Customer Reviews

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade with SP2

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If you're reading this. You want to upgrade, your old computer to Windows XP home edition here are a few things to keep in mind.

256 MB of RAM. I have found is adequate more equals better.
500 MHz or higher will do.

If you're running Windows millennium edition, or 98 upgrade now the stability is vastly improved. Gone are the blue screens of death.

Frequently asked question: is Windows XP Pro better than home edition?

Windows XP Pro has a more high-end networking features that most home users will never miss or would even know were missing. So for most users Windows home edition is fine. They both are based on the same code and are almost identical.

If you're thinking of upgrading from Windows 2000, I did, because I like the GUI interface better. But Windows XP is as stable as Windows 2000. So it's your call.

The plug-and-play ability of Windows XP is totally great! Windows XP will by default find most drivers for video card sound cards, network cards, etc. that is such a bonus gone in the days of having to search for CDs with drivers.

That's about all I can think of this is a recommended upgrade for me

Have some fun and get it done

I have been running Windows XP since 2001 and to tell you the honest truth it has been stable ever since. With the introduction of SP2 in this minor update of Windows XP, Microsoft has decided to make the product "secure", than it was thought to be in the beginning. But the past few years have been rough on Microsoft, with consistency in attacks on the product with such vulnerabilities as Trojans, buffer overflows, viruses and the most memorable of the all Blaster (August 2003).


Ever since its debut, Windows XP has been causing a lot of headaches and wreaking havoc on corporate networks because of its susceptibility vulnerabilities that were not fixed in its initial release or Service Pack 1. So Microsoft decided to go back to the drawing board and decided to rethink what Windows XP should mean in terms of Security. At first Service Pack 2 was thought out to only be a minor Service Pack update with usual bug fixes, but because of the aforementioned problems Microsoft took new direction and after 1 year of testing we have finally reached a conclusion.

SP2 is really apparent, based on my experience of installing the update, users displayed a welcome screen recommending Automatic Updates be turned on (and I would recommend too), after which the user is presented with the Security Center where you can configure the new and improved Firewall settings, such as which programs can access your PC. You also have the option of configuring your Anti-Virus program, unfortunately I have not been able to do so because my Anti-virus is not supported, although it seems (Norton Anti-virus Corporate Edition 7.6). Security Center is really the big change here and should have been implemented from beginning, but better late than never.

Other great features which I and many users are undoubtedly thankful for include the Pop-Blocker which should have been included in IE 6 from the beginning (better late than never), its not 100 % percent effective but does a decent job so far of blocking most annoying Pop-Ups. I wish the Windows Team allowed users to train it, so if a Pop does succeed, you can tell the pop-up blocker engine that was a pop-up window and you shouldn't let that pass the next time, maybe Microsoft will let it improve over time. Other great improvements to IE in SP2 is the ability approve programs, so drive by downloads have become a thing of the past, anything you decide to download or accidentally clicked on a webpage has to be approved.

Another wish is, better integration of the ActiveX controls with Microsoft's own technologies, I notice that when I had to do a Office Update, the ActiveX API engine on Microsoft's Office website had to be approved before I run the utility that checked for updates for Office products I needed.

Microsoft has also streamlined Windows Update to be more user-friendly, you the user have the option for a Express or Custom install, Express only installs the most critical updates, while Custom allows to install the entire kitchen sink, including stuff some users can do without on Windows, (go with Express). Windows XP SP2 includes minor enhancements such as Windows Media Player 9, but why didn't Microsoft just wait a little longer and included Windows Media Player 10, which is already out? The blue tooth update is also a needed update, it wasn't intuitive right out of the box, but is more user friendly, all this, you can get for free if you are existing XP owner.

Overall, if you haven't upgraded to Windows XP yet from older versions of Windows, this is the time, but if you are an existing Windows XP user, I say skip this and just order the SP2 CD or download it from the Windows XP Website. I highly recommend users running prior versions of XP especially 95, 98, 98 SE, NT 4 and ME, maybe 2000 also move to XP, since Microsoft is planning on porting any of technologies in XP to those older versions of Windows, plus it has some great new features and you will love the Security technologies that provide a better experience for you the user. Most of all, I highly recommend Windows XP users get this update!

I've been using XP Home on various machines for three years, simultaneously with Linux, and it's enough time to say that XP has been excellent while Linux was just so-so.

Some of the reasons why I love Windows XP:

1. It is amazingly stable. Do you remember Windows 95/98 that were crashing several times a day? Maybe you still have these old windows and they're making you upset. Crashing no longer occurs with XP. At the beginning, in 2001, the Internet Exporer was rather unstable and it had to close many times a week. Such things simply do not happen to me anymore, as a result of the updates that have been done. I am getting the blue screen roughly once a year, and it is never unexpected because I almost always do something controversial.

2. It is getting very secure. The Service Pack 2 made the XP the safest affordable operating system. You know, operating systems are not created by God, and therefore there can be holes in them. The same is true about Windows. But Microsoft is a very active company and the hotfixes are available very quickly if it is necessary. The number of bugs that have survived is very small.

The Service Pack 2 provides you with a firewall (protection against hackers, so to say), monitoring of antivirus software (if it's out of date, you're alerted) and of patches, new wireless utilities, and many other things.

3. XP is compatible with all previous software I tried - including very old-fashioned games that used to run under MS-DOS. Although XP is based on the technology of Windows NT/2000 Kernel, which was more stable, it became compatible with the systems 95/98/ME for the home users. XP also works with all modern games and other programs, as well as all external devices that I've tried. Although it is very likely that all necessary software will continue to work, you should check whether your key programs have any issues if you upgrade to XP.

4. XP is very configurable. I've changed the icons of everything - every folder and every file type, as well as all the sounds. It is also very user-friendly, and the international support works smoothly.

5. In the case that something goes wrong, it is still very likely that "System Restore" will save you. It's a time machine that can return all system files on your PC to a moment (checkpoint) in the past. It has been useful several times to fix various small problems with the configurations that appeared because of new programs I installed. Also, I like hibernation - you can turn off your computer quickly in such a way that the memory is saved to your hard disk, and you may then continue exactly where you stopped.

All people who are upgrading should try to backup their key data before the upgrade. Problems are very unlikely, but possible.

I have a Compaq Presario laptop with Windows ME. I wanted to upgrade it, so I decided to buy the Windows XP Upgrade. I have another computer that came with XP built in, and I like that system a lot.

Well, before I purchased this software, I specifically asked the manager at CompUSA if there are any problems upgrading from Windows ME to Windows XP. I was very specific. "No problem!" he told me, "It works great!"

NONSENSE!

Here is a list of hardware problems I had after loading Windows XP onto the laptop:
1. My touch pad stopped working.
2. My PCI bus started getting errors.
3. My wireless network card (D-Link GW-630) stopped working.

And these are just the things I noticed in the first day of using it!

I spent over six hours on the telephone with various technical service reps at Microsoft, uninstalling and re-installing the software, being put on hold, reinstalling drivers, restarting the computer over and over and over and over again... Six extremely frustrating hours!

Finally, the tech support people told me to uninstall the software. They said I should return the software to CompUSA.

Now for the fun part. CompUSA refused to take it back!!! After arguing with the very same manager who told me everything should work great, all I got was an offer to do an exchange for the same product. Then the manager said my system must not be compatible. Well, I showed him the "System Requirements" on the box, where it says "Windows ME." According to the box, my laptop is perfectly compatible! But apparently it's not.

Then the manager told me that he would not recommend upgrading from ME to XP. Well, intyeresting he says that now! I reminded him about our conversation!!!

I even gave the manager my Microsoft Case Number so he could see for himself the problems I had and all the tech support people who tried to fix it for me.

In the end, I am stuck with software that does not work.

Learn from my trials. Do not buy this software if you have Windows ME. Only buy it if you can get a written agreement from your seller that they will take the software back after it messes up your system.

XP has worked all right on one of my computers. For those who have been having nothing but trouble and for those who are about to try an upgrade from 98 or Millennium Edition, I have one observation that might be valuable: not all motherboards are compatible with XP. One of my computers has the Elite Group P6STP-FL motherboard, and I discovered at Microsoft's site (http://testedproducts.windowsmarketplace.com/results.aspx?bCatId=42) that XP won't work with that motherboard. That was confirmed by the manufacturer of the motherboard. If I were to try to upgrade to XP from Millennium Edition on that computer, I already know I would probably come to grief and would be best off to leave well enough alone. (Or I could install a compatible motherboard.) So I would advise anyone to check for hardware compatibility first before buying XP and trying to install it.

I am extremely pleased with this upgrade. Best $95 I've spent to morph my tired 5 yo system into a new one.

Installation was a breeze. I recommend you back up important file on the intended system drive (or partition), reformat it with NTSF and do a clean install. The upgrade set up will ask you what you want during the upgrade process. This give you a clean slate and won't carry over problems from the old system. Remember to have the previous system CD ready though to qualify for the upgrade. After that, XP upgrade will handle the rest. Activation on line is easy. With all the complaints flowing around on the internet I thought I have to surrender personal info. Not the case. All I had to do was hit the activation button. It was done before I knew it.

XP is definitely better than previous versions. I had USB device problems and virus/spyware programs interfering issues causing frequent blue screen of death. Not anymore. XP handles them beautifully. Plug in a wireless mouse, beep, it works. USB micro drives? Beep, it finds and installs the driver in a few nanoseconds. Hotswap devices (I have only one USB port)? No problem. It manages virus and spyware/adware scanners transparently and efficiently. Nobody is tumbling over nobody like when it was in 98 SE. All those previous issues all of sudden just GONE! I no longer worry when I have to add new software or hardware. The machine just handles them silently and smoothly.

Like all system building, high tech or otherwise, steep climb and rocky road precede smoothing sailing. Windows has reached that goal finally. Thank you folks at Microsoft for keep hacking at it. Good job.

Wow, what an improvement over MICROSOFT MILLENIUM EDITION, WINDOWS 2000, and WINDOWS 98. WINDOWS XP, both the home and professional editions, have finally worked out the electronic glitches in Windows 2000 and ME. Both 2000 and ME were stop-gap products rushed to market to cash in on turn of the century fever. Unfortunately, both products had such teething problems that many buyers, including myself, reverted back to tried and true Windows 98. Eventually I reloaded MILLENIUM EDITION, but had to tie up the phone line for almost three hours to download all of the necessary Microsoft patches in order for ME to work properly.

XP is light years ahead of the former Windows applications. It was easy to load, required no tinkering or patches to enable the program to function, and added options, like audio, digital photo, and CD transfer capabilities, that never before existed. The computer loads much faster and is generally much more user friendly. Additionally, XP is better equipped to deal with the Norton family of computer security programs.

There are a few drawbacks, and XP warns you about them as it is loading. Some programs, particularly older programs, must be reloaded. In my case, I had to reload the software for my HP 800 series printer, Epson Scanner, Photo Shop, and Sonic Record Now. Where the original CDs are available, this is not much of an inconvenience. Unfortunately, some of my computer's software was installed at the time I had upgrades, such as a DVD burner, professionally installed, and I did not have the original CD.

So it goes. Microsoft WINDOWS XP (with Service Pack) is the next logical progression in the ever-evolving Windows applications. Save yourself a lot of headaches and invest in an upgrade now.

It works. I had Windows ME on my system the worst OS known to man. I did not strip the hard drive as all my friends in the know suggested. I just put the disc in and let her rip. It works. No more blue screen of death and no more crashes. On the other hand media player 10 is bad, very bad. But if you really want to know about that you should google it. I would do it again. rmw

The upgrade, per se, is fine. But, make sure you go to your computer manufacturer's website for their recommendations on prep actions to take. What you do first is more important than the running the XP Upgrade installation. In the case of my Compaq Presario 7000US, there was an upgrade preparation program there which would have helped me avoid hours of heartache and tears regarding the unstable XP which resulted. I think I finally got it worked out now but it has been painful.
- George

Ok, Windows XP may be good for people doing some things, while the older versions may be easier for you.

Usually Typing Pages In Microsoft Word - Windows XP and Windows 98 really make no difference in this. You could use both, and you could probably get things done quicker. Though, Windows XP is a bit more user friendly, so I'd get it for that.

Multimedia - You NEED Windows XP if you love movies and music! It comes with WMP 9, but I recommend using the 7.1 version, it's much better. But in XP, you get to create your own movies, and make cool music playlists, and burn CDs in minutes. Windows XP is the way to go here.

Interet Surfing - As owning 98 for 6 years and XP for not even a year, Windows 98 is better for this. I've had a lot of viruses with the SP1 version, mostly trojans. I've never had a joke, worm or mailing worm yet, but hoping not to have another.

But...

Since this comes with SP2, Windows XP is the best choice for the internet. I've never had ONE viruses with the SP2, so I would highly recommend downloading it if you currently have SP1.

Gaming - Hmm...a bit tricky here. If you have a lot of Windows XP compatable games, go to Windows XP. I have a lot of 98 games, and most of them run perfectly on XP (I've only had 2 out of 20 not working). So, XP is good for gaming, escpecially with the new DirectX.

Freezing - I've only had my computer freeze once on Windows XP (and it was my fault to, I pressed IE about 10 times in a row). On Windows 98, some days the computer wouldn't even open the start button. Windows XP's point.

Customizing Your Computer - Windows 98 time. On Windows XP, they only give you have of what 98 has. Plus, the desktops and screen savers are less outstanding, though with the upgrade, the 98 themes are still inside. Though, I think 98 should take this point.

Overall -

Windows 98 - 1 point
Windows XP - 5 points

Hmm...I'd recommend getting XP. It's faster, funner, and easier than 98.