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Copyright © 2002, PC World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. The trademark PC World is owned by International Data Group and used under license by PC World
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Easier than Windows 2000 and
less crash-prone than Win Me, XP is
Microsoft’s biggest OS upgrade in
years—and its most controversial.
We tested it in the field and in the
lab to see what works, what doesn’t,
and if you should make the leap.
៑
COVER STORY
BY SCOTT SPANBAUER
WWW.PCWORLD.COM NOVEMBER 2001
92
&
Inside
Out
Windows
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ADAM McCAULEY
XP
95

handle it, the answer is yes.
Due to ship October 25 (bar-
ring unlikely last-minute court
orders stemming from the still-pending antitrust
wrangling), Windows XP could be the most stable ver-
sion of Windows yet: It’s at least as stable as Windows
2000, Microsoft claims. It’s also the most feature-
laden. Thank its dual bloodlines for that happy com-
bination: From Windows NT and 2000, it inherits a
secure, stable core. From Windows 9x and Me, it
inherits compatibility with hardware and software, as
well as tools for working with digital images, video,
and audio. And in either of its two flavors—Home
Edition or Professional—it’s a great match for the lat-
est PCs with their fast processors, capacious hard
drives, and speedy CD burners.
For users who upgrade, initial reports are mostly
positive. Microsoft has improved the installation expe-
rience greatly from Windows 2000’s incompatibility
nightmare. Of the PC World editors and associates
COVER STORY
INSTALLATION
THINKING ABOUT upgrading
to Windows XP? Here’s what
you’ll need, and what to expect.
Windows XP requires more
memory, processor might, and
hard disk space than any previ-
ous Windows version (see “Vital
Upgrade Statistics,” page 94).

setup will work with XP is to
take PCWorld.com’s Web-based
Windows XP Readiness test at
www.pcworld.com/xpready (the
test was coproduced with PC
Pitstop). In addition, you can
visit www.microsoft.com/hcl to
search Microsoft’s own hard-
ware compatibility listings.
For a more thorough analy-
sis, use Microsoft’s Windows
XP Upgrade Advisor, which will
be available on the installation
CD-ROM, as a free 35MB down-
load from
Microsoft’s Windows XP Web
site (see find.pcworld.com/
14081), or on a CD-ROM that
will be free in stores.
Don’t take the Upgrade Advi-
sor’s warnings as gospel, how-
ever. PC World staffers report
that a few applications and
peripherals flagged as incom-
patible—including a SanDisk
CompactFlash reader and a
version of Zone Labs’ Zone-
Alarm firewall—worked just fine
after the upgrade.
We also found that some set-

Remote Desktop feature.
But while Windows 98, Me,
NT 4.0, and 2000 users can all
use the $199 XP Professional
upgrade, only Windows 98 and
Windows Me users can use the
cheaper Home Edition upgrade.
If you still use Windows 95,
you’ll have to wipe your hard
drive clean and install the full
version of either Home Edition
($199) or Professional ($299)—
assuming your computer can
run Windows XP at all. Expect
to spend at least an hour up-
grading, and be prepared to
answer the occasional configu-
ration question.
If your current OS qualifies
for an upgrade, you can use the
upgrade versions to perform
what XP calls a new installation
(a clean install), which lets you
put XP on a bare hard drive, or
you can place it on a separate
partition so you can boot up
either XP or your current Win-
dows version. A new installa-
tion is likely to generate fewer
compatibility problems, but it

HITS
ឣ
Stability:
Yes , a Wi ndows PC
(other than a Win 2000 box)
can really run crash-free for
days, even weeks.
ឣ
Remote Desktop (requires
Windows XP Professional):
Ta ke
control of your desktop com-
puter from the road.
ឣ
Remote Assistance:
Connect
to an XP-equipped computer,
troubleshoot it, and even re-
boot it if necessary.
ឣ
User Accounts:
Keep your
apps running and your data
secure while others log on.
ឣ
Windows Messenger:
This
open-standards–based utility
could become the instant
messaging, voice, videocon-

Windows Movie Maker:
Still
missing commonly used video
output options.
៑
What to Expect:
The Upgrade XPerience
OPERATING SYSTEM
Estimated retail price
Star rating Upgrade eligibility
Full version Upgrade
VITAL UPGRADE STATISTICS
PRODUCT BASICS
Windows XP Home Edition
Windows XP Professional
Minimum system requirements: 233-MHz CPU, 64MB of RAM (not shared with integrated graphics), 1.5GB of free disk space.
Recommended system requirements: 300-MHz CPU, 128MB of RAM, 2GB of free disk space.
$199
$299
11113
11113
Windows 98, 98 SE, Me
Windows 98, 98 SE, Me, NT 4.0, 2000, XP
Home Edition
$99
$199
biggest weakness: Since there’s no option for output to standard
video devices such as VCRs, you can watch videos only on a PC.
Microsoft did add some higher-resolution video-capture modes
(previous versions of Movie Maker were limited to 320 by 240

digital audio files, copy CD tracks to a port-
able digital audio player, or use a Webcam, a digital camcorder,
or a digital still camera, Windows XP can help. Sometimes,
though, it forces you to do things Microsoft’s way.
Microsoft tirelessly promotes its latest media player, called
Windows Media Player for Windows XP—undoubtedly to em-
phasize this version’s exclusive availability in the new OS. The
differences between it and Media Player 7.1 (a free download for
users of previous versions of Windows), however, are few. If you
have a CD-R/RW drive, the XP player lets you burn CDs at your
recorder’s highest rate; Media Player 7.1 limits you to 2X speeds.
(See “XP’s Extras” from the October 2001 issue, at find.pcworld.
com/14662, for more about XP’s native CD-R/RW support.)
The CD-burning speed boost is a real improvement, but two
other major differences are noncritical. If your system has a Win-
dows Media Player–compatible DVD decoder application in-
stalled, you can watch DVDs in Media Player as well as in the
decoder’s own interface. (Windows XP’s setup program will
detect your existing noncompatible decoder app and attempt to
download a free update automatically.)
As before, you can convert audio CD tracks to Microsoft’s
WMA format. But if you want to turn them into MP3s, you’ll
have to use a third-party plug-in. And unlike the DVD decoder,
this update isn’t free: Microsoft says several offerings will be
available online for about $10 each by the time Windows XP
ships. It’s no bargain, considering you can do the job for free
with software from MusicMatch and others.
Windows Movie Maker is basically the same lite, throwaway
video transfer and editing utility included in Windows Me. Its
97

dom use disappear after a while (but you can locate them by
clicking a button that expands the area).
WWW.PCWORLD.COM NOVEMBER 2001
96
from affecting another. Even if an appli-
cation is incredibly buggy, XP usually can
prevent it from crashing Windows or
other applications.
One potential upgrade concern may
turn out to be no big deal. Some PC users
accustomed to installing Windows wher-
ever and whenever they feel like it feared
that Windows XP’s Windows Product
Activation antipiracy mechanism would
be a burdensome inconvenience. But the
copy-control scheme likely won’t affect
most license-abiding Windows users
(see “Product Activation: Not So Bad
After All,” page 102).
Because Windows XP unites so many
features—new and old—into a single
product family, we’ve grouped them into
five major areas: user interface, digital media tools, user securi-
ty features, maintenance and help, and Internet tools.
XP’s New Look
windows xp’s interface
is nothing revolutionary. You
get more control over how the OS looks and works, including
whether icons appear on the desktop, how system folders such as
the Control Panel appear, and what texture and color the win-

their contents.
A SIMPLIFIED Control
Panel groups icons under
categories, but you can opt
for the old-style view.
IF YOU HAVE… and you use your PC for… then you should… because…
DECISION GUIDE
Windows 9x/Me
on a PC that
doesn’t meet
Windows XP’s
requirements
Windows 9x/Me
on a PC that
meets
Windows XP’s
requirements
Windows 2000 on
a PC that meets
Windows XP’s
requirements
mission-critical business tasks (e-mail, Microsoft
Office) or multitasking—or if stability is a problem
Web browsing, e-mail, entertainment, and other
personal tasks—and stability is not a problem
mission-critical business tasks (e-mail, Microsoft
Office) or multitasking—or if stability is a problem
Web browsing, e-mail, entertainment, and other
personal tasks—and stability is not a problem
mission-critical business tasks (e-mail, Microsoft

users’ files and settings. To ensure that your
data and identity are secure, make yourself the
only Administrator on the system.
If multiple people do use the computer, and
the PC isn’t at the low end of Windows XP’s
system requirements, you should try a new
feature called Fast User Switching, which
allows one user to remain logged in—pro-
grams running and all—while another user
takes over and launches other programs.
Switching between two logged-in user ac-
counts takes only seconds, as long as the
machine has sufficient RAM; in our testing,
128MB was plenty for moderate multiuser loads. And since Win-
dows XP resists crashing much better than Windows 9x/Me, the
new feature could change the way families and offices share a
computer. For example, you could leave your QuickBooks file
WWW.PCWORLD.COM NOVEMBER 2001
98
site. As we went to press, the Online Print Ordering Wizard list-
ed two services, from Fujicolor and Kodak, both offering 4-by-6
prints for the going rate of 49 cents each. Web publishing
options were still limited to MSN and Xdrive. Microsoft says
other services will appear later this year.
The Scanner and Camera Wizard lets you download, view, and
delete images stored on an attached digital camera, as well as
take photos from the computer screen—if your camera complies
with Microsoft’s Windows Image Acquisition specification. It’s
all good, although these features may be a subset of the capabil-
ities your camera’s own software already offers—if it is compat-

CLEARTYPE: CURE FOR THE LCD JAGGIES
FEATURE
INTERFACE
DIGITAL MEDIA
SECURITY
PC HEALTH
INTERNET
OTHER
First appeared in
FEATURES
Themes
Simplified folder views
Window/cursor animation
Fast User Switching
Windows Media Player for Windows XP
Windows Movie Maker
CD ripping
User log-in and file security
Remote Desktop
File/folder encryption
System Restore
Remote Assistance
Internet Explorer 6
Windows Messenger
Personal firewall
Internet Connection Sharing
Windows Product Activation
Windows 95
Windows Me
Windows 98