bit-tech Shopping: Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Upgrade)

• Microsoft Windows 2000
• Microsoft Windows 98
• Microsoft Windows ME
• Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
• Microsoft Windows XP

Rating: 6

Time with product: 20 Days

Strengths: Installation was hassle free

Weaknesses: Consumes an incredible amount of memory

Summary: I upgraded from XP Home with the expressed understanding that XP Pro would be more secure, especially for our kids. Not sure that claim is all its made out to be......since earlier this week I installed the same number of security updates in the machine running XP Pro as a second one running XP Home.

Rating: 10

Time with product:

Strengths: Stability using the NTFS configuration, and speed of bootup.

Weaknesses: Needs a lot of memory

Summary: Windows XP Professional is best used through an advanced upgrade option, not using FAT32 option. The NTFS option uses the latest in NT technology. I found that upgrading from Windows 98SE being the best, checking that the UDMA options are disabled in the BIOS, because if not the installation would be interrupted with STOP errors, which will plague the bootup every time. Only when I had disabled this option in the BIOS did I get a clean configuration, then through the configuration of the partition it is best to convert from FAT32 to NTFS if there are no other OS present. Then installation takes about an hour dependent on the speed of CPU and memory. I have nearly 400MB and that speeds up the installation time. The interface with BLISS is very colourful and good quality, with hardly any icons to litter the desktop. I configured Windows Messenger and MSN Passport where MSN sends me e-mail windows as they arrive, a neat part of the desktop and OS. All in all I would not change to any other OS because the config. I have is optimum level. Also Windows Update helps me overcome the bugs and problems using my Netcabo continuous access to the internet I can receive updates when they arise.

Rating: 2

Time with product:

Strengths: My review is on Pricegrabber.

Weaknesses: Not XP

Summary: The price that Pricegrabber shows for XP in $154 for a OEM version. It shows AtomicParks price at $198, but that is the RETAIL package. Their price for the OEM is $155. Truth in advertising fellows!

Rating: 10

Time with product: 4 Months

Strengths: Stable operation, excellent GUI, identifies driver compatibility, driver rollback, system restore, added functionally for example CD Burner software

Weaknesses: More expensive than past upgrades, closed architecture, requires upgrading many applications to run in native mode.

Summary: I have been using pre-release version 1 and am very satisfied. This is definitely the best version of windows that I have used. There are a number of vendors who do not have updated drivers for XP or even Windows 2000. That results in difficulties using all your current hardware. The hardware driver compatibility issue has always been there but now Windows XP identifies the incompatible drivers. Because Windows is not open, hardware vendors must go to Microsoft for certification of their drivers.