XP stands for “eXperience,” and it offered an easier-to-use interface than previous versions of Windows. It also prioritized users’ needs in a way that no other operating system had before.
Despite Microsoft’s decision to discontinue support in 2014, many businesses still use XP systems because of its low cost and high performance standards.
Features
Unlike previous versions, which used to display a blue screen of death when the system encountered errors, Windows XP uses a small popup that gathers information about the error and sends it to Microsoft engineers. XP is available in multiple editions for different computing environments and hardware, including home and business desktop computers, laptops and Tablet PCs. Two 64-bit versions are also available for Itanium and AMD64 processors.
XP is the first version of Microsoft’s operating system to use product activation, a form of digital rights management designed to reduce software piracy by assigning each installation with a unique identification code that prevents the computer from booting without contacting the licensing server. It also includes improvements to the security permissions user interface and a new technology called ClearType that provides enhanced font rendering for liquid crystal displays.
XP adds support for simultaneous multithreading, a feature that lets a processor handle more than one data thread at once. It also lifts the 470-MB limit for paged pool sizes, allowing applications to create mapped views of a file that are dynamically reusable based on memory usage.
Installation
Once you have your Windows XP CD in the drive and your computer is rebooting (It varies from PC to PC which key combo will get into the BIOS setup) press whatever key is needed to start the installation process. It will take some time for XP to place the file system on your hard disk. While this is happening it will load the drivers for all of your hardware. If your hardware doesn’t have working XP drivers try visiting the manufacturers website to download a driver.
Once the file system is on your hard disk it will format the current partition (This can take a while depending on the size of the partition/HDD) then start loading the XP install files.
After this a screen will come up asking for your Product key. This is an attempt to curb software piracy. Enter the 25 character key and click Next. The program will then continue the installation.
Maintenance
Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP with security updates on April 8, 2014. Any new vulnerabilities discovered since then have not been addressed by Microsoft, leaving systems running XP at increased risk.
Several maintenance tools are built into the OS, including Disk Cleanup, which deletes temporary files and recycle bin contents, and Autorun, which displays all of the programs installed on your computer and allows you to select which ones to run at startup. You can also set a scheduled task to automatically run these tools on a regular basis.
The Windows XP Professional edition has additional features that enable it to function in embedded hardware, such as digital television, DVD players and point-of-sale terminals. Its ability to be adapted for use with such devices allowed enterprises and organizations to build a customized version of the operating system that prioritized their particular needs. It also provided a consistent look and feel to all devices running the software, regardless of their original equipment manufacturer.
Security
Since Microsoft ended support for Windows XP in April, computers running the operating system have been more vulnerable to hackers. It is highly recommended that organizations move to a newer, supported operating system so that they can receive regular security updates that can patch vulnerabilities before they are exploited by malware. If this is not possible, steps can be taken to mitigate the vulnerability of XP systems.
For example, IT administrators can use modern whitelisting software sold by vendors such as Bit9 to prevent unauthorized code from executing on XP systems. This can be done on both physical and virtual workstations and servers.
Using a granular IPSEC filter on networked XP systems can also limit access to systems outside the corporate firewall, as well as help minimize unauthorized software installation and unauthorized file transfers. In addition, it can help reduce the risk of a compromised computer being used as a stepping stone to gain access to internal systems.