Windows XP was Microsoft’s version of the operating system that defined many people’s computing experience. It was released in 2001 at a time when Microsoft was experiencing its highest revenues and dominating the PC market.
It allows more than one person to use a computer by assigning each user a unique computer account. These accounts track personal settings, documents and email.
What is Windows XP?
Windows XP is an operating system (OS) that allows you to use different types of applications or software. For example, you can use a word processing application to write a letter or a spreadsheet application to track financial information. Windows XP is a graphical OS, which means it uses pictures to represent applications and files.
In 2001, Microsoft released a new version of its Windows operating system called Windows XP. It was based on the successful Windows NT kernel and succeeded Windows Me and Windows 2000.
There were several editions of Windows XP, including the standard Windows XP Home Edition, which was designed for home computers. The other editions included the Windows XP Professional, which was designed for business computers, and the Windows XP Media Center Edition, which was designed to work with home theater systems or similar entertainment environments. The Media Center Edition required more memory and processing power than the standard Windows XP editions.
Requirements for Windows XP
While Microsoft has stopped retail sales of Windows XP, it’s still one of the most popular operating systems of all time. It brought improved support for gaming, digital photography, instant messaging and peer-to-peer networking. It also introduced a personal firewall and better wireless networking.
The minimum requirements for XP aren’t very demanding by today’s standards: 233 megahertz processor, 64 megabytes of RAM and 1.5 gigabytes of hard drive space. However, Microsoft has a minimum recommendation set that should result in optimum performance.
In the network setup window, nearly all users can choose “Typical Settings.” This should work well for home computers. In a corporate environment, check with the system administrator. If you have a choice, use a “limited” account instead of an administrator account. Limited accounts limit what malware can do on your computer. Administrators, by contrast, let the malicious software do whatever it wants. The quickest way to make your computer more secure on the internet is to switch to a limited account.
Installation
When you have the full version windows xp CD in and watch your computer screen you will soon see the “Press any key to boot the CD” message. Once you have done this the program will start installing and the computer will restart.
It will then scan the hard drives and look for drivers to work with your hardware. Once it has finished this it will then format the drive in your computer which can take a few minutes to complete.
After it has completed formatting it will then start loading files to the disk which again can take a few minutes.
After the setup program has finished loading the files it will ask if you want to register with Microsoft, choose Next and then follow the on-screen instructions to do so. It will also ask about your regional settings and language. If you have data on your computer that is important to you then now would be a good time to back it up as the process will wipe out any information on your computer that it does not need.
Compatibility
With a little help from Windows XP’s Program Compatibility mode, older applications stand a much better chance of running properly. This feature allows older applications to use their own private versions of system files (which are stored safely in the application’s own folder) rather than a shared version from the WinSxS folder. This prevents the old DLL from being overwritten by a newer version, which might cause other applications to fail or even the operating system itself to crash.
Using the ‘Compatibility’ settings is as simple as right-clicking either on the application or, more conveniently, its shortcut in the Start menu or desktop and selecting ‘Properties’. The ‘Run this program in compatibility mode’ tick box then gives you a choice of several different options. Most older applications will work well in one of the default options, but you might be able to find something better by selecting a more custom setting. If the application still doesn’t run, you might be able to download a small ‘fix’ or ‘patch’ file to solve the problem.