Windows
XP Update
The
XP has been heralded as the most revolutionary piece of software since
Windows 95, taking the computer industry by storm since its release
last week.
Meet Windows
XP Home and Professional.
Within
the week of its release, Windows XP has already gained critical acclaim.
But despite the much-anticipated media hype and extravagant advertising
expenses, many users will overlook the vast improvements Windows XP
has made over its operating system predecessors including Windows 98,
and the recent, Windows 2000. Microsoft’s new product solves problems
that many users have often complained about – stability and performance.
Microsoft also built upon many of the features that were in Windows
Millennium Edition such as video editing and video support in instant
messaging in an attempt to cater to both the home and business user.
An obvious
upgrade to the operating system is XP’s slick new-user interface
called Luna, which bears a striking resemblance to the new Mac OS X
interface. The days of a cluttered desktop abound with icons has gone
away, except for the Recycle Bin and neat menu shadowing effects gives
XP a nice overall polished look, actually something similar looking
to a Fisher Price playground. If you’re not used to the new look,
you always have the option to change the desktop “Theme” or
revert back to the “classic” style that many Windows users
should be familiar with. Additional Themes are available on separate
CD called the Microsoft Plus! Pack, which gives many digital-media enhancements
that include a speech recognition tool, additional skins for Widows
Media Player, a CD Labeling program and a utility that converts MP3s
to Windows Media Audio (WMA) format. Although useful, many critics feel
that additional features on the Plus! CD don’t warrant such a hefty
price tag.
Microsoft
has succeeded in adding many useful features to the operating system
in a venture to lure many aspiring audio/video enthusiasts and ease
installation of home networks. Some of these features include the new
Windows Media Player version 8.0, which now supports DVD playback and
CD-Burning at your CD-Writers maximum speed, Microsoft Movie Maker which
allows you limited video editing, Internet Connection Firewall and Home
Networking.
So is Windows
XP simply Windows 2000 with a Windows ME facelift? More or less. What
makes Windows XP so revolutionary is its progression into a very well
rounded, stable and reliable operating system. Many features that would
not be initially evident is the performance enhancements in much faster
application load times, system bootups and almost zero reboots due to
system crashes. Windows Self-Tuning Features included hard disk optimization
during times of user inactivity – thereby speeding access to most
frequently used files and programs. Files and applications are allocated
into segments on the hard drive that are closer together, insuring reduced
head activity and disk thrashing. Microsoft wanted to build on the success
of Windows 2000 in terms of improving the NT kernel. If a program failed
to load or crashed, simply summon the Windows Task Manager app, stop
and restart the service or application. All without the need of a full
system reboot!
Users of
more legacy systems may find themselves hard pressed to upgrade to this
operating system because of the increased demands in the hardware, especially
if you plan on installing the Microsoft Plus! Pack, which requires a
750MHz processor. Installation of new components have never been easier
because of Microsoft’s “Dynamic Update” feature that
will automatically search the Internet if the driver is not present
in the Hardware Wizard driver database. Installation of Windows XP is
simple and involves almost no user intervention; that’s not to
say that Windows XP can function optimally without the latest driver
updates from hardware manufactures.
EVGA.com
has gone to great lengths to insure that installation of upgrades are
made simple and easy, continuing the excellence from Windows 95, 98,
ME, NT 4.0, 2000 and now into Windows XP. The transition into a newer
operating system, legacy or brand new, may not be as easy as promised
by Microsoft. EVGA.com has answered that task by checking the system
environment for the necessary chipset drivers. If they’re present,
our patent-pending driver manager, Automatic Driver Management (ADM),
will check for the latest version to guarantee full system compatibility,
performance and stability. Windows XP and EVGA.com will continue to
work together in making sure you avoid any troubleshooting hassles and
go about your work or play.
Speaking of play, Microsoft is offering a Windows Theme from the much
anticipated upcoming XBOX game, Halo. You can download this theme after
going through this short quiz:
http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWSXP/expertzone/quiz/default.asp
