Chapter One
Introducing Windows XP Professional
Since the advent of the personal computer, users have wanted three things in an operating system: power, stability, and usability. Windows XP Professional has all these and more in abundance. It features an indefatigable 32-bit architecture, complete with built-in networking and the capability to run almost every piece of Windows software on the market, as well as a new interface.
What does all this mean to the consumer, the person sitting at a desk 52 weeks a year who just wants to be a productive computer user? It means a lot. It means a fast, up-to-date operating system with a slew of advanced features that ensure the computer will almost never crash. It means an operating system that can host the emerging multitude of 32-bit software applications, some of which offer amazing facilities for professional audio and video recording, editing, and broadcasting. It means a new interface, which gives users tremendous control over how the system performs its tasks and how it maintains its connections to peripherals and to other computers.
In this chapter, I'll give you an overview of Windows XP Professional: what's new, what's different, and what's under the hood. I'll compare Windows XP Professional with its sibling, Windows XP Home, with its cousins Windows XP Media Center Edition and Windows XP Tablet Edition, and with previous versions of Windows. In later chapters, I'll expand on most of the topics I'll introduce in this chapter, but you'll find a lot here to whet your appetite.
* What is Windows XP Professional? * What's new in Windows XP Professional? * Should you upgrade to Windows XP Professional? * How is Windows XP Professional different from other operating systems? * What are the features of Windows XP Professional architecture?
What Is Windows XP Professional?
In a nutshell: Windows XP Professional is the latest version of the Windows NT family of operating systems (which includes Windows 2000). Windows XP Professional comprises a feature set designed for business users, while its less powerful (and less expensive) sibling Windows XP Home offers features designed for home users.
If you've used Windows before, or if you're currently using Windows, you may wonder what the big deal is. The good news is that Windows XP is a big deal, especially if you've had less than satisfactory experiences with Windows in the past. Windows XP isn't the be-all and end-all of operating systems, but it's a great improvement on its predecessors.
As you probably know, in the past, Microsoft offered two main categories of Windows versions for 32-bit personal computers: the Windows 95 family and the Windows NT family. In the Windows 95 family were Windows 95 itself, naturally enough; Windows 98; Windows 98 Second Edition, which despite its unassuming name was a major upgrade to Windows 98; and Windows Millennium Edition, also known as Windows Me. In the Windows NT family were Windows NT versions 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, and 4, each of which came in a Workstation version and a Server version, and then Windows 2000, which came in a Professional version and several Server versions.
The Windows 95 family, widely referred to as Windows 9x in a brave attempt to simplify Microsoft's inconsistent nomenclature, offered impressive compatibility with older hardware ("legacy hardware," as it's sometimes politely termed) and software ("legacy software"), including full (or full-ish) DOS capabilities for running games and character-based applications. These versions of Windows kept their hardware demands to a reasonable minimum. They were aimed at the consumer market. When things went wrong (which happened regrettably often), they became unstable. And they crashed. Frequently.
Many of those people-both professionals and home users-who couldn't stand or afford to lose their work because of Windows 9x's frequent crashes migrated to Windows NT versions instead. (Others tried OS/2 while it lasted, then returned disconsolately to Windows. Others went to Linux and mostly stayed there.) NT, which stands for New Technology, had a completely different underpinning of code than Windows 9x. NT was designed for stability, and as a result, it crashed much less frequently than Windows 9x. Unfortunately, though, NT wasn't nearly as compatible as Windows 9x with legacy hardware and software. Most games and much audio and video software wouldn't run on NT, and it was picky about the hardware on which it would run. (Actually, this wasn't "unfortunate" at all-it was deliberate on Microsoft's part and probably wise. But the result was far from great for many users.)
So for the last half-dozen years, users have essentially had to decide between stability and compatibility. This led to a lot of unhappy users, some of whom couldn't run the software they wanted, and others who kept losing work or at least having to reboot their computers more than they should have had to.
The Windows 9x line culminated in Windows Me, which tacked some stability and restoration features on to the Windows 9x code base. NT culminated in Windows 2000 Professional, which featured increased compatibility with applications over NT (which wasn't saying all that much-many games still didn't run on Windows 2000 Professional), a smooth user interface, and usability enhancements.
Windows 2000 Professional was arguably the most stable operating system that Microsoft had produced until Windows XP came along. (Some old-timers reckoned Windows NT 3.51 was more stable.) But Windows 2000 Professional's stability came at a price: It had no interest in running any games or other demanding software that wouldn't conform to its stringent requirements. And while it was compatible with quite an impressive range of legacy hardware, many items still wouldn't work. Even up-to-date hardware could be problematic, especially if it connected via USB.
Since the late 1990s, Microsoft had been promising to deliver a consumer version of Windows that melded the stability of NT and the compatibility of Windows 9x. In Windows XP Home Edition, that version of Windows is finally here. According to Microsoft, Windows XP Professional is a strict superset of Home Edition, as well as of all the desktop clients that preceded Professional.
NOTE
Windows 2003 Server is a separate version of Windows, designed for use on servers. It does everything that Windows XP Professional does and adds a comprehensive set of tools for managing and administering a network. It is designed to run on a network file server or application server. Chapter 20, "Connecting to Domains," and 21, "Introduction to Server 2003," cover it.
What's New in Windows XP Professional?
This section outlines the most striking and appealing new features in Windows XP, starting with installing and upgrading, moving through the user interface and visible features, and ending up with the features hidden under the hood.
Some of these new features fall into convenient categories, and this section presents them in those categories. Others don't; this section presents these features individually.
The "Evil" Windows Product Activation
The notion behind this controversial new feature of Windows XP is really rather simple-to prevent piracy. In a nutshell, Windows Product Activation (WPA) ties each copy of Windows XP to a specific computer. Although activation is mandatory, it is anonymous. Your Product Key is coupled to a computer hardware ID that is nonunique and cannot be traced back to a specific computer.
WPA is not the same as product registration, and you can take care of it over the Internet or by phone. After installation, you are asked if you want to activate the product. If you don't do it then, you'll have a certain number of days to do so. If you still haven't activated your copy of Windows XP within that time, you'll be able to boot the system, but you won't be able to get beyond the opening screen until you activate.
NOTE
Corporate and academic users who purchase volume licenses for Windows XP don't have to worry about activation. Their versions of Windows XP don't include WPA.
Easier Installation and Updating
Windows XP includes several features designed to make it easier to install and to keep up-to-date. These include Windows Update; the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard; more wizards for a variety of tasks; a wider selection of device drivers; simplified installation for multifunction devices; and an effective way to uninstall and revert to your previous version of Windows.
Windows Update
The Automatic Updates feature runs periodically after setup and offers to download the latest patches, packages, and fixes and install them so that your copy of Windows is as up-to-date, secure, and compatible as possible. (You can also run Windows Update manually whenever you want.) When you install Service Pack 2 (SP2), or buy a PC with Windows XP SP2 already installed, the initial configuration routine offers to turn on automatic updating for you (highly recommended).
Files and Settings Transfer Wizard
Making its debut in Windows XP is the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, a feature that Windows users have been demanding for a good 10 years. The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard provides a way of transferring designated files and settings from one computer to another or from one installation of Windows to another on the same computer. You'll still need to reinstall all your programs on the new computer or new installation of Windows, but you can transfer your data and a good amount of information about your work environment easily.
If you're migrating from an old computer to a new computer, or if you're installing Windows XP as a dual-boot with an existing version of Windows, you can use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard to clone your existing Desktop and files and transfer them to the new computer or new version of Windows.
More Wizards to Make Tasks Easier
Windows XP includes a slew of wizards designed to walk you through complicated processes (and some that aren't so complicated). Perhaps most welcome are the improvements to the Network Setup Wizard, which provides effective configuration of simple networks and Internet Connection Sharing, and the Add Hardware Wizard. SP2 also adds a Wireless Network Setup Wizard that offers to configure WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) security for the network.
On the less useful front, Windows XP also includes wizards such as the Desktop Cleanup Wizard, which pops out periodically like the neighborhood dog and tries to persuade you to let it herd the stray icons on your Desktop into a folder where they'll be available but less obtrusive. If you refuse, it wags its tail and goes away for a while.
More Device Drivers
Windows XP comes complete with drivers for a large number of devices, including scanners, digital still cameras, digital video cameras, printers, and so on. So there's a better chance than with another version of Windows (say, Windows Me or Windows 2000) that when you plug in a new device, Windows XP will be able to load a driver for it and get it working without any fuss.
You'll probably want to take this improvement with a grain of salt. To enjoy the latest features and the best performance from a new device, you'll probably want to install the driver that comes with the device or (better) download the latest version from the manufacturer's website.
Simplified Installation for Multifunction Devices
Apart from having more drivers (as described in the previous section), Windows XP makes it easier to install multifunction devices-for example, a multifunction printer/scanner/fax device (the kind that people sometimes call "hydra" machines), a PC card that combines a network interface card with a modem, or a sound board with extra features.
Previous versions of Windows tended to recognize the component pieces of multifunction devices separately in sequence. If you installed a hydra, Windows would recognize the printer and demand the installation software for it. Once that was done, Windows would recognize the fax and demand the software for that. After that, it would recognize the scanner and suggest you might want to install yet more software. Windows XP improves on this social ineptitude by recognizing multifunction devices as such the first time you introduce it to them, and so it demands the installation software only once.
Effective Uninstall Back to Windows 98 and Windows Me
Windows XP Professional provides an effective uninstall feature for rolling back the Windows XP installation to your previous installation of Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Me. However, you can't revert to a previous installation of Windows NT 4 or Windows 2000 Professional.
Effective Multiuser Capabilities
Windows XP provides far better multiuser capabilities than Windows 9x and requires an existing account and password in order to log on. Like NT and Windows 2000, Windows XP provides features for preventing one user from seeing another user's files. Windows XP keeps each user's files separate so that no user can see another user's files unless they have been shared deliberately.
Windows XP goes further than NT and Windows 2000, though, in that it lets multiple users be logged on at the same time, each with applications running. Only one user can be actually using the computer, or can be active, in Windows XP parlance, at any one time, butt the other user sessions continue running in the background (disconnected, in Windows XP parlance). When you've finished with the computer for the time being, you can log off Windows, just as you did in previous versions. Logging off closes all the applications you were using and frees up the memory they took up. But if you stop using the computer only temporarily, you may prefer to "switch users," which leaves your applications running but lets someone else use the computer in the interim.
Enhanced User Interface
Windows XP has a completely revamped user interface with a large number of visual enhancements and improved functionality. Some of the visual enhancements improve usability, while others are mere eye candy. But the overall effect is mostly easy to use and mostly looks good-and if you don't like the look, you can restore the "classic" Windows look with minimal effort.
The following sections discuss the main changes to the user interface.
Redesigned Start Menu
Windows XP sports a redesigned Start menu that's supposedly easier and quicker to use. Whether you find it so depends on your experience with the Start menu in Windows 9x and Windows 2000. But don't worry if you like the "classic" Start menu-you can restore it easily enough with a few clicks of the mouse.
The Start menu appears as a panel containing two columns (shown in Figure 1.1). The right-hand column remains the same unless you customize it. The lower part of the left-hand column automatically reconfigures itself to show your most used applications. You can pin an item to the Start menu to prevent it from moving and keep it available.
As you can see in the figure, the current user's name appears in a bar across the top of the Start menu, and the Log Off and Shut Down buttons appear at the bottom of the menu.
Redesigned Control Panel
Windows XP also has a redesigned Control Panel (shown in Figure 1.2) that presents Control Panel as categories of items and actions you can take with them. The Security Center icon will appear only if you have installed SP2.
New users will likely find the Category view of Control Panel easy to use. Power users who are familiar with the regular manifestation of Control Panel in Windows 9x, Windows NT 4, and Windows 2000 will probably prefer to use the Classic view. (I know I do.) You can select it from the pane to the left of the main Control Panel window.
Eye Candy
To complement its highly graphical interface, Windows XP includes a dangerous amount of eye candy. Most people will like at least some of it. Some users will love it all. And no doubt, some people will claim to detest every pixel of it.
A prime example of eye candy is the My Pictures Slideshow screen saver, which lets you set up an automated (or mouse-controlled) slideshow of designated pictures instead of a regular screen saver. This feature seems destined to be widely popular.
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Excerpted from Mastering Windows XP Professionalby Mark Minasi Excerpted by permission.
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