Windows XP Inside & Out

"Should I get it?" That's what everyone wants to know about Windows XP. We won't keep you in suspense: For most Windows 98 and Windows Me users whose systems can handle it, the answer is yes.

Due to ship October 25 (barring unlikely last-minute court orders stemming from the still-pending antitrust wrangling), Windows XP could be the most stable version 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 combination: 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 latest 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 experience greatly from Windows 2000's incompatibility nightmare. Of the PC World editors and associates who installed both prerelease and final shipping versions of Windows XP, most reported only minor incompatibilities.

Most, but not all. As with any upgrade, you might run into a problem with a key application or peripheral that renders the upgrade undesirable. We won't know the complete story on compatibility until millions have tried XP, and until software and hardware vendors have had a few months to roll out updates.

Once beyond the upgrade process, people liked the way Windows XP booted up swiftly. Only a few who upgraded old machines at or below Microsoft's minimum requirements noticed even a small slowdown in performance (see "XP Performance: Satisfactory, Not Stellar.")

And everyone was favorably impressed by the new OS's reliability. If you're coming from the crash-prone 9 x/Me camp, this is the single best reason to upgrade. Based on the same core operating system as Windows 2000 and NT, both versions of this new OS pay much closer attention to how applications, drivers, and Windows itself use your system's memory, normally preventing one bit of code from affecting another. Even if an application 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 wherever 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.")

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 security features, maintenance and help, and Internet tools.