Microsoft XP
 

Do any of you experts have any views on MS XP?

Is it worth deferring buying a new PC until after it is out (? end October in UK)??

Thanks

In my opinion: wait til after October. From the tests we've done it's far better than Windows 2000 and has overcome the timeslicing problems encountered with games.

I have a relative in the US who has just installed it, he is fairly switched on with PC's but has had a number of problems.
1.Gaming frame rate down but this is probably the current lack of good drivers.
2.His P3 680 is now running 5-10% slower but is more stable, thinks he might have to go up a couple of hundred mhz.
3.Problems with shutting down, conflict with his MS keyboard, etc.

He thinks all these things will be sorted out
with new software and drivers, but overall at present it doesn't seem worth the hassle.

He has a friend who installed it on a clean HD and had no problems.

[ 05 September 2001: Message edited by: henry crun ]

And dont forget the wonderful new "Windows Protection Activation" (WPA) which was designed as an anti-piracy fix, with it your software is tied to a particular machine.

You are given 3 configuration changes within 6 months, after that the software will lock you out. You are then required to go to Microsoft, prove that its legal software and get a reactivation key. :(

So if you are like me and actually enjoy changing the configuration of your PC, this isnt the program for you!

Mutt :)

[ 06 September 2001: Message edited by: mutt ]

Apparently there is already a 'crack' to get around that!

Yeah, there are plenty of cracks to get around that.

However, piracy aside I've had the official "preview" 180 day trial of Windows XP installed on my home machine (PII 400/128Mb/GeforceII) for over a month now and am astonished to report that the system hasn't crashed ONCE. Bearing in mind this is an early build that's pretty impressive as I've been pushing the thing a bit.

The only flaws I've found so far are relatively minor and liable to be fixed with better drivers upon release (UDF formatted CD support is poor; my network card only works with certain media types; XP won't let me use a proprietary Epson scanner driver for my transparancy adaptor).

On the positive side this OS is distinctly quicker than Windows 2000 in operation and boot time, and as mentioned it's extremely stable. I couldn't get the hang of the new screen/start menu format, but reverting to the traditional look is easy! Gaming wise I've installed Flight Sim 2k, Hidden and Dangerous and Unreal Tournament - all of which perform as well as they ever had under 98/ME, and better than under Win2k.

Overall a big thumbs up though, I think given the state of this build the initial release will be of a decent standard and I'd wait until you can get it bundled with a new PC.

Also, as I understand it the "hardware change" thing is not calculated on changes-per-year but upon amount of change. I think the average homebuilt enthusiast who regularly changes graphics cards, upgrades CD-drives and memory and so on over time has nothing to fear, however a full processor/motherboard upgrade may require a visit to the Microsoft site for a "reauthorisation", which I think is pretty painless.

Would I be correct in thinking that XP is an upgrade of Win 2000, which, I think, is the "professional" version of the OS, as opposed to Win 98, used by the ordinary guy in the street.

If so, does anyone know when Win 98 is due for an (overdue) upgrade?

Pardon my ignorance- I'm not sure of the difference-(I'm one of the masses-a Win 98er!)

Tosh McCaber

Windows 98 has already had an upgrade.
It's called Windows ME !

I have used ME for a while and am still very happy. I see absolutely no point at all in upgrading to Win XP. I have used XP at work, and am not impressed at all. Lots of software incompatability, and slower response times.

If you are going to be interested in networking your home PC then XP will be good, but if you are just a standalone PC with a dial up modem or cable access, then forget it. Much better to get going with ME in my humble opinion.

Markbingo

Can XP use both processors of an SMP system?

You've got to wonder how good Microsofts improvments have been since 98SE. I upgraded from SE to ME and found the same stability with much longer boot ups and slower apps due to all the extra rubbish included, I'd like to change back but I understand that I'll lose all installations done since the upgrade, plus I can't go back to ME (not likely anyway).
Nice to know MS are looking after themselves with feeble software protection but I don't want to pay for it! I'd be perfectly happy with proven performers 98SE or 2000.

XP is much better than 2000 - you can use it as a home OS and run games and media stuff without the frame rate problem expereinced on NT4 and 2000.

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