Windows XP, the successor to Windows 2000 and prior to Windows Vista, prioritizes users’ needs by introducing a system that is as functional at home as it is in the workplace. Its low hardware requirements and stable nature make it a great option for individuals on a budget.
XP remained popular even after Microsoft discontinued mainstream support in April 2009 and extended security support in 2014. However, this means systems running XP are vulnerable to cyber threats.
Features
Many of the features of windows xp are intended to make it easier for more than one person to use a computer. Each user can have a different computer account, which tracks individual settings and documents. This allows people to use the same computer without affecting each other’s work or personal files. Windows XP also lets you switch users without restarting the computer (click Start, then click Switch User or Log Off).
Another useful feature is protected memory, which prevents programs from “poisoning the well” that other applications share. This has helped improve stability so that you can go weeks without having to restart your computer. Individual programs still crash now and then, but they no longer take down the entire system.
Other enhancements include faster performance and better reliability for roaming user profiles. Enhanced support for LCD-TFT monitors includes subpixel rendering for text clarity, and new Shell powertoys and accessories let you customize the appearance of your operating system.
Compatibility
Microsoft’s program compatibility features help you run applications designed for previous versions of Windows, such as those based on Windows NT or earlier. These include 32-bit programs that were previously destined for Windows 9x or older and 16-bit software that was designed for MS-DOS and earlier operating systems.
Some users, especially those with a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude, prefer to stick with XP. However, upgrading to a new operating system can have its costs and requires a learning curve. If you’re one of these people, you can use a virtual machine to continue running your old programs on XP, but the program compatibility settings offered by Windows don’t resolve hardware problems, such as those caused by older MIDI devices and other expansion cards. Fortunately, you can manually adjust program compatibility in XP by right-clicking an application’s shortcut and selecting Properties. The Compatibility page has several options that may help — for example, the ‘Compatible timer hardware emulation’ setting can help resolve issues with some programs.
Security
XP has a number of security features. These include a new Internet Explorer feature that warns users when a webpage contains active content that could access the user’s computer. This can help avoid exposing sensitive information.
Microsoft also added a Logical Prefetcher, which tracks frequently-accessed files and proactively fetches the necessary memory pages from disk to reduce boot times. It also allows a password reset disk to be generated, which can be used if the user forgets their password or an unauthorized individual attempts to change it with malicious intent.
Other security enhancements in XP include the ability to mount NTFS read-only volumes and the addition of a kernel page write protection limit that prevents applications from writing data into protected memory. It also has improved support for redirected folders so that files can be accessed offline, and it lets the user disable programmatic file associations using the Open With dialog box or File Types tab.
Maintenance
As the successor to Windows 95, XP brought with it many improvements that seemed standard at the time. These included a system to monitor shutdown reasons, which allows administrators to document shutdown causes and help determine why the computer is crashing or hanging.
Another maintenance feature is Device Driver Rollback, which automatically uninstalls a current driver and restores the previous one should an update cause a problem. This is something we still use today, and it is a good example of the “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality that Microsoft was trying to promote with XP.
The product activation feature, which is a form of digital rights management technology, is used to enforce the terms of the license agreement and prevent software piracy by requiring users to activate their copy of Windows. It also makes it possible to run a single version of Windows on multiple computers, eliminating the need for multiple installation DVDs.