Windows XP Operating System Comparisons and Recommendation
Microsoft introduced their new windows operating system to great acclaim
and lots of hoopla back in October. Since then we have had some experience
with it and are ready to make some recommendations for deploying Windows XP.
To find out more about Windows XP visit
Microsoft's Windows XP's home page.
Choose Home Vs. Professional
There are two versions available for new systems
The only difference is that the Local Area Networking features are
included in Windows XP Professional version only. What does this mean? Well,
if you try to hook a computer with Windows XP Home version to a network at
your office or home office it won’t work if you are using domain controlled
server. On the other hand, there is no problem with
customers connecting via VPN from homes to their office computer network
with the Home edition.
Upgrading to Windows XP
We have never recommended the use of operating system upgrades and until
we hear more about others experiences our recommendation is to keep the
operating system you’ve got unless it is broke. If you are thinking about
upgrading an existing Windows 98 or Windows 98SE to XP please be very
careful. See the
Windows Upgrade Advisor to check your system hardware and
software to make sure you know what you are getting into first. It includes
a chart showing which operating systems can be upgraded as well as a
download program (50MB) that can help you determine if your hardware and
software is compatible.
This is what Microsoft themselves say about hardware compatibility with
pre existing systems. "Windows XP is compatible with the majority of
computer systems released in the past two years. In addition, Windows XP
supports 12,000 devices (before any updates), including over 5,900 new
devices released since the launch of Windows 2000. There are, however, a
great many devices, and many more are being released all the time. In
balance, Windows XP offers good device compatibility, but individual user
experiences will vary depending on the different kinds of devices."
As you see, it may not be as simple as you think. In the long run you may
actually save time by backing up your data and doing a full install of
Windows XP, reinstall all applications and then restore your data.
More information about upgrading and hardware compatibility
issues.
New systems
If you are purchasing a new system for office or home use I still
recommend Windows 2000 Pro. As of this writing (Dec 26, 2001) Windows XP has
only been on the market for two months. All that I have heard about XP has
been positive but I sure would like to wait for someone else to get the bugs
out. I’ll feel more comfortable when there is an official service release.
The patch for security problems doesn’t count as a service release as far as
I am concerned.
New Systems with Windows XP are available at our
Dell Small Business
. Be careful to
order the Professional version instead of the Home version if you plan on
connecting to networks using domain controllers.
Comments Please
This is not meant to be an exhaustive operating system comparisons for
Windows XP but rather recommendations for our customers. If you have
comments or story to share please email them the
support department. |
