I bought a new Dell Dimension 8100 this summer with all the bells and whistles - 256K RAM, fastest processor I could get, rw-CD/DVD, etc. Unfortunately, it also came with Windows Me. I telework for a living and my computer is my lifeline to my office. Teleworking on my powerful computer was a nightmare with Windows Me - a nightmare that got even more frightening when I installed DSL. My computer was constantly running low on resources and freezing up or crashing. So I bought the bullet and ordered the Windows XP upgrade pack.

Installing Windows XP is relatively easy - although it does take a long time. I'd recommend you run the on-line compatibility screen first, before you try to run the installation program. The compatibility screen seems quite complete and gives you fair warning of the things you might have problems with. After about an hour of chugging, Windows XP will install itself. My first problem was my DSL - the computer no longer recognized it. I had to go back through a first-time install with my DSL provider although it was VERY easy! My second problem was with my sound card - although the Windows XP compatibility screen had warned me. I was able to go to my sound card's website and download new drivers.

Now, after about 2 hours of work, everything is humming along fine. I have not yet experienced a crash or freeze - even with multiple internet windows open and MS Word running in the background. My system resource utilization is remaining at about 40% and all of my programs are running fine. I was fortunate in that some of my Dell bundled software (namely Microsoft Office) was already of the Windows XP variety. The upgrade was well worth it to get rid of the Windows Me OS. I'm not sure that XP is that much better than NT but it runs rings around Me!

A final note - I'd recommend doing a disk scan and a defragment after you get Windows XP up and running. The defragment program looks much different than any previous Windows defragmenting program and will take a long time if you have a lot of memory. However, you'll be pleased with the time you invest as the computer zips along without crashing.



Recommended: Yes