Microsoft Windows XP Review

Overall Rating

USB plug and play drivers
Automatic updates
Layout (on Windows XP style)
Start Menu (popular programs)
Integrated firewall
Support for networking
Support for CD burning
Ability to lock computer or switch users

Cannot connect Windows XP home edition to a domain
Windows XP Home edition is limited to 5 users
You have to purchase Windows Plus if you want more themes

Microsoft Windows XP is a reliable operating system when comparing it to Windows 98. In Windows XP there are no blue screens when there are system errors. Also comparing to Windows 98, Windows XP rarely requires a computer reboot (even on a 6 year old computer with Windows XP upgrade).

The Windows update function is useful as it can be programmed to check for updates automatically. The updates provide security patches, and downloads for the hardware on your computer (in some cases).

The Windows XP new style, in my experience, is best viewed on a screen with a 1024 x 768 resolution. Some people may not like the new Windows XP style theme, but it can easily be changed by going into the display properties and changing the settings in the themes or appearance tab. The new Windows XP start menu design is better as it puts the programs that you mainly use on the start of the start menu.

The Windows XP operating system comes with good games such as 'Solitaire' and other games like '3D pinball'.

In Windows Explorer windows such as 'My Computer', and 'My Documents' to your left you have a menu called the 'task pane' which host tasks you want to do such as copying files.

The plug and play drivers integrated into Windows XP are excellent. A device such as a USB flash drive is just plug and play. You plug it into a USB port and within a few seconds it will appear as a drive in 'My Computer'. The plug and play feature in Windows XP is very good, but sometimes Windows XP does not have some USB drivers installed, so therefore the found new hardware wizard keeps flashing up when you are trying to install hardware, and occasionally you get messages such as USB device not recognised.

Depending on how a CD burner is configured, with Windows XP you can drag and drop files that you wish to burn to a CD-R or CD-RW into the CD burner drive folder/letter.

Other tasks such as add/removing programs are much easier as it is presented in a bigger more laid out way than Windows 98.

In Windows XP some of the run commands are different than Windows 98. In windows 98, to view a network assigned IP address it is winipconfig; in Windows XP you type cmd into run to start the command promt, and then when in command prompt you would type ipconfig or ipconfig/all (for a more detailed view). Sometimes in Windows XP I occasionally miss MS DOS. I Sometimes prefer DOS to command promt.

Overall Microsoft Windows XP is a better operating system than Windows 98. Currently my favourite operating system is Microsoft Windows XP, but if I was to ever purchase a operating system I would consider having Microsoft Windows XP Professional rather than Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.

Members' Comments onskiddie2003's Review

• abdnray on 19th Feb 2006

  Microsoft advises that Windows XP Home edition is limited to 5 users, however, each of the six members of my family has a separate user account, in addition to Microsoft's default Administrator account and a Guest account. Windows XP makes setting up a home wireless network simple, with setup wizards. Win XP is much easier to network with other PCs than Windows 2000 Professional, which continually asks for login details.