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Average Overall Rating:  349 Ratings,357 Reviews |
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| "It works and it's not too bad, but there are nasty problems" |
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By techforumz 2007-10-22 00:00:00 1 out of 2 found this reivew helpful |
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Well, what can I say it works fine, and lacks some things. But, when it gets messed up, boy does it get messed up! (Read full review at CNET)
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| Pros: compatible, stable |
| Cons: easily becomes unstable, activation is impossible, and security is a joke |
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| "very good os" |
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By asphyxiated_reverie 2007-07-26 00:00:00 1 out of 2 found this reivew helpful |
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windows is a very good os. windows is very popular so many people think its cool to be antimicrosoft but i think windows is wonderful. its compatible to every piece of hardware ive tried to put in it. it compatible with all the software i put on i (Read full review at CNET)
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| Pros: compatible to most hardware |
| Cons: viruses can be a problem |
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| "almost like home edition" |
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By ernestoambrocio 2007-06-29 00:00:00 1 out of 2 found this reivew helpful |
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it isnt worth buying (Read full review at CNET)
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| Pros: its ok compared to home edition |
| Cons: linux is way better |
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-- Pcauthority Expert, Pcauthority  1 out of 2 found this reivew helpful |
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| Best Operating System There's a vast, largely untapped amount of power on the desktop, and Windows 9x was never going to be the vehicle to allow this to be used efficiently both at home and at work. For the home user there is now multiuser capability ...
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| -- Ephotozine Expert, Ephotozine 1 out of 2 found this reivew helpful |
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| Windows XP is the latest operating system from software giant Microsoft, and is probably the most hyped product since the release of Windows 95. There is a wealth of detailed information on the Internet about the changes in Windows XP, so rather than repeating all that we'd suggest you go to the links provided at the end of this article. What we will focus on are issues more relevant to digital cameras and digital imaging, as many other sites only give this a cursory mention. Before we go into detail of the photography orientated features Windows XP provides, here's a brief overview of the general features: Uses a vastly improved graphical user interface It includes many security fixes and bug fixes from previous operating systems There is improved driver support (less drivers had to be installed on our test machines compared to previous Microsoft operating systems) It comes with Internet Explorer 6 which includes new features to simplify Web browsing, increase stability and help protect your privacy eTesting Labs Inc has found it to be 'overall the fastest version of the Windows operating system ever created for a wide range of desktop computing tasks' There are of course some potential drawbacks you should be aware of too: It is quite expensive at around 175 (85 Upgrade) for Home edition and 255 (165 Upgrade) for the Professional It has quite high hardware requirements on your PC, Microsoft recommend a minimum of 128Mb of memory, though we'd recommend at least double that if you are going to be doing digital imaging. At least at today's memory prices upgrading won't cost much Many devices haven't got compatible drivers yet (on the two machines we tested on there were no problems) As with any new Operating System it is likely there will be some unexpected bugs Some people are put off by the Microsoft Activation procedure Okay so there's a roundup of the advantages and drawbacks, Now let's look at the specific features Windows XP provides to those of us who use our PC's for digital imaging. Setup Firstly, the setup procedure is straightforward, and improved on the already easy to use routines of previous Microsoft operating systems. So anyone who's has installed one before should have no problems. We installed the Home version of XP, but for the purposes of this article they are identical. The main difference between Home XP and Professional XP is the latters additional benefits listed below: Increased security, including functionality to encrypt your files and folders to protect your business data Built in mobile support to allow you to work off-line or access your computer remotely Can support two processors instead of only one in Home XP It is designed to work with Microsoft Windows Servers and management solutions A good place to find more out about the differences between the editions is Microsoft's own site here . When the setup had finished we began investigating everyday use of XP's photographic features. Digital Cameras and Digital Imaging When you connect a camera to a PC these days, in the vast majority of cases you are using a USB cable. When XP detects the camera is attached it does the standard USB procedure of installing any drivers necessary. Some cameras didn't need drivers (E.g.. Olympus C-4040z) and others did (Canon G2). This procedure is straightforward and when finished the camera finds the pictures on the camera: and then opens the following dialog of options: These options are all self-explanatory and use similar user interfaces, but we feel they greatly improve the ease of use for those new to digital cameras and computers. An important factor in helping to increase the acceptance and widespread use of digital cameras. Having selected an option, in this case 'Copy pictures to a folder on my computer' you are presented with a choice of where to store images and what to call them. Then the following window is displayed: Here you can select the images you want to be copied, and rotate and view its properties. When you've done this you are presented with an informative display showing the current picture being transferred and progress indicators: When the images have finished transferring, you have the three option,s indicted below, all of which are self-explanatory. Publish to the web and order prints on-line go live on 25th October (Windows XP Launch) and we will be testing these soon. Leading photographic retailer Jessops, are the only UK-based company to offer this direct printing service, something that will greatly aid ease of use for many of us. Image viewing One of the main improvements Microsoft have made is the ease in which you can view images throughout your computer. In the old days it was quite tiresome having to locate a particular image from a myriad of badly named folders, on my computer anyway! In XP however the user interface has several features to make storing and finding images easier. For example, if you wonder what pictures are in a particularly bad named folder, you don't even need to go into it anymore, as images are shown in the folder icon: Also shown is a selection of tasks, shortcuts and details, all of which help to make navigating and working with your pictures easier. If you want to view an image in more detail, simply double click and it is loaded in Window XP's own viewer (shown below) or you can select an editing program to open it instead: In this viewer you can jump to previous and next pictures, select best fit or actual size, start a slide show, zoom in and out, rotate the image clockwise and anti-clockwise, delete, print, save, open for editing and lastly obtain help. This interface really makes viewing and sorting images a lot easier, and the rotate function is great for looking at photos taken in portrait format. Lastly, when in a standard windows explorer window you can change the way the pictures are shown. There are the standard types, of list, and details, and icons, and a faster thumbnail view, and all new filmstrip view. The last two are shown below in this animation: Other features E-mail wizard gives you the option to resize images or send them untouched, great for quickly reducing the size of big files Printing wizard automates the process, allowing you to set a batch of photos printing quickly and easily Easily display your images via screensaver, desktop or side show With the built in CD recording feature, backing up images to CD has never been easier Verdict Windows XP has a lot of other benefits besides the few we've mentioned here, the links below will help if you want to read more about it. From a digital imaging point of view, the changes are not massive but are still welcomed. Combine these changes with the rest of the advantages XP brings and many people will want to upgrade. Those of you still using Windows 95, 98 or Windows ME will benefit from the increased stability and speed, those using Windows 2000 will not see such a difference but will probably appreciate the added functionality and user interface. All users of any operating system other than XP should be impressed with the high level of usability that the graphical user interface provides. Many people will argue that they could do all this with third party shareware or freeware applications, and they'd be right. However not all users want to be downloading extra applications, worrying about trials expiring and learning to use new software. Inevitably some third party applications will be needed as unfortunately Microsoft have still not provided any decent image editing application. Yet overall we loved it, and we're very confident most other people will too. If you'd like to ask us anything about our experiences with XP, or discuss it with other ePHOTOzine readers, you're welcome to do so in our software forum . Links Microsoft's guide to which version of Windows XP you should use More information about Windows XP from Microsoft's tours and demos A list of independent Windows XP reviews from Microsoft's site Detailed review of Windows XP from PC Magazine Something wrong with this article? Click here to submit a report so we can fix it ...
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| -- Ephotozine Expert, Ephotozine 1 out of 2 found this reivew helpful |
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| Microsoft Windows XP Review ?? 25 Oct 2001 Windows XP is the latest operating system from software giant Microsoft, and is probably the most hyped product since the release of Windows 95. There is a wealth of detailed information on the I ...
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| -- CNET Expert, CNET 1 out of 2 found this reivew helpful |
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| After a buildup of Hollywood proportions, Microsoft released its final cut of Windows XP, promising that the "biggest release since Windows 95" would end the stability woes of Windows 95 and temper the unfriendly interface of Windows 2000. We found the first release of XP expensive and occasionally annoying--nagging screens and pop-up bubbles galore--and chafed at the new license restrictions. But XP Pro offers powerful Remote Assistance tools, administrative controls, and security, and it wraps up the best features of Windows 2000 in an easier-to-navigate package. It's a must-have upgrade from Windows 95/98, but even stolid NT/2000 admins should give the new order a try. Full review of Microsoft Windows XP - Professional After a buildup of Hollywood proportions, Microsoft released its final cut of Windows XP, promising that the "biggest release since Windows 95" would end the stability woes of Windows 95 and temper the unfriendly interface of Windows 2000. We found the first release of XP expensive and occasionally annoying--nagging screens and pop-up bubbles galore--and chafed at the new license restrictions. But XP Pro offers powerful Remote Assistance tools, administrative controls, and security, and it wraps up the best features of Windows 2000 in an easier-to-navigate package. It's a must-have upgrade from Windows 95/98, but even stolid NT/2000 admins should give the new order a try. This major upgrade at long last ends the distinction between the corporate (and more stable) NT/2000 Windows and the consumer-oriented Windows 95/98/Millennium. XP provides similar variations of the same OS for both home and business: XP Home and XP Professional editions. On the outside, XP looks radically different from any previous Windows version. It's spiffier, with both aesthetic and functional redesigns, and features login screens for home and corporate systems alike--something many Windows 95/98 users have never seen. Like any radical overhaul, XP takes some getting used to--we often lost patience with it--but, after time, it's hard not to like the new design. While its new, hand-holding "task-oriented" design may annoy experienced users, Microsoft nevertheless managed to create an OS that works equally well for novices, corporate users, and enthusiasts. Despite hefty system requirements (a Pentium II-300 or faster, 128MB of RAM, and 1.5GB of free disk space), onerous product activation, and some not-so-obvious touting of Microsoft's business partners, you'll want to consider an upgrade--if not immediately, certainly the next time you buy a PC. Read more of the review Product activation and interface Internet and networking Home vs. Professional Digital media Hardware and software compatibility CNET Labs tests Windows XP Screenshot of Microsoft Windows XP - Professional The new XP Start menu is where all the action begins, and it'll be your first glimpse at the major changes in XP. By default, it's the only place you'll find My Computer, My Documents, and My Network Places (formerly known as Network Neighborhood). But you can always drag items you like onto the now barren Desktop and make shortcuts, as we did here. ...
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| -- Networkitweek Expert, Networkitweek 1 out of 2 found this reivew helpful |
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| Microsoft Windows XP The forthcoming version of Windows is not just an upgrade, it paves the way for a whole new way of doing things. Manufacturer: Microsoft Paul Wardley, What PC? , 12 Aug 2001 Windowsxp Windows is not a single product, it's a family. Some of its older members are now regarded only with nostalgic affection but there are several versions of Windows still in regular use. In fact, there's a whole army of people who have stuck to Windows 98 and NT rather than switching to the Windows Me and 2000 replacements. So why do we need yet another version of the operating system? We can tell you why, but first we should come clean that Windows XP is not yet in the shops. This is a sneak preview based on Professional Beta 2, which is called 'Professional' because of its advanced security and network management tools, and 'Beta 2' because it's the second version released for testing. When XP goes on sale later this year there will be Professional and Home versions offering the same core set of features and facilities. Microsoft and its hardware and software partners will be able to develop standardised components and programs suitable for home or business use instead of having to develop separate products for the Windows NT/2000 business market and the Windows 98/Me home market. The big-name computer manufacturers will race to offer XP as soon as it is available, and buyers will welcome it, but users who aren't after a new computer might well find the expense and potential problems of upgrading to XP not worth the marginal benefits. A new approach Not that XP isn't impressive. After installing it as an upgrade to Windows 98 we were bowled over by its new features and fresh approach. Familiar friends like the Start button are there, but instead of leading to dull lists of shortcuts it offers you the features you are most likely to need and the programs you use most often. If you don't like the new Start menu you can customise it, just as you can customise almost everything else in XP, but don't tamper too much or you'll miss out on the many enhancements that depend on the browser-like interface, such as being able to preview graphics files inside any folder. Not only can you view pictures in the form of a slideshow, you can also zoom in on a single image and perform simple editing tasks before printing, faxing or publishing your pictures to the web. You can copy music from an audio CD and store it on a hard disk in WAV or MP3 format, and you no longer need to install external fax and Zip (compression) programs. Faxing is as easy as ordinary printing and you can reduce file sizes by dragging files into XP compressed folders. Images from scanners and digital cameras can be piped straight into programs running on XP without downloading the pictures first, and the contents of a digital camera can be browsed as if the camera were a hard disk. Once files have been stored in a folder they're a breeze to work with because when you highlight them, you're offered a set of actions suitable for that file type. CD recordings can be made without the need for additional software. Pictures, music and data files are prepared for storage on CD-R or CD-RW discs by copying them to a virtual drive. When you're ready these can be burnt onto a CD or you can save them to be burned in the future. It's a roundabout procedure but it works well in practice. So too does the System Restore facility, which is designed to fix Windows glitches. By referring to a series of system snapshots it can turn back the clock to a time when the system was working properly. DirectX and Media Player have both been updated to version 8. The new DirectX makes it possible to play the sort of games that were previously unthinkable on Windows NT/2000 (which underlies XP), while Media Player provides neat features like DVD movie playback with chapter and special feature selection (though only on PCs with an MPEG2 decoder). Tools to create MP3 files and download them to portable players are also provided. Box of tricks Games and multimedia programs that balk at XP can be tricked into thinking they're running on an earlier version of Windows by setting a compatibility mode. This is as simple as right-clicking on a program and changing its properties. However, there's no guarantee that every program will run on XP, and you might have problems coaxing older hardware to work. We had problems with an internal modem trying to set itself up as a COM port. If you can get hold of Windows 2000 drivers for your hardware you should be okay, but older NT drivers won't necessarily work. Microsoft has not yet declared the full system requirements for XP but a Pentium III processor and 64Mb of Ram have been mentioned. We'd suggest 128Mb of Ram and a 400Mhz processor as the bare minimum. If this doesn't put you off XP the activation process might. When you install it you have to activate it by making a modem connection to Microsoft. XP generates a unique ID for your PC by combining its product code with details of the hardware inside your machine. This prevents the same CD being used to install XP on another machine and thus protects Microsoft against software pirates, but there's the drawback that if you make significant changes to the hardware in your PC then XP might not recognise it. You can't dodge the activation process by claiming you haven't got a modem. If you don't carry out a manual activation within 30 days XP stops working. Microsoft says it will be able to cope with requests for reactivation where necessary but when your computer's on the blink and you're up at 3am trying to fix it, you don't want to be chasing Microsoft for a reactivation code. These worries aside, there is much to look forward to. For example, one XP machine can control another over the phone and two PCs on a home network can share a single internet connection. A family of users can share one machine and keep all their work private, with switching between users being almost instantaneous. These features, allied to Microsoft's immense marketing clout and XP's compatibility with the latest types of hardware (including FireWire peripherals and DVDRom drives), mean that the PC of the future will develop in parallel with XP, but until you buy into the new technology there's no compelling reason to abandon the version of Windows you're using right now. FEATURES: NT/Windows 2000 core code Tools for recording music and data CDs Advanced file management and compression Excellent digital imaging handling Self-repair and system rollback features Remote help facility Integrated DVD playback Web publishing and faxing Simplified home networking. Price: To be advised. Contact: Microsoft 0845 700 2000 www.microsoft.com/windowsxp Permalink Comments Forward Print digg del.icio.us reddit! 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| Microsoft MS Windows XP Professional Complete package |
| $114.91 - $165.00 |
| from 5 stores |
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