It has a bright new interface, it's more robust and more stable than any previous consumer edition of Windows. In some respects, this is the most eagerly awaited new operating system since Windows 95. That's because this is the first consumer version of Windows built around the NT kernel. Nonetheless, I am encouraging users to be cautious.

First, it requires some horsepower to run this operating system. Here are the basic requirements as posted at the Microsoft web site:

PC with 300-MHz or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system)
Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
128 MB of RAM or higher recommended (64MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)
1.5 GB of available hard disk space*
Super VGA (800 X 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Keyboard
Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device


I don't recommend anything less than a 450MHz processor, 128MB of ram will do but 256MB would be better. You can give your system a little boost, especially at lower processor clock speeds by doing the following. Once XP is installed, open Control Panel, go to System, go to the "Advanced" tab and click settings in the "Performance" section. Select "Adjust for best performance" and click apply and ok.

This will turn off all the eye candy, giving your system the look and feel of the Windows 9x systems you've used and a little less drain on your processor and memory. One other point about eye candy, the new interface is attractive but after awhile, I find if a bit of a strain on the eyes and I find myself turning it off for that reason but this is strictly a personal preference. For Windows 2000 users, aside from the interface, there's not much new. This is a minor upgrade to Windows 2000 and most such users might be better off waiting for the next Windows 2000 Service Pack.

For Windows 9x users, 95, 98, 98SE and Millennium, Windows XP is a radical departure. Not only is the interface radically changed but the underpinnings of the operating system are vastly different from earlier consumer versions of Windows. In some respects, Windows XP is a bigger jump than Windows 3.1 to Windows 95.

In fact, if you are still running Windows 95, there is no upgrade path to XP. If you are currently running Windows 95, you can only install the full version of XP on an empty partition or hard drive because neither the full or upgrade version of Windows XP will upgrade Windows 95. This was by design as the assumption is that systems running Windows 95, first, won't have the horsepower to run Windows XP and second, are more likely to be running applications or hardware that are incompatible with XP.

As is always the case with a new operating system, compatibility is a major concern and, in the case of XP, I can't stress the following enough. New operating systems are largely designed for new machines and at no time has this been more the case than with Windows XP.

As strong, stable and robust as this system is and with the lengths to which Microsoft has gone to ensure compatibility with the widest range of software and hardware, you are likely to find far more compatibility issues with Windows XP than with any previous version of Windows to which you've upgraded or clean installed in the past.

For example, if you have a scanner with one touch capability and/or with a software bundle with which you are comfortable, it is likely that functionality and software bundle will be lost to you. Your scanner may appear on the Hardware compatibility list, ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/services/whql/hcl/WinXPHCLx86.txt but that only means that the scanner will function with XP and for a lot of scanners that means you will have to use it with XP's Scanners and Cameras applet as opposed to your software bundle.

It is important to remember, drivers are supplied by the hardware manufacturer, even those drivers supplied with Windows XP. Hence, not only should you check the hardware compatibility list above but check with the hardware manufacturer to see if they are going to support your device in Windows XP. Also, understand that drivers supplied with any operating system often provide only basic functionality.

Hence, as stated above, your scanner's one touch features may be lost to you, at least initially until the device manufacturer has updated their drivers and/or software bundle. Again, this is to ensure the widest out of box compatibility possible as additional features can often cause conflicts and take longer for the manufacturer's to provide, usually not coming until after the new operating system is released.

Don't assume because something works with Windows 2000, 98 or ME that it will work with XP. Don't assume drivers from any of those systems will provide you with functionality in XP or do so without causing other issues. If your graphics card or soundcard come with a special software bundle, stick with the default XP drivers and wait for the device manufacturer to supply XP compatible software rather than using the bundle that came with the device.

This may well be my biggest caveat, if you use Roxio's (Adaptec's) Direct CD and/or Take Two, both are currently incompatible with Windows XP. If you are upgrading it is recommended you remove them or the entire Easy CD Creator application before doing the upgrade and then do a custom install of Easy CD Creator and deselect Direct CD and Take Two. If you do a clean install of Windows XP, follow the above advice for installation of Easy CD Creator.

This is all the more important for those of you who use Direct CD for backup by dragging and dropping files to a CD-R or RW disk. The CD writing component of Windows XP will not read or write disks formatted using Direct CD. Roxio is working to fix the Direct CD issue but if this aspect is important to you, you should wait until Roxio provides updated software.

The only current Workaround is to dual boot Windows XP with a Windows system with which Direct CD is compatible. You can boot into that system and drag and drop your files to and from CD on that setup. If you have two computers and they are networked, you could move the files to the other computer as long as it isn't running XP and use Direct CD on that machine until the issue is fixed.

By the way, if you use the XP dual boot feature as opposed to third party software, your current operating system will be on the "C" drive and XP will be further down in the alphabet and both drives will be visible in Explorer. This is disconcerting at first but quite convenient when you get used to it.

My second major caveat concerns Product Activation. Activation is simple and easy, it's a seamless part of setup or can be done after installation; you have 30 days from date of install to activate. Product Activation does not send your setup information to Microsoft. It sends a hash, a code it makes specific to your setup. If enough changes on your setup, that hash changes and instead of a seamless activation over the Internet you might have to make a phone call to an operator at Microsoft. It does mean, if you reformat, you will have to reactivate but, again, it is a seamless part of setup, can be done over the Internet and, unless there's been a major change to your hardware, will not require a call to an operator. There's no limit on the number of times you can activate the same setup.

While activation is easy and seamless, it mates Windows XP to your PC. If you are planning on purchasing another PC in six months or a year, there's no guarantee Microsoft will activate it on a new computer. For many, this won't be an issue. Most new computers come with an operating system already installed and it's safe to assume Windows XP will be on that new computer. However, if you are buying with the idea you'll already have the operating system for your next computer and plan to install it on your current system in the mean time, you would be well advised to wait.

The biggest drawback is not knowing what changes will require a call to a live operator as well as having to convince someone you are within the parameters of your license agreement. Once Windows XP is launched at retail, the activation centers will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can find more of my thoughts about "Windows Product Activation" in my column, The Product Activation Dilemma.

By the way, if you use Cookie Pal, once you've installed it you will need to make an adjustment to the cookie settings in Internet Explorer. Open IE, go to "Tools" and select "Internet Options." Go to the "Privacy" tab and click the "Advanced" button. Select "Override automatic cookie handling" and then select "Prompt" for both "First Party" and "Third Party" cookies. If you do an upgrade install, be sure to check this area as the above settings are necessary in order for "Cookie Pal" to work properly in Windows XP.

While most basic applications will work fine in Windows XP most of your utilities will need to be updated or replaced. Anti-virus, disk scanners and disk defragmenters and backup; any such tools will probably need to be updated or replaced. Check the manufacturer's web sites for information about compatibility with Windows XP.

As to the procedures you should follow, how to install, etc. I'll leave most of that to the computer magazines and various books on the subject. While I usually recommend a clean install of an operating system, with Windows XP, I recommend you do an upgrade, at least the first time you install.

First, XP changes some of the default file locations, if you are using backup software and do a restore, it's possible your information won't go precisely where it belongs and until you become familiar with XP you won't know those locations. Second, an upgrade tends to ensure greater compatibility. Also, if you do an upgrade, there's an option during setup to check compatibility. Use it! That way you can remove software with which there might be an issue and have some idea of any hardware problems.

Understand however, just because it doesn't show up on the list of potential problems doesn't mean you won't have issues. As is the case with any upgrade, there may be various components you need to remove and reinstall once setup is complete. Files or drivers can become corrupt in the installation of any new operating system and this is especially true of an upgrade.

Something new has been added to the installation procedure. The ability to find any new patches or updates that may have been added since Windows XP was released. If you accept this option, setup goes online before installation to download the latest updates and then continues with the installation. This only happens if you begin the install from within your current Windows setup.

Also, if you are interested in doing a clean install, beginning your installation from within your current Windows setup does not prevent a clean install. If you select the option to do a clean install (New Installation) from within Windows, setup will dialup and go online, download the updates then reboot your system. You will then be taken to a screen showing your current partitions and asked to select one for installation. If you've created free space or don't see the partition to which you wish to install Windows XP, hit "Esc" on your keyboard and you will see a fuller representation with other options.

From within Windows XP setup, you can create, delete and format partitions. If you opt for a clean install but begin from within your current operating system, Windows XP setup will automatically create a dual boot menu, allowing you to boot into either operating system.

If you decide to do a completely clean install to a freshly formatted hard drive, you can boot from the Windows XP CD as long as you have set your system's boot sequence in the system bios to check the CD-ROM drive first. Many systems today have that set by default but if not, it's relatively simple to set up. If you are wary of doing so, you can always start a clean install from within your previous setup and if you don't want it on your hard drive, you can delete that partition during setup and you won't have to boot from the CD.

A new operating system is a bit of an adventure but there are a few caveats. Some I've listed above, other's you can find in my column, To Buy or Not To Buy.

If you decide to "buy," be sure you are well backed up and/or have created an image of your old setup. It will make things much easier if you run into problems you can't solve and make for a much quicker and smoother recovery. Do your homework, check the magazines and books about XP before you buy, it will serve you well and prepare you for a new "eXPerience."