Microsoft Windows XP Professional Upgrade Reviews

It makes installing hardware a breeze with enhanced plus and play technology. Simply plug in your camera, usb device, hard drive, external storage, etc and Windows XP will automatically install and set it up for use. Integrated CD Burning will save you time and money from having to purchase 3rd party applications. Remote Desktop is a wonderful feature for administering your Windows XP computer away from the home or office on a separate computer. All you need to do is install the Remote Desktop client on any computer that does not run Windows XP and you are set.

You can also use Remote Assistance to send an invite to a friend, co-worker, relative, anyone you know using Windows XP to control your computer and fix any issue you may be having with it.

Windows Media Player 8 is wonderful, allowing you to encode high quality songs from CD's and also including options to display the Album Cover artwork for identifying your music on the folder.

My favorite thing is the ability to change the appearance with the new XML skinning engine to completely have a custom and unique style from anyone in the world.

There are many wonderful feature to list, and despite the talk that it is just a small step from Windows 2000 is ludicrous. Windows 2000 is similar and on the same codebase, but does outperform and include more useful tools. I would recommend purchasing the full version and not the upgrade, that way if you ever need to install a clean version of Windows XP you will not have to install an OS to upgrade from.

Rating: 4 - A stable, friendly OS
I will admit, although I have a great love for the Apple line, that Microsoft Windows XP is a stable and friendly Operating System. Emerging from the ashes of the 9x line with the NT Kernel, Windows XP builds upon the foundation which 2000 laid.

Although I can not say that it is as stable as Mac OS 10.2 (or 10.1 for that matter), I will admit that Windows XP is pretty solid and stable. Coming from a heritage of blue screens of death, XP gives users very few problems. There will always be, because of the vast array of hardware products available (as well as buggy drivers), times when Windows will crash. In my experience, this has indeed happened. However, it definitely does not occur as frequently as it did in the old 9x line. For the most part, I can go for a week without a crash (or semi-crash) and this, in itself, makes me happy.

The really good thing about XP, especially for a user who is learning the system through the eyes of a Mac OS lover, is that it is extremely user friendly. Although the driver installation process is almost completely foreign to many users, it is not a problem when it is needed because XP explains the processes very well, without confusing users. Also, it is very easy to deal with networking in XP, including wireless networking (which is extremely nice when you don't feel like wiring your house for a personal network). All in all, compared with its predecessors, XP is based on a much more intuitive interface.

So, indeed, even a Macintosh lover can admit that Windows XP is quite a good Operating System. I feel that it is both stable and intuitive, giving it 4 stars out of 5.

Rating: 5 - Excellent Operating System - Software Pirates Beware!
I have used Operating Systems from DOS 1.0 through Windows XP and the latest product by Microsoft is incredible. I can crash Windows 95 in less than 30 seconds, Windows 98 SE in less than 2 minutes, Windows 2000 and ME in less than 5 minutes and Windows NT by turning on the computer - but Windows XP has been running flawlessly for the past 3 months, even when I attempted to crash it. The OS quickly realized what I was attempting to do and actually "uninstalled" the software - That's right, instead of counting up the percentage of install, it started going backwards to 0%! Almost pirate proof, XP will only allow itself to be installed twice off the same CD - Once for your desktop and once for your laptop. If you do not register the software - it stops working after 45 days and cannot be reinstalled on the same PC without reformatting the hard drive. I have had some driver issues with XP certified drivers not available for some newer peripherals (i.e. HP Photosmart Printers), but for the most part, no problems. It even comes with a good CD burner program standard. I would suggest you upgrade ASAP.

For more details and to buy Microsoft Windows XP Professional Upgrade from Amazon, you might like to try:

Microsoft Windows XP Professional Upgrade
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade