The system requirements swamp
Windows XP seems to come with two sets of system requirements, confusing many would-be upgraders. Microsoft issued a minimum requirement for hardware performance and capabilities; if you don't meet that requirement, XP simply refuses to install. But the company also issued a minimum recommendation--a set of far more stringent specs that should result in optimum performance. So, which set applies to you?

We've taken the last six months to play around with various hardware configurations and found that you need worry only about the minimum requirements. You can run XP on any system that meets or exceeds those specs--namely a 233MHz CPU with 64MB of RAM memory, 1.5GB free drive space, 800x600 display capability, and a CD-ROM drive. But if you want XP to run fast and crash-free, the minimum recommendation offers a sort of best practices target point.

More is better
Over the past six months, we've determined that XP runs just fine on a Pentium III-500 with 128MB of RAM. As expected, however, boosting both hard drive speed and RAM makes a significant difference in XP's performance. For best results, choose a hard drive that spins at 7,200 or 10,000RPM (vs. a 5,400RPM drive), a fast enough processor to feed it (400, 600, or 800MHz vs. 233 or 266MHz), and generous amounts of RAM (256 or 512MB vs. 64 or 128MB). You should probably avoid 8- or 16-bit ISA or legacy I/O cards for sound and video, and we highly recommend PCI or AGP video cards, too, in order to enjoy XP's nifty video effects, such as menus that fade in and out and drop shadows on windows and desktop icons.

Many complaints on Help.com's XP message board indicate that several system-board and hardware vendors have not and do not plan to provide XP drivers, but we've found that most hardware works well using Windows 2000 drivers. For example, you can't install Windows XP if your motherboard contains the HighPoint Technologies HPT-366 chipset (Highpoint's tech-support personnel confirm this); XP just doesn't have the drivers to support the chipset. To get XP to work on that hardware, you can download and use Windows 2000 drivers for the chipset or contact HighPoint Technologies' help desk and ask for XP-specific drivers, which you must load early in the XP setup process.