Windows XP (Home) Edition Review

By Ray C. Hawkins.

Despite the amount of mud that's slung at Microsoft these days, there can't be many folk who honestly think the PC is really worse off as a result of the company's efforts. In the early days PCs were awkward to use and new hardware was very difficult to get working and the lack of common standards often meant that getting information from one computer to another was a nightmare.

Like it or not, the fact is we don't have to mess around just to get a simple program running, or create a script of instructions to get online is largely thanks to Windows. I have to admit that some early versions of Windows were a pain in the arse to use and an unexpected system crash at best lost all your unsaved work. In the worse case you could be faced with a complete reinstall of the OS!

Things have changed now with the recent release of Windows XP, the most stable of all Microsoft's operating systems. I have been using Windows XP for nearly eight months now with out one single crash or system lockup. So what's so special about XP? Well in reality Windows XP is a Windows NT chassis with a Windows ME body, but out goes the old bulky and slow DOS engine and in comes a lean, mean and fast integrated DOS. Windows XP is NOT just another upgrade, it is a brand new, completely rewritten operating system. Let's now take a look at it.

So what does Windows XP look and feel like? Lets run it and see. Firstly after Windows XP has loaded we are presented with the Logon Screen. As you can see I have set up Windows XP with four user accounts, one for each member of the family and each protected by its own password. This allows each member of my family to have in fact their own personal computer set up as they wish and running their own choice of software. It's like having 4 separate PC's.

Windows XP Logon Screen.

The new start menu is your launch pad and takes you to where ever you want to go on your PC. This is one of the first improvements you will notice over previous versions of Windows. It uses an intuitive approach to get you where you want faster. The programs you use frequently are recognized by Windows XP and are positioned more prominently in the menu. Even the button to open the start menu has been made bigger and more noticeable.

Access to other parts of your PC have also been improved. Items such as the Control Panel, My Documents and My Computer are quicker to locate. You can also open up My Pictures and My Music without having to trawl through your hard drive with Explorer.

The New Start Menu.

The Control Panel is the toolbox, if you like, within Microsoft Windows XP, and this is where you will find the utilities you need to master your PC, whether you want to change a setting or fix a problem. In the past the Control Panel was something of a mystery to most PC users. It contained dozens of icons but with no hint as to what they would do or what they were for. This meant that a lot of simple problems took a long time to fix and often needed the help of an expert friend.

Thankfully this has all changed in Windows XP, and now anyone can harness the power of the Control Panel, even complete beginners. In fact, the increased importance of the Control Panel in every day use is highlighted by the fact that it now has its own entry in the Start Menu, as well as a couple of shortcuts to it within My Computer.

The Control Panel provides you with the ability to to add and remove programs and hardware, change the appearance of your Desktop, manage your network and internet connections, configure your sound properties, set up new user accounts, maintain your PC and adjust the regional settings such as time and date. This redesigned interface means that you can achieve the results you want without any fuss or bother.

Keeping up to date.

The Control Panel is also the centre for keeping Windows XP up to date. The Windows Update function monitors your PC and the Microsoft web site while you're on line. When it finds new patches and fixes for your hardware or software it offers to download them automatically.

The Control Panel Options.

The Control Panel has a whole new look to fit in with the rest of the operating system. You have the option of viewing the contents of the Control Panel on one of two ways. Firstly there is the Classic view in which you can see all of the control icons at once as with previous versions of Windows. Secondly there is the new Category view which works in a slightly different way. The Control Panel is broken down into entries and categories - for example, in the Appearance and Themes category, you will have the option to change your screen saver and Desktop.

Let's take a tour of the Control Panel and see what it does in more detail.

The Control Panel.

Appearance and Themes.

Let's have a look at this first.

Appearance and Themes.

Each user can set up their Desktops independently of the others using different colour schemes, backdrops, wallpapers and fonts, or you may chose from several built in ready to use themes. In the screengrab below I have kept to the standard Windows XP colour scheme but changed the wallpaper to one that I prefer. Windows XP comes with plenty to choose from to suit all tastes.

Desktop 1

On the Desktop 2 screengrab I have changed the colours of the task bar to compliment the colours of the backdrop. You can of course use any combination of wallpaper, backdrop and colour scheme you like. You can experiment as much as you like, the combinations are almost endless.

Desktop 2

Don't like the new look? Don't dispair, Microsoft have taken care of that for you too. Desktop 3 shows the Classic Windows theme.

Desktop 3

Network and Internet Connections.

Network and Internet.

This Category allows you to set up or change your ISP, change your homepage by selecting which web page is displayed the first when you connect to the Internet. You can choose how to handle temporary files and save hard disk space by deleting cookies and history files. You can also change the look of your browser by selecting which colours you want to use for unused hyperlinks and those that you have visited already. You can also set up a connection to a private network so you can work from or set up a field office or connect to another location. There is also the facility to set up a home or small office network, all done with ease thanks to a built in Wizard.

Add or Remove Programs

Add a program.

This Category lets you Add a program from CD, floppy disk or from the internet. An install Wizard will take you through the installation process in safe and easy steps.

Remove a program.

This Category will allow you to remove a program from your hard drive safely and easily without the worry of deleting files that are shared by other programs. However the Registry is NOT updated during program removal, a sad omission I feel for what is otherwise an excellent utility.

Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices

This Category is where you can adjust the system volume, change the sound scheme, change the speaker settings and set the speech control settings.

Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices.

Let's look first and the system volume option. Clicking on this option brings up a window where you can adjust the slider control to adjust the overall volume of your PC. There is also the option here to adjust the output from your PC's speakers with an advanced option to set up what ever sort of speakers you have.

Speaker Setup

Now we will take a look at the sound schemes, these are the little tunes and bleeps that play when an event takes place the only option here is to select the Windows XP scheme or turn the event sound off altogether. There is also an option to adjust the individual volume (balance) of each speaker.

Finally there is an option to set up and enable Microsoft Sam, a text to speech utility should you ever require it. Personally I thought this was very poor, albeit very easy to set up. I found the robotic voice of Sam to be awful !

Microsoft Sam Setup.

Performance and Maintenance.

There is nothing really new here as all the utilities can be found in your Accessories/Tools folders, but what is new is the easy way that these utilities can be accessed and used. Let's have a look at some of the more important ones.

See Basic Information About Your Computer.

From here you can find out what processor you have, how much memory, change your computer's name and description , check hardware profiles, check on memory settings and change the amount of virtual memory your computer uses. Windows XP now allows Remote Assistance, this facility can be selected from here and will allow a friend also running Windows XP remote online access to your computer. You find out who are your friends are if you decide to use this !!

Adjust Visual Effects.

This Category allows you to customize the way that Windows XP looks and runs. You can select from many options and adjust either for appearance or performance or both. You may even decide to let Windows XP decide what's best for your computer. I decided to uses this option and found it speed up tasks no end !.

Free Up Hard Disk Space.

This Category is the familiar Disk Cleanup utility that allows you to delete temporary internet files, off line web pages, other temporary files and generally free up hard disk space. Nothing new here other than the new GUI that Windows XP uses.

Rearrange Items On Your Hard disk To Make Programs Run Faster.

When I first saw this Category I thought, "This is something new", however it is the old Disk Defragmenter program. However it does need to be used from time to time especially if you are adding and deleting items and in my case there are 4 users. The Disk Defragmenter has an Analyze option and it only takes a few minutes to see if your hard drive would benefit from its use. Windows XP will tell you if your hard disk requires defragmenting or not. Remember to set aside some time if you have a large hard disk as defragmenting a 80 gigabyte drive could take several hours. Again a nice GUI.

Printers And Other Hardware.

Printer Setup.

One of the biggest headaches with any computer system is setting up and getting a printer to work properly. This burden is taken off the Windows XP users shoulders by the program within the Printers And Other Hardware category. Here you can view what printer drivers are already installed by clicking on View installed printers or fax printers or click on Add a printer. This will take to straight to and install printer Wizard where you only have to follow the simple stages to get the job done. It could not have been made easier for you.

Printer Install Wizard.

Other devices and hardware can be added just as easily too. Windows XP will automatically recognize new hardware that you have connected at bootup so you really not have to come here to install it. However there are many other Wizards to be found here to fine tune the device/hardware you have just installed. I added a twin fire button joystick with throttle controls along with a Gravis GamePad Pro controller (Same as Playstation) and was able to set them up the the degree on sensitivity that I required ..... All in a mater of minutes.

User Accounts.

User Accounts.

As you will have seen earlier, my PC is set up with four different User Accounts, one for each member of my family. It is here that you can change the accounts details to suit your families requirements. Passwords, names and restrictions on accessibility can be changed here. The restriction on accessibility would be very useful if you wanted to restrict a very young member of your family from playing a very violent game that was installed on your hard drive. You have have work files that you don't want other family members to mess with. As I said all easily set up here.

Date, Time, Language and Regional Options.

Date and Time.

Language and Regional Settings.

This category is needs little explanation, here you can, should you ever need to do so, change the date, time and language and regional settings.

Accessibility Options.

This final category allows users with disability problems such as poor vision or hearing difficulties to set up Windows XP to help over those problems. Firstly you can adjust the colours and contrast of text displayed on the screen. Mousekeys can be enabled to allow the cursor keys to act as the mouse. There is also a Wizard that takes you step by step on how to configure Windows XP to best overcome any disabilities that you may have.

I was rather impressed with the On-Screen Keyboard as shown below....

On-Screen Keyboard.

There are several ways the On-Screen Keyboard can be used in order to help overcome the users mobility problems such as selecting keys via a joystick. It was nice to see a prompt to go on line to download additional software to assist the disabled user. Nice touch Microsoft.

Well folks that brings me to the end of my review of Windows XP and I do hope it has been of some use to you. I should explain now that I have only scratched the surface of the Control Panel and there are many other finer details that I have omitted for that of space. Also remember that Windows XP is a complete package and includes other suites of software such as Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Microsoft Works 2000 and many other programs that have been revised to take full advantage of the new Windows XP operating system.

All in all not the worlds best computer operating system, but I have to say it's a very close second ...... Enjoy.