Microsoft Windows XP - Professional

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CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
Detailed editors' rating

Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 189 reviews
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Product summary

The good: Streamlined interface; better performance on many systems; easier and more capable networking; integrated CD-R/RW playback and burn features; Remote Assistance tool aids troubleshooting and control of remote PCs.

The bad The bad: You can install XP on only one machine; piddling discounts for additional PC licenses; nags you to sign up for Passport Web account; heavy system requirements.

The bottom line: Windows Professional boasts serious corporate administration tools--it's a trustworthy upgrade from Windows 2000.

Specifications: License qty: 1 user; License type: Complete package; Min hard drive space: 1.5 GB; ; See full specs

Price range: $133.99 - $198.93

See all products in the Microsoft Windows XP - Professional series

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: Matt Lake
Reviewed on: 09/03/2001
Updated on:11/14/2002

After a buildup of Hollywood proportions, Microsoft released its final cut of Windows XP, promising that the "biggest release since Windows 95" would end the stability woes of Windows 95 and temper the unfriendly interface of Windows 2000. We found the first release of XP expensive and occasionally annoying--nagging screens and pop-up bubbles galore--and chafed at the new license restrictions. But XP Pro offers powerful Remote Assistance tools, administrative controls, and security, and it wraps up the best features of Windows 2000 in an easier-to-navigate package. It's a must-have upgrade from Windows 95/98, but even stolid NT/2000 admins should give the new order a try.After a buildup of Hollywood proportions, Microsoft released its final cut of Windows XP, promising that the "biggest release since Windows 95" would end the stability woes of Windows 95 and temper the unfriendly interface of Windows 2000. We found the first release of XP expensive and occasionally annoying--nagging screens and pop-up bubbles galore--and chafed at the new license restrictions. But XP Pro offers powerful Remote Assistance tools, administrative controls, and security, and it wraps up the best features of Windows 2000 in an easier-to-navigate package. It's a must-have upgrade from Windows 95/98, but even stolid NT/2000 admins should give the new order a try.

This major upgrade at long last ends the distinction between the corporate (and more stable) NT/2000 Windows and the consumer-oriented Windows 95/98/Millennium. XP provides similar variations of the same OS for both home and business: XP Home and XP Professional editions. On the outside, XP looks radically different from any previous Windows version. It's spiffier, with both aesthetic and functional redesigns, and features login screens for home and corporate systems alike--something many Windows 95/98 users have never seen.

Like any radical overhaul, XP takes some getting used to--we often lost patience with it--but, after time, it's hard not to like the new design. While its new, hand-holding "task-oriented" design may annoy experienced users, Microsoft nevertheless managed to create an OS that works equally well for novices, corporate users, and enthusiasts. Despite hefty system requirements (a Pentium II-300 or faster, 128MB of RAM, and 1.5GB of free disk space), onerous product activation, and some not-so-obvious touting of Microsoft's business partners, you'll want to consider an upgrade--if not immediately, certainly the next time you buy a PC.

See more CNET content tagged:: Microsoft Windows XP,; Microsoft Corp.

User reviews

Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 189 reviews
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Showing 3 of 189 user reviewsSee all 189 user reviews
5.0 stars

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

"Amazingly better than apple os"

by microsoft* on August 9, 2006

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4.5 stars

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

"Soooo much better than OS X"

by BrianED on January 24, 2007

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3.5 stars

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

"Better for those who need more."

by jmcglynn on November 3, 2006

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Microsoft Windows XP - Professional

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Where to buy

Microsoft Windows XP - Professional: $133.99 - $198.93

store	price	in stock?
	$133.99	Yes
	$198.93	Yes
	$234.83	Yes
PC Progress	$169.00	Yes
	$168.95	No

see prices from 5 stores

Reviews from around the Web

itp.net

Editors' rating: 80

Summary: While it may leave older users out in the cold, this 64-bit consumer operating system will eventually bring quicker computing to the masses.

Read full review