Windows XP: Good or Bad?

I think Windows XP looks awesome with so many new features and a attractive layout and color scheme. However all I have seen are the adverstisements and cd that shows more about it. But how well does it work? Is it better than say Win 98 or ME or is that more a matter of opinion but still what do you guys/girls think?

 

In a nutshell, it's great for the "first time" computer buyer who has no legacy programs or hardware that will be used with the system.

For the rest of us who tend to hang on to what we bought years ago and consider still adequate for the purpose, XP has rendered several of them incompatible. You can check for incompatibility issues at the MS website but I doubt the list is entirely comprehensive.

Good luck whatever you decide.

EDIT: I must add that this is strictly my opinion and I don't mean to imply that MS would intentionally develop a system that would create a demand for new software/hardware. I do not have XP, just going on hearsay, so perhaps someone that has direct knowledge will drop in and enlighten us.

 

I've used Win 95, 98 and now XP and it certainly appears to be more stable than its predecessors. Unlike 98 it seems to do a much better job of freeing up resources that are no longer needed, which in my 98 system is a real problem.

 

ive used 98, ME and XP now.

XP at first use is great, but there are so many things that make it difficult for the user who has adjusted settings for say 98.

XP seems to download faster, but after a couple of months or so, i find i have to turn off indexing, pages take a bit longer to open, etc. the pop up boxs get annoying, as does the need to buy new printer and scanner. mine are under 2 years old, and im told will work with ME drivers because XP drivers are not available! yet XP wont allow me to delete these, and reinstall.......

id say in my experience XP home version is not as stable as peoplemake out, i have found numerous irregularitys with it. some times my browser opens at half normal screen, only every now and then but its very annoying, as does my tool bar opening white as in safe mode, despite numerous different virus checks file checks windows updates.....

have to say tho, im disappointed with XP its more stable and easier to use as it stands especially for new users to computers, but should you need to change settings it can be a nightmare... personally id stick with 98, its ease of use after updates are installed far outweigh XP's basic home version.

 

denzil69

Much of the new look in XP, like Start Menu, Desktop, Toolbars, etc. can be changed to look and act like a 98 system. Like you I had become use to my 98 system and was happy knowing how to change things and where things were located etc. I moved to XP simply because it came preinstalled on my new Gateway, and to tell you the truth I was not that overly impressed with the overall look and I hated the new start menu. So, after using the system for a few days I made all of the changes that I could to make it look and feel more like a 98.

There are ways to turn off some of the annoying features, like the pop up boxes, and hiding inactive icons, and once their off you don't even know their there.

As for the compatability problem with your printer and scanner I can't say I'm totally surprised, interestingly though a friend of mine recently purchased a Dell with XP installed and he was able to hook up a scanner that's over four years old, and after downloading updated drivers was able to get it to work, go figure.

Though I didn't have any hardware problems, I was a little disappointed that a few of the programs that I had been using for years did not work with XP try as I might to set the compatability.

With any luck, and a little hope we'll see updates and service packs come out in the future which hopefully will address or correct some of the other issues you outlined.

 

Well I'd agree with most of the previous comments list in this posting. I bought a new laptop this year that came with XP Home on it. So while I did not have any hardware problems I did have some software that had to be replaced for XP. Only a couple though.

I had planned ahead and I already had XP versions of some of the software I use, before I got XP.

It is a whole lot more stable than my old Win98SE ever was. The restore feature is nice and has already saved me once. I have still had XP crash a could of times in the 6 months I've had it but Win98SE would crash 4 or 5 times a week.

Overall I am very pleased with XP.

Mark

 

I have never used anything but W-95 and XP is a gaint improvement!

XP came on my new Dell and It hasn't crashed in the three months that I have used it.

One thing that I have see is that XP search sometimes brings up different results?.... I never experienced that on W-95.

 

I love XP! It is Microsofts best OS yet!

I have been a windows user/supporter/admin since windows 3.0 and love XP.

oh and Arkie as far as the search results go, the search window with the dog (lame) does not show the hidden files and system files by default (also lame) so it's dumbed down a lot. You can change the options to get rid of the dog, and also have it search for all files including the hidden and system.

Also I have noticed that the search in XP does not search like 98 does in the respect of putting in more than one work (any spaces)

I have a 10,000 plus MP3 collection and the search works great if you use 1 word, but if I put in 2 words like "teen spirit" then I get every file that has the letters "teen" and "spirit" so I get dozens of hits instead of one.

In 98 I would just get the Nivrana song nothing else.

I would try doing this though exactly like this including the quotes:

* "teen spirit "*

Maybe that will work

 

I upgraded from 98SE to XP with no problems on my 2 year old dell computer. XP is much better, more stable, etc. and I even like the media program for ripping cds and transferring pictures from my digital camera works fine. The only problem (aside from a few old programs that are not compatible) was that my microsoft sidewinder 3d pro will not work with XP! We had to get a new joysitck (not microsoft). But the microsoft trackball works fine.

 

the changing of settings etc, is my point.

an example, after a short time i get a pop up window saying, stay current with updates, etc, or when i first connect i get a pop up saying im now online.

if i want to get rid of these pop ups, can i click properties and then check a box to stop them???? no, i have to go into dos etc, an type in a line of commands to stop it, this isnt easy to do for me, im not the sharpest spoon in the drawer, i dont feel comfortable having to change things this way.

another example, the option to restore settings to a date previous, i had several problems, so i tried this option, after XP told me that settings would be restored and saved material, ie programs would be kept, i found this to be untrue, after restore 3 of my programs and their shortcuts disappeared!!!

these are just my experiences in the 3 months ive used XP, during this time it has frozen up or locked up on me several times, changed my tool bar to safe design, for no apparent reason, changes its mind wether or not to open pages in full or partial mode, as and when it feelslike, lost my sounds and microphone capability by changing the settings on its own......

ive checked on numerous occasions for a virus, checked my windows files etc, and found nothing.

in my experience, XP is far less stable than people state, and no drivers for my scanner an printer will be forthcoming in the future, ive been advised to download ME version drivers, which i have but when i attempted to install them XP would not allow me to install over their own drivers!!! several times ive tried to delete windows own drivers for the hardware and then install ME manufacturers drivers, and each time it has failed and XP drivers re- appear.... not a good product in my opinion......

 

Having started out with DOS 3.1, Win98, Win98, WinMe....Linux several..... I would not want to be without WinXP.
I use dual boot and dual monitors on a small home network and XP is very stable. I have very few programs that I use on WinME that will not run on XP. Several small utility programs that I had been using just aren't needed since I finally learned the features that are available. Small things, such as holding the shift key while using start to select several programs to run at once, are not obvious and take time to learn.

I only boot to WinME when I want to test something now.

 

After only working w/XP for a few weeks, I miss the control I had w/ 95/98. The old scan disk allowed me to see what files had been added+location to the system if I ran it before and after a specific download. The XP scan is painless and powerless.

XP has also "thrown out" a couple things I used on 98. I know I can go in and change it to recognize according to 98 standards, but then what's the point of upgrading?

I also find working with my files/folders more difficult (more steps)

 

just to add a bit here, xp has been great for the past 3 months. I bought it for it's stability, and it's features. Like the guys said, you might be missing some control features that you liked, but I used to have lock ups every 3 days (i did have like 8 programs running though) XP has never locked up under my watch, so it's gone beyond my expectations.

it takes some getting used to, and you might miss some features, but stability is great, and the appearance is much smoother and cleaner.

all my opinion, but im satisfied with my 100 dollar purchase.

 

I found only a small handfull of the software my kids use (games mostly, such as Lego, Sim City etc) loaded OK with XP but after a couple of days stopped working and I could not reload them, or if I did, they would stop working soon after. Many programs will not load at all. I tried the compatability button in the Setup window but that made no difference. I had to take out XP and reload WIN98 so they could play their games. Anybody who knows how to handle this problem would have my gratitude for sharing with me. There are too many games for me to buy new ones compatible with XP.

 

I like it. It's big improvement from 98. (Although I still like classical Windows appearance.) but it takes a while to get used to it if you are used to 98 or Me, though.

EarlKay

 

XP should have a bunch of compatible stuff now, so I would say get it. I have Win98SE and I can't WAIT to blow that thing away. And as for WinME, don't even think about it.

Get XP or 2000.