Quick overview:
In October 2001, Microsoft flooded the operating system market with a new program version with great fanfare. The Redmond programmers called their new marvel Windows XP, whose abbreviation stands for "eXPerience", which means experience. The development of XP was therefore not focused on innovations and fascinating changes, but on further improving and meaningfully expanding what was already available. So the decision was finally made to merge the two different products Windows Me and Windows 2000. The aim was to skillfully combine the advantages of the home user generation, such as compatibility, simplicity, multimedia and games, with the positive features of the professional track, such as stability, security and speed.
Like its predecessor 2000/NT, Windows XP completely dispenses with the DOS substructure. Officially, Windows XP is only available in the 32-bit version, but there is a 64-bit version of Windows XP for professional users and companies.
If you are switching from Windows Me to Windows XP, you will need to familiarize yourself a little first, as many options have different names and can be found differently. However, the user interface has been considerably improved and enhanced with visual delicacies. The new color scheme makes a playful impression, but still provides a good overview. But the classic Windows 2000 is still included.
What will the innovation of the future cost us?
Even the smallest program package Windows XP Home Edition wants to change hands for 239€, which is too high considering the fact that it is a slimmed-down version for beginners. At the launch of Windows 98, which also plays in the home sector, Microsoft still charged a fair DM 199. The professional version goes for a proud 320€ over the counter. You don't have to decide for yourself whether the functions described in the following text are worth it. I am ready to advise you individually if you are planning a changeover - I would be pleased to hear from you: hilfe@windows-tweaks.de
The differences between Windows XP and the old versions
If you only look at the Windows world with your eyes, a lot has changed. The boring, serious design of Windows 98/Me/2000 has had to make way for a new, colorful and appealing scheme that clearly stands out from everything that has gone before. However, lovers of the old design can easily deactivate the modern design. But the inner values also count with the current generation of Microsoft's offspring.
The new multimedia world of Windows XP
Anyone who has opted for the new eXPerience will enjoy the new multimedia options right from the first start. The Windows Media Player, now available in version 11, offers the possibility to play dozens of audio and video formats. It has a wide variety of functions such as a burning function, converting music, listening to the radio and calling up information. In my opinion, the digital joy center offers a very good organization of the various music tracks and films and has long outmaneuvered the other freeware programs in the scene.
The new image viewing functions should also be highlighted at this point. Here you can go through all your photos one after the other like in a picture book and even display them in a slide show. Using the task bar in the left-hand pane, it is even possible to send the photos to a lab for development or to burn them to CD. It's also easy to send your photos by e-mail using the digital mailbox.
The sad thing is that these functions are rarely used by users. They make life with Windows so much easier and also offer some features that users are not initially interested in. I can also sometimes recommend the use of these functions to beaten professionals who don't use them from the outset.
Also included in a new version is the Windows Movie Maker, which has already found its way into Windows Millennium. You can use it to cut simple clips to save space or send them by e-mail, for example. However, the tool is completely unsuitable for professional video editing because it lacks many functions such as different video formats, effects, transitions and much more. For beginners and professionals alike, I can only recommend tools such as MGI VideoWave 5, which costs its price but offers a lot in return.
The worldwide data network with Internet Explorer 7.0
Initially still in version 6, the highly acclaimed Internet Explorer is now available in its seventh edition and offers significantly more functionality and security than previous versions. This time, dozens of security holes have been plugged and the speed at which pages are opened has been increased. I was able to clearly determine this in a comparison test between Windows Me and XP - on some Internet pages you can see an advantage of 1 to 3 seconds, which is very pleasing, especially in this day and age. Another new feature is the popular tabbed browsing, which allows the user to keep several pages in different tabs. Simply switching between these tabs increases overall browsing comfort. The user is now also alerted to dangerous downloads, for example, by information bars.
The new integration with the Media Player is also well done: If you click on an audio/video link, a small window opens in the left-hand bar of the Explorer, which plays the title or movie.
With MSN Messenger you have your friends on your computer
With Microsoft Network Messenger, you can make direct chat contact with people who have also set up this program. You then see the names of your friends in a clearly arranged list, double-click on the desired entry and write a message to the other person, which appears simultaneously on the other person's screen.
New speed record for Windows fanatics?
Microsoft promised true miracles in the area of Windows XP speed in advance. The operating system is supposed to Processor and the Working memory and work more effectively with it, as well as keeping the hard disk clean and therefore fast. Can the makers of Windows eXPerience deliver on this promise?
In comparison with Windows 9x/Me, XP is the clear winner in all speed disciplines. Significantly more programs can be loaded and you can still work with them without any problems. The improved memory management in particular brings a huge increase in performance in the gaming and high-end application sector. Currently, only Windows 2000 can keep up with this speed. Windows XP also performs very well in comparisons with its successor, although the overall performance under Windows Vista is slightly better. However, games fanatics are currently better served by Windows XP, as driver development is more advanced there.
However, users must also have the appropriate hardware to benefit from this advantage. Only from 256 Megabyte RAM is where Windows XP really starts to have fun. Machines with more than 384 MB are on the safe side and can make full use of the system. This is mainly due to the many new functions and the elaborate visuals, which are very demanding on processor and memory resources. The upper limit for RAM is 3 gigabytes for the 32-bit version, but there is no such limit for the 64-bit version.
The Windows XP boot process has been considerably shortened compared to Windows 2000. Many drivers and data are loaded at the same time and in one go, which reduces the boot time from approx. 1 minute to a good 30 seconds. However, the size of the RAM and the speed of the hard disk also play a role here. But XP speeds itself up even more by skillfully accelerating the startup process - all by itself: It arranges the important files that are needed during startup in faster locations on the hard disk so that the hard disk's read head does not have to search for a long time. On the two test computers, Windows XP starts up within 18 and 26 seconds respectively, which is a kind of record.
Microsoft has also added a new memory management function to Windows Whistler (the development name of XP), which is called Prefetcher. This function secretly remembers which programs the user often runs after starting Windows XP and loads them into the RAM during the startup process (booting). If required, these are then opened at lightning speed because reading from RAM is much faster than fetching the files from the Hard disk. You can test this yourself: After installing XP, you should start Windows Media Player once. You will notice that it takes a few seconds to load. If you have now loaded it approx. 15 times after each system start, it will open within 1 second at lightning speed. An intelligent feature for which Microsoft would actually deserve a Windows Tweaks Award - if it existed.
The stability of Windows XP - Nothing can shake it?
Windows XP takes a big step towards the perfect stability of Windows operating systems. Since the core (so-called kernel) is split into two parts, the user is always able to terminate an unstable program without taking the entire system with it.
If an application no longer responds, simply access the task manager (CTRL+ALT+DEL) and right-click to load the crashed program completely from memory. You can then continue working with Windows Whistler without any further complications. Even crashed games, which are quite hard on the hardware, can be completely removed in this way. However, anyone who believes that Windows XP will no longer crash is very much mistaken. In most cases, bad drivers or the hardware components are the main cause of a so-called blue screen or a freeze (when the entire system freezes). This means that you are largely dependent on the arbitrariness of the big companies and their driver quality.
In contrast to Windows 2000/NT/ME, the stability has become much better and more effective. You experience a crash much less frequently.
Conclusion: Is Windows XP the best operating system ever?
Despite Windows Vista, the tendency of many users is still towards XP, especially the "proven" argument is often brought into play here - Windows XP is significantly older than Vista and is already somewhat more mature thanks to 3 service packs. Ultimately, only the user himself can decide which operating system to use.
The new generation has made its debut with XP and finally promises a significant improvement over the previous versions.
In case you are not sure yet, I recommend the Screenshot collectionwhich already gives you a good impression of Windows XP.
On Windows Tweaks you will find time-saving tech guides for PC, software & Microsoft. For a stress-free digital everyday life. Already we have been "tweaking" Windows since 1998 and just won't stop!
