2003 Year in Review

Fun with Windows XP

Microsoft's Windows® XP operating system has been around now for more than 18 months. The Redmond, Washington, company hyped the program as the best thing since sliced bread, and I have to agree with them. Those wild and crazy guys at Microsoft (MS) have given us another fun product.

The fellows must have worked overtime to come up with the fun treats and – yes – just plain silly 'innovations' in this latest incarnation of the Windows operating system. You know you're in for a joyful ride when you try to upgrade your existing Windows 98SE installation only to find you don't have enough RAM (random access memory) to run the OS with aplomb.

MS says XP will run on 64mb, but it recommends 128mb. You know from prior experience that the recommended option is the one to follow. In fact, you might want to have some RAM to spare, say 256mb. Those funsters at MS probably chuckle to themselves at the idea of the average Joe waiting impatiently for the computer to boot up, drumming his fingers, biting his nails, tapping his toes, and pulling his hair.

If you buy a new machine with Windows XP preloaded, you miss out on one of the great eXPeriences of owning a computer – upgrading a previous version of Windows with a new edition. Despite the warnings I’d received from others who said it’s better and safer to do a new installation than upgrade, I nevertheless took the leap.

To be truthful, I didn’t want to take the time to copy all my files and programs to CDs and wrangle with the complexities of reloading and configuring all my stuff from scratch. Anyway, I took MS’s word (no pun intended) an upgrade was possible – and from my view, desirable. Oh, well, live and learn.

What follows is a summary of ten of the screens I encountered when I loaded the operating system, and my subsequent eXPerience in the new world of XP. Some words cropped up many times during the loading process, as if the constant repetition would make them real outcomes: fast, faster, easy, easier, easiest, security, reliable, reliability, safe, safety, better, best, fun – you get the picture.

An exciting new look – It is a new default look for the Windows XP OS, but exciting? Hardly. It has a bloated, cartoon-ish cast to it – I expected Bugs Bunny to come bounding over the hill under the sunny blue, blissful sky. I dispensed with the eye-candy theme after less than an hour, opting instead for the old Windows classic theme.

Try the easiest Windows yet – There has never been anything easy, easier, or easiest about a Windows OS. To do tasks other than the mundane requires tackling a stiff learning curve. Better: Try the least complex Windows yet.

Stay up to date – See Experience the ultimate in safety, security, and privacy below.

Your computer will be faster and more reliable – “Nobody reads these setup screens,” said one MS copy writer to another. “Yeah, you’re right. We can say anything we want,” replied the other.

Get Support for the latest hardware and software – A bit of an overstatement even for the MS crew. You can get support if you’re willing to pay for the privilege and/or willing to go to the hardware/software manufacturer’s web site. Sounds good, though, doesn’t it?

Easily move documents and personal settings to a new computer – Easy on the ‘Easily’ now.

Explore your creative side with photos and videos – Explore is the key word here, assuming you have a creative side.

Windows Movie Maker makes it easy and fun to capture and create – I wonder how many video freaks really use Windows Movie Maker to create videos. I don’t. WMM is not easy to learn; and, if it’s not easy, it’s not fun. If you use WMM, let me know.

Experience the ultimate in safety, security, and privacy – “Windows knows all. And in most cases -- with a little persuasion -- it's willing to talk.” - Karen Kenworthy.*

Safety and security may be at or near the bottom in Windows XP. I know Bill and the boys like to keep us users on our toes but, let’s be honest: For all its talk about securing the Windows operating system from outside threats, MS has done a poor job considering the resources it has to throw at the problem. Visit its online update service and be surprised at the number of security hotfixes for both the OS and MS’s Internet Explorer browser.**

Privacy is no laughing matter with the new OS. Windows product activation has stirred the Big Brother fear in many users, who have devised ways to avoid it. Too, many users turn off the Automatic Update feature of the OS (Rumor: MS can and does monitor computers with it) and opt for manual updates via the web site.

Oh, those dastardly felons at Microsoft - No doubt discombobulated by the public’s lack of a sense of humor!

Enjoy using Windows XP! - I do – I do!

I’ve upgraded two machines with Windows XP – one with the Home Edition, the other with the Professional Edition. In neither case did the upgrade go well. Both upgrades required a clean install, despite my hopes otherwise. I had to chuckle aloud as I told my wife, "I should've known better. The Microsofties got me again, dagnabbit!"

The Home Edition has served me well, with no problems other than the Security Patch fiasco.

The Professional Edition has crashed and burned on eight occasions for mysterious reasons.

But one of the joys of Windows, regardless of the version, is the surprise waiting at the next click of the mouse.

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*www.karenware.com

**Incidentally, I updated my Windows XP Home Edition with the first (and only) Security Patch, and immediately lost my internet connection. Try what I may, I couldn’t restore the connection until I removed the patch. At least, Microsoft made that a possibility. When I visit the update site, Microsoft still tries to foist off the patch, and I still reject it. Don’t need that trouble.

by William Driver, Guest Columnist
June 25, 2003