What's New in Microsoft Windows XP



What's New in Microsoft Windows XP

You'll notice some changes as soon as you start Microsoft Windows XP. The desktop background, Start menu, and taskbar have a new look. But the features that are new or greatly improved in this version of Windows go beyond just changes in appearance. Some changes won't be apparent to you until you start using the program.

Windows XP comes in several editions:

• Windows XP Professional is designed for businesses of all sizes, and in some cases might be appropriate for home use, if you have a networked environment within your home. You can upgrade to Windows XP Professional from Microsoft Windows NT Workstation or Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional.

• Windows XP Home Edition is designed for home computers that are not operating within a network domain. (Windows XP Home Edition computers can be included in a network, but not under a domain controller.) Windows XP Home Edition is designed as the upgrade from Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me). Windows XP Home Edition includes great new features that make it easy to work (and play) with the multimedia and Internet capabilities of your computer.

• Windows XP Media Center Edition is specially designed to provide a rich multimedia home entertainment experience through your computer. Media Center PCs have upgraded hardware that you can use to watch and record television shows, play DVDs, and manage your music collection. Media Center PCs are generally built with higher-end hardware configurations that you can use to store and work with large media files. This book does not specifically cover Windows XP Media Center Edition.

• Windows XP Tablet PC Edition enables handwriting recognition and other pen and ink technologies that are specific to tablet-style personal computers. This book does not specifically cover Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

• Windows XP 64-Bit Edition runs only on specific types of computers that support 64-bit computing. These computers are designed for specialized work that requires a lot of memory, such as high-level graphic and multi-media design. This book does not specifically cover Windows XP 64-Bit Edition.

The exercises in this book cover the features of Windows XP that you are most likely to need and assume that you have administrative privileges on your computer. Unless an exercise is specifically for Windows XP Home Edition, screenshots depict the Windows XP Professional user interface.

About Windows XP Service Packs

A service pack is a periodic, planned, product update that includes a number of feature and performance improvements, some planned by the company, some requested by customers, and others necessitated by bugs or other issues discovered after a product ships. Windows XP Service Packs are available as free updates to your installed Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition operating system. If you purchased your computer after the release of a service pack, the service pack might be pre-installed on your computer by the manufacturer. The Windows XP Service Packs apply only to Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition.

Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), released in September 2002, contains updates that address the following areas of Windows XP functionality:

• Security fixes, operating system reliability, and application compatibility. SP1 includes all the security patches created since Windows XP was first released in 2001, critical updates created during Microsoft's 2002 Trustworthy Computing initiative, and Windows Messenger version 4.7, an updated instant messaging program with added security features (also available as a free-standing Internet download).

• New features. SP1 includes support for USB 2.0, Microsoft .NET Framework, and upcoming new computer hardware including Tablet PCs.

• New middleware options. SP1 includes functionality with which you can easily specify the programs you want to use for browsing the Web, playing media clips, reading e-mail, and sending instant messages. You use a simple interface to choose all the standard Microsoft applications or any other applications that are installed on your computer.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), released in July 2004, contains all the elements of SP1 plus additional updates, including:

• Security technologies that improve the ability of Windows XP–based computers to withstand malicious attacks from viruses and worms. These technologies include network protection, memory protection, safer e-mail handling, more secure Internet browsing, and improved computer maintenance.

• Bug fixes. SP2 includes over 300 code fixes made since the release of SP1. A full list of these fixes including links to the problem descriptions is available at go.fwlink/?linkId=20403.

• Software updates. SP2 includes Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 Series.

SP2 is not a required upgrade, but it might improve the way your programs run with Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition. The SP2 upgrade is recommended to ensure that your Windows XP installation is as secure as possible.

For more information about service packs, see "Why Service Packs are Better Than Patches" at technet/archive/community/columns/security/essays/srvpatch.mspx.

How New Features Are Identified

To help you quickly identify features that are new or greatly enhanced with this version of Windows, this book uses the New for Windows XP icon in the margin whenever those features are discussed or shown. If you want to learn about only the new features of the program, you can skim through the book, reading the topics that show the New for Windows XP icon.

What's New in Microsoft Windows XP

You'll notice some changes as soon as you start Microsoft Windows XP. The desktop background, Start menu, and taskbar have a new look. But the features that are new or greatly improved in this version of Windows go beyond just changes in appearance. Some changes won't be apparent to you until you start using the program.

Windows XP comes in several editions:

• Windows XP Professional is designed for businesses of all sizes, and in some cases might be appropriate for home use, if you have a networked environment within your home. You can upgrade to Windows XP Professional from Microsoft Windows NT Workstation or Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional.

• Windows XP Home Edition is designed for home computers that are not operating within a network domain. (Windows XP Home Edition computers can be included in a network, but not under a domain controller.) Windows XP Home Edition is designed as the upgrade from Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me). Windows XP Home Edition includes great new features that make it easy to work (and play) with the multimedia and Internet capabilities of your computer.

• Windows XP Media Center Edition is specially designed to provide a rich multimedia home entertainment experience through your computer. Media Center PCs have upgraded hardware that you can use to watch and record television shows, play DVDs, and manage your music collection. Media Center PCs are generally built with higher-end hardware configurations that you can use to store and work with large media files. This book does not specifically cover Windows XP Media Center Edition.

• Windows XP Tablet PC Edition enables handwriting recognition and other pen and ink technologies that are specific to tablet-style personal computers. This book does not specifically cover Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

• Windows XP 64-Bit Edition runs only on specific types of computers that support 64-bit computing. These computers are designed for specialized work that requires a lot of memory, such as high-level graphic and multi-media design. This book does not specifically cover Windows XP 64-Bit Edition.

The exercises in this book cover the features of Windows XP that you are most likely to need and assume that you have administrative privileges on your computer. Unless an exercise is specifically for Windows XP Home Edition, screenshots depict the Windows XP Professional user interface.

About Windows XP Service Packs

A service pack is a periodic, planned, product update that includes a number of feature and performance improvements, some planned by the company, some requested by customers, and others necessitated by bugs or other issues discovered after a product ships. Windows XP Service Packs are available as free updates to your installed Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition operating system. If you purchased your computer after the release of a service pack, the service pack might be pre-installed on your computer by the manufacturer. The Windows XP Service Packs apply only to Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition.

Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), released in September 2002, contains updates that address the following areas of Windows XP functionality:

• Security fixes, operating system reliability, and application compatibility. SP1 includes all the security patches created since Windows XP was first released in 2001, critical updates created during Microsoft's 2002 Trustworthy Computing initiative, and Windows Messenger version 4.7, an updated instant messaging program with added security features (also available as a free-standing Internet download).

• New features. SP1 includes support for USB 2.0, Microsoft .NET Framework, and upcoming new computer hardware including Tablet PCs.

• New middleware options. SP1 includes functionality with which you can easily specify the programs you want to use for browsing the Web, playing media clips, reading e-mail, and sending instant messages. You use a simple interface to choose all the standard Microsoft applications or any other applications that are installed on your computer.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), released in July 2004, contains all the elements of SP1 plus additional updates, including:

• Security technologies that improve the ability of Windows XP–based computers to withstand malicious attacks from viruses and worms. These technologies include network protection, memory protection, safer e-mail handling, more secure Internet browsing, and improved computer maintenance.

• Bug fixes. SP2 includes over 300 code fixes made since the release of SP1. A full list of these fixes including links to the problem descriptions is available at go.fwlink/?linkId=20403.

• Software updates. SP2 includes Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 Series.

SP2 is not a required upgrade, but it might improve the way your programs run with Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition. The SP2 upgrade is recommended to ensure that your Windows XP installation is as secure as possible.

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