It?s wise to size up Microsoft Windows XP before installing

On Oct. 25, Microsoft will begin selling the Windows XP operating system. To introduce this new operating system as soon as possible, Microsoft has given the go-ahead to several vendors to ship their hardware with Windows XP as early as September. Suffering a slump in revenue lately, vendors are hoping that Windows XP-installed machines will boost sales.

According to Microsoft, the added features and ease of use will make Windows XP the best Windows ever. Its foundation is based on Windows NT and Windows 2000 technology instead of the less stable Windows 98 or ME software. Microsoft will offer the operating system in two versions: Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional.

Users who want Windows XP may be better off buying a new PC with XP installed than installing an upgrade in an older system. PCs with Windows 95 installed may not be powerful enough for the new operating system, since the minimum requirements are systems with a 233-MHz processor, 64MB of RAM and about 1.5GB of available hard disk space. Certain built-in applications, like the Windows Movie Maker, need a 400-MHz processor.

Preparations are needed before up-grading from an earlier version of Windows to Windows XP. A major source of system crashes is hardware incompatibility. XP's stability depends on hardware that has been certified by Microsoft as compatible. Before upgrading, you should check whether a Microsoft-certified driver is available for your peripherals. Chances are you may need to buy a new device or two.

Similar issues can be found with software. XP runs best with Microsoft-certified applications. Older applications may or may not work with XP.

If an application is found not compatible by XP, the operating system will block the application's function. Because there are so many applications made for the Windows 95 and 98 systems, Microsoft is making an effort to allow many old applications to work with the aid of built-in utilities. Claiming that incompatible software can affect XP's efficiency and stability, Microsoft is discouraging third-party software makers from offering fixes, which means that you may need to buy software made for XP when you buy the XP system.

What will become a big issue to many will be when they find out that the days of using one installation disk of Windows to install into more than one PC is over. Microsoft has found a physical way to enforce the Microsoft End-User License Agreement. It is called the Microsoft Product Activation Policy. It allows the user to install Windows XP on only one PC. Under this new policy, you must use the CD key code that comes with the software to install the operating system. The Microsoft Product Activa-tion wizard in XP will go through a process to activate the software. Part of the process is to identify the system's configuration to create a hardware ID and contact Microsoft to get an activation code. If you don't activate the software within the 30-day period, you won't be able to boot Windows XP past a dialog box that prompts you to enter the activation code.

Microsoft has said that reinstalling the operating system should not be a problem using the given activation code. But that might not be true if you make major hardware changes. Changes that go beyond the parameters stored in the hardware ID may require activation by placing a call to the Microsoft Activation Center. To install the operating system into a new PC after uninstalling it from the old PC may require activation the same way. You will need to refer to the terms of the license agreement to determine whether it is legal to transfer a license to another computer.

To strengthen its grip on its market share, Microsoft is counting on its bundle of built-in applications to encourage computer users to move up to Windows XP, set up a Microsoft .NET Passport account and use the online services of businesses that have partnered with Microsoft. To use XP's instant messaging, voice and videoconferencing, and the operating system's application sharing capabilities, all parties will need a Microsoft .NET Passport account

To mention some of the built-in features, one is called My Picture. It can acquire images from scanners and digital cameras for editing, printing and publishing on the World Wide Web. An im-proved feature is Internet Explorer 6, which uses a simpler format than the previous versions. The Windows Media Player in XP has the ability to play DVDs, organize music and burn CDs using XP's built-in CD-burning application. A new feature called Windows Mo-vie Maker can capture, edit, organize and share home movies recorded by a digital video camera or an analog camera.

With all the new features and improved ease of use, Windows XP sounds like it will be a dream operating system. If you think Windows XP will be something you must have, you should plan and do some research. It may be best to consider if Microsoft's future plan on what you should have in your computer is what you plan to have in your computer before you buy. To know more about Windows XP, go to the Microsoft Web site at www.microsoft. com/windowsxp/.

(Randel H. Hanes is the owner of Hanes' Desktop Network, a Web site development and computer information services firm.)