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Though there's no good method of telling in advance how easy--or nightmarish--upgrading to Windows XP will be, here's some advice that applies to almost everybody: Prepare to patch.

In the weeks since Microsoft launched its new operating system--to a fairly cordial reception, judging from reports showing early sales approaching those of Windows 98--we have encountered or heard about dozens of glitches and pitfalls. In some cases, the fixes began rolling out along with the OS itself. Other problems will almost certainly be addressed in an initial service pack (though at press time, Microsoft had yet to announce a date for SP1).

On October 25, the day it shipped the new OS, Microsoft posted multiple bug fixes, compatibility updates, and enhancements on its Windows Update Web site--more than 18MB of them, all told. The same day, Microsoft's Knowledge Base support site also listed hundreds of confirmed bugs found in Windows XP, most of which still don't have patches or solutions. And the company's general-purpose Windows XP newsgroup continues to receive thousands of new posts every day.

Some of the updates are important. The 1.9MB Windows XP Update Package, October 25, 2001, for example, includes fixes for bugs in such new and vaunted XP features as its CD burning software, the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, Remote Assistance, and Windows Messenger's audio and video tools. Separate updates to the CPU drivers for mobile Pentium III-based systems and Athlon-based systems enable those chips' power management features to function under Windows XP.

Not all of the updates are essential--or even desirable--for every Windows XP system, however. The fine print describing most of the patches warns that you should download and install them only if you're experiencing the problem described. Consequently most of us will probably opt to skip the 3.3MB update to Windows Movie Maker, which is recommended only for people who want to capture higher-quality digital video.

For many users, however, problems within the OS itself are less pressing than compatibility problems with hardware devices and with third-party software.