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

Part 2 First Impressions:

After the installation I registered and activated the OS immediately via the internet. I found the process quick and painless and not the least bit intrusive; I guess I am not one for conspiracies behind every bush, and besides the only information sent was hardware specifications, no detailed information about me or or computer usage patterns was sent.

Side Note about activation: For those of you worried about making major changes to your hardware, or heaven forbid you have to re-install the Windows XP from scratch (as I did), you will be able to activate the software anew. I did a scratch install of Windows XP and had to activate the software again, and the process went off without a hitch. I did not have to call, but used the same procedure as when I first activated the OS.

Despite the documented problems I have had with Windows XP Home Edition (see part three for a detailed listing), overall I like the OS, and I am finding new features to like everyday it seems. Anyone familiar with Windows NT Workstation and Server will feel somewhat at home with Windows XP Home Edition. A three fingered salute (Crtl + Alt + Del) will bring up a Windows NT style Task Manager wherein the system parameters (CPU, memory, & & Page-File usage) & processes, network usage & throughput, applications in use, and users currently logged onto the computer can be monitored. I might add that this is far more information than Windows NT task manager. Specific applications can also be terminated from this handy little applet.

Windows NT users will also be at home with the services section under control panel/administrative tools, and Windows 2000 users will be familiar with the Administrative Tools set of applets from which detailed system information can be obtained.

A quick note about Windows Services: Services are Windows applets that run in the back ground independent of regular applications. Each runs in its own memory space and they perform duties vital to the proper functioning of the OS; e.g. the Event Log which tracks system and application errors and warning is a service. So too is Help & Support, and the Plug & Play functionality of Windows XP. Unless you know what you are doing, or know what the service does, the services applets should be left alone.

Some Specifics:

* System look and feel: I love the soft, smooth look and vibrant colors of Windows XP Home Edition! The radio buttons are rounded making the eye feel at home with the interface and the colors though rich and vibrant do not overwhelm the eyes. Because of this softness, fonts are easier on the eye as well, and I have noticed that my eyes are far less strained then under previous versions of Windows.

This new look and feel has been translated throughout the OS; Internet Explorer emulates this new look and the result is striking. Web pages stand out and are much more vibrant and rich then before, while maintaining the soft look throughout.

You can now choose to have menu’s slide into view; a nice touch I like a lot. The default Windows XP Home Edition is a soft blue with a green Start button in the bottom left hand corner. If you do a scratch install (an install from a freshly formatted hard drive), be prepared to see a desktop wiped clean of icons, save the Recycle Bin in the lower right hand corner of the desktop. You can choose to leave the desktop this way, or you can have Windows XP display My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places and Internet Explorer, in the characteristic locations by right clicking on the desktop, clicking on properties, the clicking on the Desktop tab then clicking the Customize Desktop radio button. If you do an upgrade on top of an older Windows installation however, your icons will make an appearance once the install is complete.

Un-used icons in the system tray can now be hidden from view cutting down on screen clutter, but that option can be turned off via the control panel applet, Taskbar and Menu. I have found the feature to be quite useful, so I left it in place.

* Networking: To my chagrin you can no longer have a computer running Windows XP Home Edition connect to a Windows NT domain, but I can still see and gain access to all of the computers in my little home network, with a caveat. Because I can no long authenticate through the domain, whenever I reboot Windows XP I have to re-log into my file sever shares where all my data is stored; this is a minor inconvenience, one I can live with, but wish I didn’t have to!

The good news is that Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) has been improved to such a degree that the installation process is seamless and painless. ICS will still install Dynamitic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) by default, but if the IP addresses in your home network are statically assigned, you can roll back the changes, without affecting the performance of ICS. You can set up ICS via a wizard in My Network Places entitled Set up a Home or Office Network. The wizard allows you to set up ICS, or set up the ICS firewall, share files and folders, or setup a shared printer. On the PC with the Internet connection, Windows XP will add sharing protocols and a firewall to the NIC connected to the Internet and prompt you to make a diskette which can then be loaded onto the any PC’s in your home network you want to give Internet access to. I tried it; it worked the first time, which given my past experience with ICS, was delightfully surprising. So bottom line: I am happy!

Networking resources can be accessed via control panel/network connections, or by right clicking on the My Network Places on the desktop. Network resources are divided into Dial-up or LAN/High Speed icon. Unlike older version of Windows, the resources—NIC’s and protocols associated—are connection specific. For example I have two LAN connections: LAN Connection 1 and LAN Connection 2. When I right click on the connection icon and scroll to Properties, only the NIC and protocols associated with this connection are displayed instead of all the NIC’s and protocols currently installed on the system. Visually, this makes it much easier to navigate and trouble-shoot problems. And the options to do so are much more robust.

* Multitasking: Finally a true multitasking, multi-tread 32 bit OS for the masses is here! Not only can one use have multiple application running at once with, but other users can be logged on and have applications running as well. Switching between users is seamless and simple.

In theory since each application runs in its own memory space, a misbehaving application rarely brings down the entire OS; in real live this is not always the case. There will be times however, when an application so pollutes the OS with bad code that it will bring down the entire OS; this is especially of application not explicitly written for Windows XP. While I am not claiming that older applications will not work under Windows XP, I do advocate some experimentation if the OS become erratic and unstable.

I have found it useful to keep the multifunctional task manager open and minimized at all times, in order to track memory usage and processor throughput. I have found that as an average Windows XP Home Edition uses 100 MB of Ram just by itself, with no other programs open, so I strongly recommend purchasing as much Ram as possible.

Problems & Solutions continued on Part 3…


Recommended: Yes