Customer Rating:  
Summary: How long will it live?
Comment: Microsoft is trying to kill off Windows XP, but with the non-acceptance of Vista, it will live on for some time. Eventually MS will cut the cord on support, but until then, this is s fine operating system.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Can be a great upgrade.
Comment: I have an older Dell Dimension 4100 Pentium III (800 MHZ) with 128 MB RAM, 30 Gigs, and Windows ME. I decided to try the upgrade as fewer and fewer things are ME compatible, and my computer was still working great. My first try, I lost everything on my hard drive - you can't always restore to what you had, contrary to what the guide tells you. I would say if you are going to do this, first do a fresh install of Windows ME, then install XP before any add on drivers. The second try (with a fresh Windows ME install) went much better. The only problem I had was that when I would go to stand-bye or hybernate, the system ended up having to recover from a serious error. The problem was my video card - a Nvidia Riva TNT 64 (32MB). It is not compatible with Windows XP, and none of the driver updates would help. Other than that, things worked pretty well.
I decided to install a different video card. Found a used Winfast Geforce4 TI4200 (64MB) AGP video card on E-Bay for $14 with shipping. I also decided to upgrade my RAM from 128 MB to 384 MB by adding 256 SDRAM ($25 new) in the open slot. I had never even opened a case before, but the installation of each went very well (be sure to use a static strap).
Now, I couldn't be happier with my computer, and the XP upgrade! Since XP doesn't require anywhere near as much RAM as Vista to operate(1000 MB minimum rec.), 384 MB is very fast. I'm actually planning on upping to the maximum I can of 512 MB RAM. The system is now very stable - haven't had a single problem since the mods! Surfing with multiple windows open while simultaneously synching my Zune, or listening to music is no problem! I'm figuring that I should be able to get at least another few years out of my computer.
I would say if you are thinking about doing the XP add on, first run a check ahead of time to see what compatibility issues you may have (Microsoft has a free on-line check). It CAN be a great way to squeeze a few more years out of an older computer, but there may be some complications which take some time and effort to solve. If you are even slightly mechanically inclined, your older computer is working well, and you don't want to be part of the "throw away" society, I would say to go for the upgrade. After the modifications, I'm extremely pleased with the results - they definitely exceeded my expectations! For how I use my computer, it is just as fast as most brand new computers!
It is probably a good idea to spend a few extra dollars, and get the stand-alone version, and not the upgrade to decrease the hassle, and likelihood of errors.
I gave it three stars because of the initial compatibility problems. After performing the upgrades (now have 512 RAM), I would give it five stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great upgrade from 98/me
Comment: If you are still running a machine with 98 or ME, this could be your last upgrade for that machine to get a little more use out of it before having to break down and buy a new machine capable of running Vista. It drastically cut the down time due to the blue screen errors on 98 and ME.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Overall operating system is very good
Comment: The operating system is a very good operating system for a home computer. But, obviously, if you want a computer with more security features or networking features, you should go with Windows XP Professional. At the time that I am writing this, which is a long time from when I purchased Windows XP, it is a time where Windows Vista is emerging. If you plan on upgrading a slightly older computer, I recommend Windows XP Home/Professional (based on your requirements). But if you are looking for a safe operating system for your beast, try Windows Vista. But one word of warning about Vista, the User Account Control (UAC) is a pain in the butt.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Errrrrrrrrrrrrrgh...
Comment: This is the slowest. Operating. System I have ever used. The first time I installed XP Home, I didn't see what was so bad about it, but when we tried installing it on our new Gateway Machine, it imedettly slowed all system operations down to a crawl. Even My brother's laptop, which is a very Fast Machine, has XP pro, and it randomly slows down. Don't get this operating system. It's slow, buggy, and expensive.
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![Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade [OLD VERSION]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41CERZMRJ2L._SL160_.jpg)
