Can I Use It? - Microsoft Windows XP Professional

LouieTheOSPerson

Welcome.. to another forum-i-sode of Can I Use It? WIth Your Host... LouieTheOSPerson!

So I got asked this question by a fellow WinBoards user if I would use Windows Vista or XP. Well, I have already done Windows Vista so why don't we do one of the greatest Operating Systems of all time! You guessed it... Windows XP!

Today's Windows Version: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Build 2563.. Commonly known as RC1!
Latest Windows Version: Microsoft Windows 10 Build 16170.. Commonly known as RS3

Installation:



You can see, straight away that this does not exactly look user-friendly with the DOS-like interface. Compared to Windows Vista, this is not as user-friendly. However, you just have to set up your Windows partition, agree to the license agreement and 'read' it over then wait for the computer to restart.



Then, it gets more user-friendly as there is now a friendly, familiar Windows interface. You just have to fill in your language, time zone, product key, PC name and admin password and network settings and wait for it to finish.



Finally, you set your user preferences, such as internet connection, user name and register with microsoft.



Then you are at the Windows desktop!


Simplicity (Fail)
No Errors (Pass)
No Extra Steps (Pass)


Pass!

Internet



Internet Explorer 6 thinks it is Internet Explorer 7.. great start.. anyway, the web browser barely loaded pages however it managed to download Firefox successfully.



Here is Firefox being downloaded, the Windows 2000 ESR release since the latest Windows XP version required SP2.



Don't mind the Firefox error, that is just a firefox error. But Google, Youtube, G-mail, etc work just fine.

Internet Connection (Pass)
Internet Explorer (Fail)
Mozilla Firefox (Pass)

Pass!

Email



Google Mail does work in basic HTML mode and can easily send and recieve e-mails. However, the Google Mail interface is severely reduced to the HTML mode.



Outlook Express only recieves the first 8 e-mails in your inbox, maybe just a limitation of Outlook Express, however, sending emails does not work.


Send/Recieve (Fail)
Google Mail (Fail)
Outlook Express (Fail)

Overall Fail!

Media Streaming



YouTube does work however tends to have problems with sounds at some points, this may just be a virtual machine thing as it affects the full operating system.



Spotify downloads but does not install, like in Vista. The web player also refuses to work.



Windows Media Guide doesn't work any more as it was shut down in June, so no Radio Streaming.


Video Streaming (Pass)
Music Streaming (Fail)
Radio Streaming (Fail)

Fail

Office



Google Docs work just fine in Mozilla Firefox, providing you have an internet connection.



OpenOffice still works on the latest version with Windows XP, surprisingly.

Editing Files (Pass)
Google Docs (Pass)
OpenOffice (Pass)

Overall Pass!

In conclusion, Windows XP is usable but struggles with Internet tasks, streaming and you will probably have to use older software. Mail also doesn't work, unless you go on a web browser. My final opinion is, Windows XP or Windows Vista, well...Windows Vista does things that Windows XP can't, so it will have to be Windows Vista.

altracker9

Windows XP needs update to SP3 for real world test.
Firefox is currently at v52.0.2 ESR. Works fine for now.
Msft Outlook 2000 sends and receives Email with no problems.
Media streaming is slow, but usable. Need latest Adobe Flash.

BigCJ

altracker9 is right. Nobody uses betas, Service Pack 2 would really be the cutoff for old versions of XP that really do anything. Even Microsoft lists XP with SP3 as the minimum for their shitty dial-up service. My point is this, these betas you keep testing don't go anywhere because they were never really meant to.

LouieTheOSPerson

BigCJ wrote:

altracker9 is right. Nobody uses betas, Service Pack 2 would really be the cutoff for old versions of XP that really do anything. Even Microsoft lists XP with SP3 as the minimum for their shitty dial-up service. My point is this, these betas you keep testing don't go anywhere because they were never really meant to.

I know what you mean, the problem with testing actual working software is the fact that the RTM of Windows XP or Vista are not hosted on WinWorld and it would possibly still be against the license agreement of XP to download the RTM of XP, maybe not Vista as very very few people use it but still. I try to go with either the RTM or the latest Release Candidate with a product key, in that case you have to think of me as a user who has just installed XP and wants to try it out straight away.

02k-guy

these betas you keep testing don't go anywhere because they were never really meant to.

^^^---w0t he said.

LouieTheOSPerson

I use Release Candidates instead of Betas because the Release Candidates, generally the final release candidate. like I used for Vista, will be what will make it into production.

Here is an article I found on Wikipedia if you need to know what a Release Candidate is.

'A release candidate (RC), also known as "going silver", is a beta version with potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge. In this stage of product stabilization, all product features have been designed, coded and tested through one or more beta cycles with no known showstopper-class bugs. A release is called code complete when the development team agrees that no entirely new source code will be added to this release. There could still be source code changes to fix defects, changes to documentation and data files, and peripheral code for test cases or utilities. Beta testers, if privately selected, will often be credited for using the release candidate as though it were a finished product. Beta testing is conducted in a client's or customer's location and to test the software from a user's perspective.'

Bry89

When I did a fresh install of it under Virtual PC 2007 a couple of months back, I had a little problem trying to get my copy to be validated (as I used my own disc for it) because the servers to authenticate it were down but fortunately, I still had my own validation key. From this thread, you are free to use XP if you want but please don't connect it to the Internet unless you want to get hacked into.

Also, could I request Windows 2000 to be covered for this sort of thing? I'd like to see if anyone can really use that despite the limitations it would have.

BigCJ

LouieTheOSPerson wrote:

the problem with testing actual working software is the fact that the RTM of Windows XP or Vista are not hosted on WinWorld and it would possibly still be against the license agreement of XP to download the RTM of XP, maybe not Vista as very very few people use it

As long as you don't try to bypass activation, you're not doing anything against that stupid license agreement nobody reads. Microsoft only goes after those downloading XP because it's popular, unsupported and easy to crack, which makes you less likely to "upgrade" to Windoze Tehn and more vulnerable to attacks. Windows XP and newer are trialware, meaning you can test it for 30 days before having to input a valid Product Key and activate or remove it from your system. That's part of the reason you have a month to activate instead of a shorter period of time like a week.

Bry89 wrote:

Also, could I request Windows 2000 to be covered for this sort of thing?

Now that would be something to see. Just how far on the web could one get with Win2k Pro?

Twiggy

Windows XP is the OS I have used the most. I still have the serial number and the installation disk kicking around somewhere.

Bry89

BigCJ wrote:

Bry89 wrote:

Also, could I request Windows 2000 to be covered for this sort of thing?

Now that would be something to see. Just how far on the web could one get with Win2k Pro?

Well, I have Firefox 12 on my Win2000 VM and internet surfing is near flawless. Especially with AdBlock Plus thrown in for extra measure.

LouieTheOSPerson

Bry89 wrote:

Also, could I request Windows 2000 to be covered for this sort of thing? I'd like to see if anyone can really use that despite the limitations it would have.

How weird... I have a Windows 2000 ISO here.. well.. you know what I'm gonna do!

chinesefriend

Our country have too much XP WIN7 ISO,but I can't upload this website.