URLs that'll help you with the upgrade.
Microsoft Product Lifecycle: This site tells you when support dries up for each version of Windows. www.microsoft.com/ windows/ lifecycle.asp
Windows XP Upgrade Advisor: The
program available at this site checks your computer for hardware and
software that may be incompatible with Windows XP. When available, it
includes links to upgrade information for the incompatible components. www.microsoft.com/ windowsxp/ pro/ howtobuy/ upgrading/ advisor.asp
Copyright c 2001 by Carl Siechert.
Reproduced with permission. Article reproduction coordinated by Steve
Bass, Pasadena IBM Users Group. Reaching Ed Bott and Carl Siechert is
easy. Ed's site is http://www.bott.com and Carl's company site is
http://www.swdocs.com. Discussions, links, tips, and other good things
are at http://communities. msn.com/WindowsXPInsideOut and, as you'd
expect, at each site you'll find links for ordering the book online.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here www.tcs.org/ ioport/ febO2/ upgrade.htm
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