I toyed last night with installing Microsoft Vista RC1 or RC2 as my main operating system, given that the trial licence period would see me through until Vista is officially available to the general public. As I dithered over the decision, it made me realise how attached I’d become to Windows XP over the last five year, unlike previous Windows operating systems like Windows 95/98 and ME which I couldn’t wait to be shot of.

No matter what you think of Microsoft, XP is very good software. Installing mainstream hardware and software is very simple and I only have the occasional problem with open source or beta software, which is understandable. Want to add a new Digital Camera? Fine. Want to add a new hard drive? No, problem. I have a pretty complicated PC and when I think about it, the only major things I want to change are software or hardware related - it’s rarely XP that’s at fault.

One of my favourite shows on TV is “What The Victorians Did For Us” as I’m a history buff. Although many people think of Victorians as buttoned-up and frumpy, the show tracks Victorian innovations that permeated almost every corner of national life. Much of what those spirited 19th-century Brits invented is still with us today, even if we don’t acknowledge it.

So, in a similar vein I’ve compiled a list of some of innovations that Windows XP introduced, lest we ever forget once Vista is launched and XP is discarded like the family relative who is never invited to family reunions.

Stability

XP bought much needed stabilty to the operating system. Yes, it can still be crashed but it is very rare e.g. I’m currently having problems syncing my Axim 51V with WMP 11 (but then again WMP 11 is BETA software and it is probanly causing the problem not XP). When apps crash, they tend to do do so without taking the OS or other apps down with them. I can’t remember the last time I saw the blue screen of death - with previous versions of windows I’m sure I used to see it everyday.

XP is also fun and easy to tweak. Check out my simple and intermediate tweaking guides that will help you speed up XP even further
Security Center

XP’s Security Center has played a major role in educating novice users regarding security. Not only does it tell novice users whether they have suitable protection, it also tells users whether it is out of date or not. This is a very important feature as many users have machines that came with bundled protection, but many users didn’t realise that once the 3 months was up and the definitions went out of date their protection was pretty useless.

Easy Updates

With SP2, updating the operating system became a doddle. Yes, purists may complain about the number and frequency of updates, but at least now no genuine XP users should miss out on vital updates.

Hardware Installation

Remember how hard it could be to install devices with Windows 9x? Installing new Hardware with XP is a doddle. Most devices are detected automatically and install themselves. Microsoft made major improvements in the way Windows detects and uses device drivers in an attempt to make the operating system more stable, and it worked.

Multiple Users

Windows XP was the first Windows version that made it easy for multiple users to share a single system. It even included Fast User Switching, which lets you leave application windows open but hidden while another user logs on and works with a different set of programs.

Improved Search

I had to use an old Windows 95 machine a few months ago to find a file and I’d forgotten how awful the feature was pre-XP. XP made it easier to find “Pictures, music, or video” and “Documents (Word, Excel, etc.).” etc and the wildcard feature was beefed up as well. The addition of common tasks to Explorer views also helped to simplify matters.

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