2 XP or Not 2 XP

by Bob Seidel

The trade press is full of reviews on Microsoft's new Windows OS - XP. In the best of journalistic tradition, I have to support this effort with my second recent XP column.

I have always wanted to write a one word column. In this case, the one word would be "Yes". But I can't get away with that, so you will have to put up with the wordy version.

Technically, the latest from Microsoft is a Pretty Good Thing. It finally converges the two operating system lines (the Win9x line, started with Windows 95) and the Windows 2000 line (started with Windows NT). Finally, users will have a true operating system (not one built upon old DOS) and have a lot more reliability and stability. But, as with anything, there is a price. But, you can't go back or hold back, and the alternatives (Linux, etc.) are not really ready for prime time consumer use.

Here is how it boils down. If you are buying a new PC, it will now probably come with XP. You may have a choice of 98 or 2000 for a while, but you might as well bite the bullet and order it with XP. On the other hand, if your PC is more than two years old, you had better stick with what you have; reported compatibility problems with older hardware are not going to be addressed by Microsoft.

So that leaves us folks with recent PCs in the middle ground. If you are currently using Windows 2000 Professional (as I am), I would recommend that you stick with it for a while - perhaps six months to a year. You will not benefit much from the new features in XP and it would be less exposure for you to let the world iron out the bugs first. Look for a first or even second Service Pack before you jump.

If you are using Windows 98 or ME, consider an upgrade if you are having trouble with your current system. You might be having device driver problems or stability issues. If so, the upgrade will probably help. If your system is running fine, I would again consider waiting for the first XP service pack. But eventually, you should upgrade.

By the way, the upgrade cost is $99 for the Home version and $199 for the Professional Version. You can find data on the differences on the Microsoft website, but I would think most home users would get the Home version. Note that you can only upgrade to the Home version from Win98 or ME - there is no upgrade from Win95 and you can't use that as an upgrade path if you currently have Win2K.

There is a downside, however. As I mentioned in my previous column on XP, you will definitely have to buy a license for each PC in your household, including notebooks. There is some pressure on MS to sell a home license (i.e. for all PCs in a home) for a bit less, but they have resisted the pressure thus far.

There is also a lot of gratuitous and shameless pushing of MS products and services in XP. I hear that most of these can be disabled or will disappear in time. I would personally find this very annoying and is one of the reasons I am dragging my heels.

Some utility programs, such as anti-virus programs, may have to be upgraded. You may want to check versions before you upgrade.

I hope one of my clients buys an XP based PC soon, so I can get my hands on one!

(Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport / Oak Island area. You can visit his website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail him at bsc@bobseidel.com).