What is Windows XP and what will it do for my business? That is the question on everyone's mind as we see television ads, printed ads, in-store demonstrations, and block parties taking entire city blocks. It seems as if we are being bombarded with advertising from Microsoft singing the praises for Windows XP. Is this hype or fact? This article will answer some of the common questions associated with Windows XP.
Microsoft is spending $250 MILLION dollars to convince you to purchase the latest version of their operating system (OS) Windows XP. But how will it really affect your company operations and how will it help businesses? How much does it cost? When should I install it? These questions are on every business owners mind. Here are my opinions...
What is Windows XP?
Windows XP is an operating system. It is the first piece of software your computer uses when it starts up. It provides the working environment (the look and feel) for all other programs to use. Windows XP is a combination of Windows 98 and Windows NT/2000. It provides all of the access to multimedia and "fun" stuff that Windows 98 did, plus all of the stability and security of Windows NT/2000. No longer do you have to choose between platforms, you now get everything in a single package. Microsoft spent enormous amounts of time refining the "feel" to the operating system. Users will find a much more intuitive and visually appealing experience from this newest version of Windows. Sound, graphics, visual layout are all enhanced in this latest version. Windows XP will actually "learn" how you work and adjust itself according to your needs. Users will also appreciate the fact that Windows XP is written using NT code. This provides a more stable working environment, and will prevent your computer from unexpected crashes while you work. Security is also enhanced through NT — users can lock down files and set options to limit certain users or employees to the tasks they can perform, such as installing unwanted software. Additionally, Windows XP works with the latest processors, video cards, scanners, and digital cameras. No longer do users need to search for driver disks — just plug it in and work! Lastly, additional tools such as CD burning software, remote help software, MP3 players, compression software, and computer optimization are included with Windows XP.
How much does Windows XP cost?
$169.00 XP Professional — With new PC from Excalibur Technology
$299.00 XP Professional — Retail Version
$199.00 XP Professional — Upgrade Version
$199.00 XP Home — Retail Version
$ 99.00 XP Home — Upgrade Version
What are the minimum hardware requirements to run Windows XP?
Here are our suggestions for running Windows XP efficiently. These are NOT the requirements published by Microsoft. - Pentium 4 (or a Pentium III 600 MHz or faster)
- 256 Megabytes of RAM
- Sound Card (XP has a number of audio alerts built into it)
- 20 Gigabyte Hard Drive
- AGP Video Card with 16 Meg of RAM or better. 3D acceleration recommended.
Does my business NEED Windows XP?
The answer to this question is tricky and depends on your current work environment. If you are running machines that do not meet our above recommended specifications, do not upgrade. If you are purchasing new PC's make sure they fit the above recommendations and buy them with XP installed. If you are running all Windows 95/98 systems, upgrade them all at once — do not mix the environments. If you are running Windows NT/2000 you can either upgrade all of the systems or run in a mixed environment. It will be most beneficial for your users to have a standardized system throughout your office — this will also reduce your support costs.
Home or Professional version?
We suggest purchasing only the Professional version of XP. The Home version cannot be connected to a domain (computer network). This might limit your ability to use your home machine in an office environment should the need arise.
Will it work with my current software?
XP will work with most commercially available software. Microsoft has done extensive testing and research to help ensure maximum compatibility. However, before upgrading your entire firm to XP, we suggest testing your current hardware and software to make sure they are fully compatible. This will eliminate any surprise support issues.
To Upgrade or not to Upgrade?
We suggest NOT upgrading from your current operating system. In the past this has caused too many problems simply based on the number of changes that are involved when moving from one OS to another. Even if your upgrade seems to work immediately, you can experience unusual problems down the road. We suggest backing up all of your data, reformatting the PC, installing the new Windows XP OS, reinstalling your applications, and then restoring your data from the backup. This will provide you with a much more reliable PC and ensure that your software will work to its fullest potential. If you're tired of crashes, unusual error messages, and lock-ups from your version of Windows 95/98/NT, then XP might be the ideal choice for you.
Another reason to upgrade will be the end of support for the older versions of Windows. Hardware and software manufacturers will begin to only support Windows XP for their new products. (It becomes too costly for them to support 6 different versions of Windows.) Eventually, if you want to use new products, you must have XP installed on your PC.
Is there a learning curve?
For users of Windows 2000, Windows XP should be fairly simple to use. Users of Windows 95/98/NT will probably need to take a training class, have someone available in their office that has XP knowledge, or have a support company that can setup the new OS and answer questions users may have.
Registration Woes
Windows XP has the Product Registration requirement built into the system. This means that before 30 days are over, you must either register with Microsoft via the Internet or telephone. They do not require any customer information to be sent to them, only the product key from the Windows XP CD-ROM and a numerical code generated to match your specific computer system. Once your product key is registered to your PC, it cannot be used on any other computer. This means that you MUST purchase a copy of Windows XP for each machine you are going to use it on. Companies that copy software throughout their office will no longer be able to do this quite so easily.
Bottom Line
Windows XP is a FANTASTIC operating system. It will provide users with a stable, pleasing, and efficient operating environment. With the proper hardware, installation, and training, users will find that Windows XP is the best version of Windows yet. The intuitive interface and automatic configuration options will have users running in no time at all.
As always, please call our office with any questions or to see if Windows XP fits your needs. We are happy to provide information specific to your business needs. We offer training classes for all operating systems, and can provide on-site technicians to handle your upgrades and conversions.
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