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Windows XP--Right for Digital Photographers?

Depending upon your perspective, it can be said that new versions of Windows arrive about as regularly as either the migration of the noble Yellow Breasted Swallow or the arrival of the annual flu season. Indeed, it has been a while since a new version of Windows was reason to celebrate. But even if you weren't wowed by Windows Me, it's looking like Windows XP should get your attention--especially if you're into digital imaging.

With Microsoft's imminent launch of Windows XP, you've got a decision to make: upgrade to Windows XP or stick with what you have? Let's take a look at the new operating system, focusing on digital imaging.

More Stability

As you probably know by now, Windows XP is the marriage of Windows 95 and Windows NT technology. The result is a theoretically rock-solid computing platform that's compatible with all the USB, FireWire (IEEE 1394), Plug and Play, and DirectX technologies that we home users need. Indeed, one dramatic improvement alone makes Windows XP a worthwhile upgrade for digital photographers: the dreaded System Resource limitation is now gone.

If you use Windows 95, 98, or Me right now, you surely know about System Resources. Windows uses a small pool of memory for managing various system pointers and graphical elements. No matter how much memory your PC might have, it'll eventually run low on System Resources and crash if you run a lot of applications without rebooting.

You can check your system resources by right-clicking My Computer, clicking Properties, and then clicking the Performance tab; anything under 40 percent is an invitation to sluggish performance and system glitches. When system resources drop below 15 percent, a crash is inevitable.

If you tend to work with several imaging programs at once, these out-of-system-resources problems no doubt crop up a lot. But simply put, that's a thing of the past in Windows XP. It's tough to make this operating system crash by overworking it.

Easier Photo Management

In the past, the only good way to catalog and manage all of your digital images was by using a third-party program. Windows XP's more convenient folder views can take the place of those extra programs. The My Pictures folder now looks like a slideshow, with little thumbnails of your images spread across the bottom of each folder. Most of the folder is reserved to display a large preview of the currently selected image.

At long last, Windows now supports more common file formats as well. You can now preview files in formats like JPG, TIFF, GIF, and BMP, all without an additional file viewer like Jasc's Quick View Plus, an essential tool for serious digital photographers, which I've relied on for years.

It's Not Perfect

If you're not careful, you can cut yourself on some of Windows XP's sharp edges. First and foremost, it may require more horsepower than your current PC has to offer. You can test your PC to see how well it'll do with Windows XP.

Also, beware of drivers. I've seen quite a number of multimedia devices fail under Windows XP, so if you can't live without your CD-RW drive, digital camera, or scanner, you might want to verify that the drivers and software are XP-ready--or just wait a bit. Personally, I was amazed to find that my SCSI-powered Minolta Dimâge Elite film scanner worked, but my copy of Easy CD Creator and a SmartMedia adapter both failed.

Also, Microsoft is playing fast and loose with its new auto-start feature. Plug a digital camera into the USB port, for instance, and Windows XP offers to start a Microsoft-branded image editor. If you're savvy--and I know you are--you can simply click Cancel and launch your favorite program instead. This bothers me, though. Microsoft should make it possible to add your favorite program to the launch list. Otherwise, it's hard to shake the impression that Microsoft is using Windows XP as a bully pulpit to promote its own products and business partners.

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