Windows XP is the most popular operating system that Microsoft has ever produced. It has been used by many different people all over the world.
Unlike previous Windows versions, XP can be used by multiple users at once. This is because XP uses computer accounts which track each user’s unique settings, documents and email.
What is Windows XP?
Windows XP is the most popular version of Microsoft’s operating system. It was the first major release of Windows that used the Windows NT kernel and targeted both the business and general consumer markets. It was a significant advance over the previous Windows 9x line in terms of stability and features, especially the addition of product activation to prevent software piracy.
The main editions of Windows XP are Home and Professional. The Home Edition required a 233 megahertz processor and 64 megabytes of memory (although it is recommended that you have twice that amount). The Professional Edition requires a faster CPU and 256 megabytes of RAM. An optional Windows XP Media Center Edition was also available that allowed you to integrate your computer into your television and entertainment systems. This edition required a fast CPU and lots of disk space. Windows XP also introduced a new user interface that is known as the desktop view.
What are the Advantages of Windows XP?
There are still a lot of people out there that use Windows XP for a variety of reasons. Mostly these are because of cost or compatibility with older hardware. It is possible to install and run programs that are newer and more useful on XP, such as Skype, Firefox, Google Chrome, iTunes and Adobe Photoshop. It is also possible to customize the appearance of XP by using various themes that alter the look and feel of the operating system.
Additionally, XP has some unique features that are not found on modern versions of Windows, such as the Logical Prefetcher which prefetches files to the hard drive to speed up boot times, and Device Driver Rollback which lets users back out an update that went wrong. However, for many of these users, it may be time to upgrade to a more modern operating system. Windows XP will continue to receive updates and security updates until April 8, 2014. After that, Microsoft will no longer support it.
What are the Disadvantages of Windows XP?
One of the biggest disadvantages of Windows XP is that Microsoft will stop supporting it in April 2014, which means that you will not be receiving any updates for security issues. This could mean that your system is more vulnerable to malware and viruses.
Another disadvantage of Windows XP is that it is not compatible with many newer programs. This means that you will need to install older drivers for your hardware if you want to use it with newer software.
Windows XP also does not have as many features as later versions of windows. This includes features such as a taskbar that shows all your running programs and lets you shut them down or minimize them. It also has a search feature that makes it easier to find what you need. It also has a customizable start menu that lets you pin applications to the menu for easy access. Windows XP is also more efficient than previous versions of windows, so it can run on older computers with less memory.
How to Install Windows XP
After creating a bootable USB stick using WinSetupFromUSB (link below), insert the stick into your retro PC and power it on. Windows XP will then start the first part of the installation process, partitioning and formatting the hard drive and copying the install files.
At this point, select the partition that you want Windows XP to be installed on. This is the drive that your software and data will reside on, so choose carefully! Choosing the wrong partition may delete your data. It is best to use a new partition and the NTFS file system.
Next, setup will ask if you want to install updates. Unless you are installing Windows XP in a corporate environment, most users can leave this option set to Typical settings.
Now, the setup program will ask you to enter account names for yourself and other users. This will be used to create user accounts once Windows XP is installed. The final step is to accept the Microsoft licensing agreement.