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19/08/2004 |
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Windows XP In his final review of Windows XP, Dave Cook checks out a veritable host of new features.
A lot of time and effort has gone into making Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional easier to install and use. Take, for example, the improved Setup wizard that helps to make installation as pain-free as possible. This includes a new Dynamic Update feature, which lets the operating system update itself with new drivers, fixes, or other code updates directly from the Internet. With Windows XP installed, your startup times will be faster than they were with other Windows operating systems. Configuring a fresh install is also speedier thanks to a Transfer Files and Settings wizard, which lets you transfer important documents and user settings from an old computer running Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000 (or XP) onto a new machine running Windows XP.
Firewall More and more of today’s users are finding it necessary to setup and run a home or small office network. If that applies to you then you’ll quite likely find the Home Networking Wizard useful. A software firewall has also been included to provide a secure boundary between your network and the big, outside world. Windows XP also comes with a host of multimedia-related features, at the center of which is Windows Media Player 8 (renamed Windows Media for XP). DVD playback has also been added, while Windows Movie Maker software allows you to capture material from an audio or video source and then edit and arrange it to create movies. Windows XP also provides the ability to burn CDs on a CD-RW drive - though options for this feature are somewhat limited. Anyone who has to share a computer will be relieved to hear of yet another new feature called Fast User Switching. This allows Dad, for instance, to quickly switch users and retrieve email without little Johnny having to close his homework session down in the process. The good news for Johnny is that his work will still be waiting for him - just as soon as Dad finishes his own session. Games support is also impressive, aided and abetted by the useful Program Compatibility wizard. This feature allows you to run troublesome applications in an operating system mode that has been recommended by the software, such as Widows 95, for example. Turn Back Time
Windows XP also has its own system restore feature, but that’s just the start, and a new support tool called Remote Assistance may also come in handy. With your permission, Remote Assistance allows a knowledgeable friend or support professional to remotely take control of your computer and set about resolving those tricky little problems that tend to crop up from time to time. Verdict Windows XP is undoubtedly Microsoft’s best operating system to date. There are one or two caveats, however, the most important of which is Product Activation. This one feature alone has the potential to discourage many of Microsoft’s most loyal customers from upgrading to Windows XP – and if that does happen, Microsoft will have only itself to blame. |
General
improvements include Internet Explorer 6 as the default browser and
Outlook Express 6 as the default e-mail program. You'll also find
updated versions of MSN Messenger and NetMeeting. In addition, there
are quite a few applications that were first packaged with Windows
Me. This includes an enhanced version of the My Music folder, plus
Scanner and Camera Wizard guides to steer you through the various
stages of getting your images into your computer.
Windows
XP is without doubt Microsoft’s most stable operating system to
date. Windows 2000 is also very good in this department, of course;
although what it lacks is a System Restore feature such as the one
shipped with Windows Me. System Restore can be a real life-saver,
since it allows you to roll back the clock to a time when a
problematic computer was in a previously good state.