Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

The ease-of-use factor brought with Windows XP Home Edition to its targeted user is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you do away with what initially seems like a lot of unnecessary third-party applications, simplifying the usually expansive program groups menu that a lot of power users are accustomed to. On the other hand, if you don't like the Microsoft way of doing things or you crave for more functionality and control, the raft of Wizards could prove intrusive or annoying.

On the whole, Microsoft's approach to providing a richer PC 'XP'erience to the majority of home users is a step in the right direction. Another plus is Windows XP Home Edition's approach to help and support, which is the best replacement for a dedicated IT support team yet realised in an OS. It does depend to some extent upon an Internet connection, although without this you still get richly detailed help files on almost any OS-related subject, including general hardware and software application queries. As mentioned with regards to disabling Windows Messenger, it's still not flawless. Connected to the Internet, you also have access to multiple information sources such as your PC manufacturer's home page, Microsoft Knowledge Base and others that will be added, probably via Windows Update, as they come online. The concept of 'Favourites' is also integrated into the Help subsystem, so you can easily find those passages most important to you. Most impressive is the ability to invite a trusted friend or support professional, also running XP, to be your remote assistant. Through an Internet connection, your assistant can chat with you, observe your working screen and, with your permission, remotely control your computer. This facility no longer leaves the professional working alone at home or otherwise at the mercy of frustratingly trying to follow somebody's phone-relayed instructions to fix hiccups - just sit back and let your trusted remote assistant fix your problems. In practice, this facility is exceptionally clever and the only problems we encountered were with bypassing certain firewall restrictions, which is to be expected.

For the professional or power user considering which version of Windows XP to opt for, it's best to peruse the list of available features in the Professional Edition and then decide whether the extra £68 asking price is worth it. I suspect for the majority of standalone desktop users, even those requiring simple home networking, which is supported on the TCP/IP protocol only, it won't be. In answer to the hardcore gamers out there, our experiences prove that the fast-moving area of graphics card driver revisions and game development will always result in a few problems, although we quickly solved the ones we encountered, so we expect you to do so as well.

Forget the snobbish route of choosing the Professional over the Home Edition just because you consider yourself a professional user or enthusiast. All the integrated apps are provided in both versions anyway. It's simply a question of whether you have to have any of the extra features provided with XP Professional. For an unmanaged desktop, I'd suggest that the majority of users, professionals and enthusiasts, will be perfectly happy with the Home Edition. The simplicity isn't as clear cut as a dumbing-down of functionality - far from it. So should you, as a standalone user, upgrade to XP? The answer is a resolute yes. This is £77 well spent, as you're buying the NT code base together with some superb features. And with exceptional stability, the extra features and time-saving, intuitive interface, XP Home Edition certainly provides for more than your average home user.

Author: Ian Robson