bit-tech Shopping: Microsoft Windows XP Professional

• AMD Athlon
• Intel Celeron
• Intel Pentium

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Months

Strengths: Stable platform. OEM great price as long as you don't need MS support.

Weaknesses: Susceptible to viruses/worms due to worldwide popularity.

Summary: I have used MS Windows XP Pro for some time. I find it a much more stable platform than previous versions of windows. I initially bought the OEM version to install a full product rather than install an upgrade over a previous editon of windows just to make sure no lingering registry issues or other conflicts remaining from the previous Windows. I have since bought two more OEMs for home built computers. The OEM version does not allow for user support via Microsoft. You generally would contact your original manufacturer (hence the original equipment manufacturer designation) for any support issues. If you are comfortable with computers in general and Windows in particular and don't require MS support, this is a much cheaper alternative to the retail box version. Also of consideration, my understanding is that the license does not allow for transfer of this product to other computers, even if you uninstall from the original. Service pack 2 is a much welcome (so far) upgrade, and I do recommend taking advantage of it as soon as possible after installation.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Years

Strengths: The most stable and user-friendly Windows to date. Does not crash that often, if ever. I would recommend this as an upgrade to anyone running an older version of MS Windows.

Weaknesses: First target for virus writers, many security holes to plug almost every week through Windows Update. Needs a fast computer to run effectively.

Summary: I have been using some flavor of MS Windows for eight years now and Microsoft has definitely got a winner on its hands with Windows XP Professional.I have used this software a lot through numerous installs on many machines and it is a joy to work with. Like any major operating system, it has it's share of annoyances and bugs but overall, stability is where it scores points.I run XP Professional at home and XP Home on my laptop and I find it easy to run all my software and work with digital media files.Highly recommended.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3 Weeks

Strengths: OEM version is provides an attractive alternative to purchasing full retail or upgrade retail product-XP Pro provides improved networking and file sharing and also an encrypted file system.

Weaknesses: Users may not be entitled to free support if any possible operating system problems result.

Summary: Very stable. No system crashes during entire period of ownership. System recognized and correctly configured peripherals on initial setup. WinXP Pro provides considerable advantages both to business and home users over XP Home and Win9X among them are encrypted file system, improved networking and file sharing with other Windows machines (not just XP), user profiles, remote access and system restore capabilities. For those on a budget the OEM version provides an attractive alternative to full retail or retail upgrade packages. Highly recommended.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: Activation/registration. Stability.

Weaknesses: none.

Summary: Great operating system. Don't use the bootleg copy that your friend gave you. Buy the OEM version. It's cheaper than the boxed, store version, and you can activate/register it and receive all the automatic updates and product support.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 5 Days

Strengths: XP Pro is a very stable OS. I was changing from ME and it makes a world of difference.

Weaknesses: Without SP1, or with older version, it takes a while to update, especially on dial-up. Over 120GB hard drives will not be recognized without SP1 and possibly some additional drivers or card.

Summary: I am extremely pleased with XP Pro OEM. There is a lot of value in this OEM version, as compared with the retail box version (I only paid $98 for this one). This is a very stable OS. It has not locked, yet. I replaced ME which continually froze up, so I am pleased. You might want to make sure you get a recent version with SP1, at least, in order to avoid a lot of updating time. It will cost you $30 or $40 more, however. Also, large hard drives over 120gb will not be recognized at full capacity unless you have SP1 and recent motherboard and bios drivers. If you have an older motherboard or bios you might have to upgrade or even buy a new ata card to recognize the full size. (You might want to research this first.) I installed this on a new 160gb drive with no problems. I had never done this before and was a little apprehensive, but the install was easy and completed in about an hour on my 1.1ghz Athlon. This saved me from reformatting my old hard drive. I now have all of my old data on the original hard drive (under a master/slave arrangement) showing up as Drive F: on "My Computer". Be sure and get all of your drivers lined up beforehand. Also, make sure you have your internet connection, favorites and saved email files backed up and ready to load onto the new OS. Also, I had a slight problem getting my sound card working (SBLive). XP provided part of the drivers on the install, and it showed it was functional, but no sound came out. I had to load some of my original xp driver to get the sound to work. Also, the Creative software has some conflict with XP. An end program box on the sblive's devldr file comes up on exiting a profile and will not respond. My research shows this is a Creative problem.