Authors Note: I decided because of length to split this review into three parts; one covering the software package overall, one detailing the installation process and first impressions, and one detailing my trials and tribulations (there were many) with the beast . So I give you Part 1, Parts 2 & 3 will follow in short order.

Cautiously The Bard approached the new Operating System (OS), but approach it he did, for inside it soft smooth multi-colored exterior were promises of untold wonders and delights to be had by those brave enough to wade into untried waters. Images of people flying through the air, effortless wireless connections, seamless movie making, and hours of MP3 listening pleasure spurned The Bard on. Deeper and deeper into the Windows XP forest The Bard crept encountering many niggling blue screens with strange letters and numbers along the path to true blissful 32 bit computing. The blue screens slowed, but did not stop The Bard progress towards enlighten computing; they frustrated, but did not dampen long, The Bard’s resolve to get through one day without gazing upon their blue and black vestige. And then it happened; nirvana, enlightenment, happiness, and joy; the OS stabilized. The last of the old drivers were vanquished and the OS remained true and finally delivered on the promise: 32 bit multi-treaded, multi-tasked computing for the masses.

Microsoft® Windows XP as we all know by now—unless of course you’ve been sleeping under a rock, or hiding out under a mountain—is the company’ next generation OS that introduces the masses; i.e. the home user, to true 32 bit computing. Of course anyone in the business knows that true 32 bit computing has been around for a while in the guise of IBM’ OS/2 platform, but that is the subject of another review. Windows XP comes in two flavor; Home Edition for the home and Professional for the business marketplace. I have installed both but will confine myself to the discussion of Windows XP Home Edition for the review.

The System:

The computer I chose to install Windows XP Home Editionon is my primary workstation and is also the gateway I use to gain access to the Internet via DSL. It has two Network Interface Cards (NIC) installed, one of which interfaces with the DSL gateway, and the other communicates with my home network. So it was essential that the install of Windows XP Home Editionproceed as smoothly as possible; it didn’t, but more on that later. Below is my system specifications compared to Microsoft’s recommended system minimums to run Windows XP Home Edition:

My System:

• PC with AMD Athlon 1100 gigahertz (GHz) processor, with 133 megahertz (MHz) Frontside Bus (FSB) speed.
• 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM, later upgraded to 768 megabytes MB.
• Two 20 Gigabyte (GB) ATA hard drives (C: partition: 2.5 GB of available space).
• View Sonic 19” color monitor with max resolution of 1600x1200.
• Matsui 55x CD-ROM & HP 9900ci CD-ROM/CD-RW/DVD dive.
• HP Officejet T54 multi-function printer.
• 3Com 3C590 10/100 PCI Network Interface Card
• Linksys WPC11 Wireless Network Interface Card
• Multi-Media 101 Key US keyboard & Microsoft Optical mouse.

Microsoft recommended minimum requirements:
• PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233-MHz minimum required; Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended.
• 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features).
• 1.5 gigabyte (GB) of available hard disk space.
• Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor.
• CD-ROM or DVD drive.
• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
As you can see, my system, although custom built, exceeds by a wide margin the Microsoft recommended minimums for a Windows XP Home EditionPC and yet I encountered performance issues which I will cover later.
Before the Install:

I did a fair amount of research (professional and amateur reviews, and technical white papers), before I installed Windows XP Home Editionin order to minimize headaches during the installation process. Mostly I succeeded, but I experienced problems that were not covered in great depth by any of the papers I read. I downloaded new Windows XP drivers and/or software whenever available; i.e. I downloaded the new drivers for my HP OfficeJet T45, HP 9900ci, and purchased Norton Antivirus for 2002 for Windows XP. However, OEM drivers were not available for my two NIC’s—3Com 3C590 and Linksys WPC11 which was surprising given their wide spread use. I therefore expected them to be included in Windows XP, but they were not, so I had to hope for the best.

Before the install, I uninstalled Norton Antivirus 2000, then installed version 2002 and scanned for viruses; and I uninstalled PCAnywhere version 10.0, version 10.5 is Windows XP compatible, but I have yet to purchase it. I also disabled, and later un-installed, Win-Route Pro because it will not work with the OS. Finally cleaned up my C: drive, deleting .TMP files, and then running scandisk and defrag. Now I thought I was ready to install Windows XP Home Edition.

The Installation:

Where to begin, where to begin? My week long ordeal with Windows XP Home Editionafter the installation was one I would not wish on the faint of heart. Although I experienced a few minor hiccups during the installation process; i.e. drivers and software incompatibilities I either overlooked or was surprised to find, the installation went smoothly enough. After doing a hardware check I was informed that Microsoft drivers were not available for either of my NIC’s, which caused immediate concern, but not enough for me to halt the installation; I pressed on.

After about an hour in which I had very little input, the install was complete, and consumed approximately 2 GB of hard drive space! The Windows directory alone consumes 1.65 GB of space, and the Program Files directory has mushroomed to some 500MB.

Almost immediately I noted that I was off the network and did not have Internet access, since both of my NIC’s were broken. I used a generic wireless driver for my Linksys NIC, but could not find one for the 3Com 3c590, so I swapped the card out with a 3Com 3C905c which 3Com has written Windows XP drivers for. So after about 2 hours I was back on the Internet and my home network.

And while my computer was on the bench I took the opportunity to add more RAM; my system initially had 128 MB installed but I know that would not be enough, so I installed a new 512 MB SDRAM module, which the OS recognized immediately.

Most of my settings from Windows Me were carried over to Windows XP, including the extra users I had created for my daughters to use my PC. The first screen you’ll see when the installation is complete is the user sign-on screen which list all of the users of the computer. Each user has an icon with a cute picture—which can be changed by the way—beside the user name, and underneath Windows XP lets you know how many programs are running under each user profile. By default there is no password assigned to each user, but that can be changed via control panel/users.

Each user has his or her own desktop space which is independent of the others. I noted that some drivers and software was not universally installed across users; i.e. I needed to re-install the drivers and software for my Officejet T-45 under each of my daughter’s user accounts, but the drivers for the NIC cards were universally installed.

First Impressions continued on Part 2…


Recommended: Yes