Windows XP is one of Microsoft’s most popular operating systems. Its success showed the company was shifting to a policy of prioritising users’ needs, after previous versions were criticised for their complexity.
However, users of XP should take several precautions. Without continued support from Microsoft, XP systems are vulnerable to cyber threats.
Features
The XP interface is more colorful and lively than its predecessors. The taskbar and window borders are a shimmering blue; icons have a shadowed look; and tiny animations liven up the desktop.
It also includes support for a variety of different USB and IEEE 1394 devices such as digital cameras, scanners and printers, improved support for digital video recorders, and an advanced media player. Windows XP also has improved support for object tree file formats such as TIFF, which allows secondary files associated with a parent file to be grouped together and transferred concurrently.
It also includes features to enhance the tablet experience, such as support for pen-sensitive screens and portrait-oriented displays in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, speech recognition, text dictation, handwriting recognition and several applications, extras and powertoys. It also offers a more careful driver management feature which prevents incompatible drivers from installing and enables the user to roll back to a previously installed driver if an error occurs.
Requirements
As you can see in the picture, once the install is complete, a window will pop up asking for the language and keyboard style that you wish to use. Once you make that selection, press the next button.
In addition to the new interface, XP also introduced features that would help it become more user friendly. For example, the software would now automatically send error information to Microsoft so that they could fix any problems. This meant that the infamous “blue screen of death” would no longer appear when an error occurred.
Another important feature of XP was that it could be used in a dual boot configuration. This allowed users to choose between using XP or a more advanced version of Windows. This was especially helpful for software developers who needed to test their programs on a variety of hardware platforms. It also prevented them from having to purchase a new computer just so that they could install the latest version of Windows.
Installation
The installation process begins when you insert the Windows XP CD into an open drive. It checks your computer’s hardware configuration, installs mass storage drivers (if needed), and then shows you the Welcome to Setup screen.
Watch for the “Press any key to boot CD” message, which will appear on the screen for a few seconds. Once it does, the graphical phase of setup starts.
In the next screen, setup asks you to choose a partition or unallocated space where you want Windows XP installed. It also checks your hard disk for adequate space and errors.
Setup will then format your hard drive and copy files to it. Depending on the size of your hard disk and your computer’s speed, this may take several minutes. Once the formatting is complete, setup will display a screen asking you to enter the names of users who will use the computer. The number of users you enter here is the maximum amount that will be able to use the computer after installation is completed.
Troubleshooting
There are many things that can cause configuration problems in windows xp, from software installations to registry changes. One of the first troubleshooting steps should be to use System Restore, which can take your computer back to a time before the problem occurred.
Another common troubleshooting step is to check for hardware conflicts in the Device Manager. Some errors in windows xp, such as error code 12, can indicate that two hardware devices are assigned overlapping resources, such as IRQs or DMAs. Disabling the conflicting device will usually fix this type of problem.
The Last Known Good Configuration feature of Windows XP can also be useful in resolving some configuration issues. It’s a method of rolling back your computer to a state that worked correctly, and it can help in situations such as when you can’t start the display driver or a certain application. Windows XP is fairly touchy about specific hardware configurations. If your motherboard has a flaw, for example, or your memory is not the same rated speed, it can prevent normal windows xp from loading.