Microsoft's TV ads for Windows XP show people flying through theair with the help of the new operating system. But computer usersaren't racing to get this upgrade; NPD Intelect reported yesterdaythat 280,000 copies had been sold in the week since it went on sale -- a total that is 20 to 25 percent lower than Windows 98's first-week sales. Of those who have bought XP, a sizable minority are stilltrying to get the operating system off the ground.
Some Washington and New York area CompUSA store managers evenreport that many buyers -- fed up with software- and hardware-compatibility headaches -- are returning their XP update kits forrefunds.
You don't have to join that crowd. Most people can upgrade anewish PC to XP on a Sunday afternoon and still have plenty of timeto watch the Redskins fight for respectability.
The point of all this work is clear enough: a PC that doesn'tcrash nearly as often as before. Greenbelt resident Mark Walthersenthused, "When I had Windows 95, it broke down every day. When I gotWindows 98, it flat-lined once a week. Windows XP? It hasn't busteddown once yet."
So what separates some users' near-rhapsodic XP experiences fromothers' torturous upgrade attempts?
The trouble can start before you even slip the XP CD-ROM into yourcomputer. Not all computer manufacturers will support XP upgrades,even if your machine meets Microsoft's specifications for XP.
Dell's support site, for example, indicates that some of thecompany's computers that meet Microsoft's XP requirements don't meetDell's own standards -- and it recommends the purchase of a new DellPC instead of upgrading to XP. A Dell spokesman confirmed that thecompany won't support XP upgrades on some machines.
You should also check out your hardware. XP, for example, doesn'twork with some Hewlett-Packard printers and printer-scanner-faxcombination devices. It also doesn't recognize some cable and DSLmodems.
Microsoft maintains a list of hardware and software that has beentested for XP compatibility (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/checkcompat.asp). Try plugging in the make ormodel of a peripheral; if the device doesn't show up in the resultinglist, it probably won't work in XP -- at least, not until its vendorships XP-compatible drivers.
Most software, however, should work in XP, even DOS programs. Butmultimedia, security, virtual-private-network (VPN) or anti-virussoftware will probably need upgrades before they work. AmericaOnline's software all but orders users to upgrade to the new Version7.0, warning that they'll only get two more log-ins on a Windows XPmachine. (See related story, "Rivalry With AOL Only Sharpened," PageE1.)
Networking -- one of XP's major selling points -- is another riskyarea. The Home edition of XP won't work properly with many corporatenetworks, a big problem for users who like to take work home withthem, then log in to the office using VPN or other remote-accessprotocols.
One user -- by day he is technical director for a major defensecontractor -- fumed in an e-mail about this limitation. "No supportof VPN and the other lock-downs in XP 'Home' clearly means thatMicrosoft still simply does not understand the real 'home' market,"wrote Bill Malthouse of Arlington. "The real reason we bought the PC. . . was to be able to work from home."
You can still do that with XP -- the Professional edition, whichruns $100 more than the Home edition, supports all these business-class options.
Even within one home, networking in XP can get tricky: Many peoplehave discovered that XP Home doesn't work well with existing homenetworks.
Try these tips, and chances are your connection will spring backto life. First, turn off XP's Internet Connection Firewall; with itup, your XP machine can't talk to your network. Next, check theNetwork control panel to ensure that all the computers are set to useTCP/IP networking, not "NetBEUI" (an unsupported extra in XP).Finally, verify that XP is set up with the workgroup name you chosefor the old network and hasn't reset itself to the default "MSHOME"name.
The final thing to watch out for is XP's automatic-software-update feature. The concept is sound, but history suggests it's agood idea to check the fine print of each automatic update. The mostrecent patch -- issued on Oct. 25, the day XP was launched -- islabeled as a critical update that must be installed immediately. Butin its documentation, Microsoft says the patch "is only for systemsexperiencing the HTTP Request Encoding Vulnerability." Will thisupgrade do any actual harm? Probably not, but users can be forgivenif they don't want to take the chance.
Success with XP is certainly possible. Said Steve Dee, chiefsystems architect at Business Solution Integrators in Columbia: "I'vebeen running XP since Beta 1 on my old, old 266 MHz PII with 128 MBbox with really no problems whatsoever" -- a system that barely meetsMicrosoft's minimum for XP.
And if upgrading really does have you buffaloed, well, you canalways buy a new PC.
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