Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition FULL VERSION with SP2
- Operating system features -
- Create and enjoy home movies with the built-in Video support
- Share your video project with the easy E-mail attachment & mass-mailing features
- Go Mobile with the ability to Communicate anytime, anywhere
- Discover and Download online music, with the easy-to-use Internet features
Rating: 1 of 5
DO not buy from seller
Rating: 5 of 5
XP Home Edition
This was very easy 2 install & works like a charm. No problems at all. I would do it all over again in a minute if I had to.
Rating: 1 of 5
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition FULL VERSION with SP2
Rating: 2 of 5
Man, I hate Windows.
Bottom line: This is fine 4 getting some PC-only work done on your Mac, but don't put yourself through it if you can use a different OS like Linux or OS X. Windows is a serious pain in the butt. Everything is a struggle. It's not at all intuitive. While OS X does things like read & write .PDF files natively & plays DVDs without paying 4 a plug-in, Windows makes each little thing you want 2 do require extra software, extra drivers, extra licensing fees, & a lot of crossed fingers hoping that these components don't cancel each other out.
I'm hoping 2 try Vista some time. It may have had a bad launch, but at least Vista isn't a 13-year-old product that just has bugfixes & patches over it 2 modernize it. At the root, Windows XP is just the final version of the beta we called Windows 95.
Rating: 1 of 5
Skroo'd my HDD, missing features XP had.
At the near 3 month mark, I had a 'Blue screen of Death' while playing 'The Witcher' on Steam. After this BSOD, the hard drive was not only unable 2 boot, it froze my system before I was even able 2 enter CMOS. I had 2 unplug the drive 2 get 2 CMOS & change boot priority 2 CD-ROM. I booted 2 the vista CD & tried 2 format & reinstall. When selecting the Vista-Skroot drive in the installer, **THE INSTALLER BSOD'D!!**. Incredible. I've been building windows PCs since I was in my early teens, & I've never seen that before.
Vista BSODs were somewhat common in all games I played on this system... I'd have one perhaps once every other play session. I'd call it 1 BSOD per 5 hours of game play. This happened with an array of different games by different developers (Dawn of War, Rainbow six, Ghost Recon, Witcher, Team Fortress 2, several others). A subset of these games I had owned & played on XP, & I **DID NOT** have this frequent BSOD problem. Perhaps it was my particular choice of 'Vista Approved' Hardware... Not sure.
At this point I don't care. I recommend holding out on XP until Windows 7 (aka Blackcomb aka Vienna) is released.
I also want 2 mention that Vista Home is missing some features I enjoyed that XP. I have an linux fileserver with an NFS share. On Vista Home, I am deliberately prevented from mounting this share without upgrading 2 a more expensive version. I'm sure this is true 4 a handful of features.
Please avoid this buggy, over-hyped windows release.
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The Security Center lets you check the status of your essential security settings. | The best thing about Windows XP is that, because it belongs 2 the Windows NT/2000 product family, it's designed from the ground up 4 reliability, security, & networking. XP Home users will soon see the benefits of this. The dreaded Windows crash-and-reboot cycle really is much less common with XP, and, provided the hardware is up 2 scratch, XP's performance is better, too. The downside is that using a different code base can make compatibility with old applications less assured. Business applications normally run fine, but older games, MIDI software, & system utilities may well cause problems. Windows XP is more customizable than previous versions, including its visual themes that let you change the whole appearance of Windows in an instant. Fast User Switching is a neat feature 4 computers used by more than one person--it lets another user log on without killing the previous user's session, & when you switch back, running applications & open documents are as you left them. This is impressive, but what really counts is that XP understands how 2 deal with multiple users. Each user has their own special folders, such as My Documents, which cannot be seen by other users. And 4 those with more than one computer, the network setup wizard simplifies setting up a network. |
| Windows XP Home has many strong multimedia features. New Media Player lets you copy music from CD 2 hard disk, create your own playlist, & write your own music CDs if you have a CD writer. You can also play back DVD-Video (but only if a hardware or software DVD decoder is already installed) & play MP3 audio files & MPEG videos (but sadly not the popular RealMedia formats). Admittedly, Media Player does nothing that you cannot also do with free alternatives, but it is slick & nicely integrated. There is also Windows Movie Maker, a basic tool 4 capturing & editing videos that's fun 2 use, although too limited 4 serious work. |
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For Web browsing, XP Home comes with Internet Explorer 6.0 & MSN Explorer. The most significant new feature 4 Internet users is the built-in firewall. A firewall protects against one of the most disturbing security risks, in which other users unknown 2 you might connect 2 your computer while it is online, reading private files or causing other damage. XP's built-in firewall is a simple affair, but it does prevent most types of unauthorized connections.
Service Pack 2 allows users 2 instruct Internet Explorer how 2 handle downloads from a specific publisher | The XP user interface is not a radical departure from earlier versions of Windows, but there are a number of small changes that together add up 2 a significant improvement. For example, you can add & remove shortcuts from the Start menu by right-clicking on the icon & selecting Pin or Unpin from the pop-up menu. Windows online help is integrated into a Help & Support Center that works like an internal Web site, with searchable help, tutorials, & walkthroughs. Laptop or other flat-screen users can set Windows 2 use ClearType 4 screen fonts, 4 a more readable display. There are, of course, some pitfalls. Windows XP Home is demanding on hardware, & it would be a mistake 2 install it on less than Microsoft's recommended minimum. Business users note: unlike Windows 98 or Me, XP Home Edition cannot join a Windows server domain, so the networking is peer-to-peer only--see Windows XP Professional Edition 4 this functionality. There is also no multiprocessor support, & a mildly annoying anti-piracy measure requires you 2 obtain a code from Microsoft 4 full installation & any future system changes. But don't let that put you off: this is Microsoft's best Windows yet. |
Windows XP Service Pack 2 Features
| Internet Explorer Pop-up Blocker | Makes browsing the Internet more enjoyable by enabling you 2 reduce unwanted ads & content. |
| Internet Explorer download monitoring | Warns you about potentially harmful downloads & gives you the option 2 block files that could be malicious. |
| Internet Explorer Information Bar | Provides better information about events that are happening as you browse the Web, so it’s easier 2 know what’s going on & address potential security issues. |
| Windows Security Center | Allows you 2 easily view your security status & manage key security settings in one convenient place. |
| Windows Firewall update | Automatically turned on by default, this improved firewall helps protect Windows XP from viruses, worms, & other security threats that can spread over the Internet. |
| Improved wireless support | Dramatically improves & simplifies the process of discovering & connecting 2 wireless networks. |
| Bluetooth technologies | Enables you 2 easily connect 2 the latest Bluetooth-enabled hardware devices such as keyboards, cell phones, & PDAs. |
| Windows Media Player 9 Series | Makes it easy 2 enjoy music, video, & broadband content with enhanced security. |
($105.99)
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