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With Server 2000 we saw the release of a 64 bit version of that Operating System, and then soon there after a 64 bit version of XP and Server 2003.  These were for the Itanium Processors from Intel.  Later after the introduction of X86-64 instructions from AMD we would see non Itanium 64 bit versions of Windows released (Server 2003 and XP)  Theos early adopters would find hardware support to be buggy however.  It would not be until the release of Windows Vista that 64 Bit Windows would start to gain momentum.  Today we still have the option on installing 32 bit or 64 bit versions of Windows 7, but is 64 Bit always the best way to go?

I asked this question about my old laptop, a Compaq Presario C700 (C712NR)  It had an Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 running at 2.16 Ghz with 2 Gb of Ram.  It came with 32 bit Windows Vista Home Premium and I wanted to upgrade to Windows 7.  After a bit of research I decided to just try installing Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.

Now this computer came with 32 bit Vista and I had also installed 32 bit Windows 7 to test, I had looked at which is faster Vista Vs 7 and XP Vs 7  which you can read here

For those interested here are the numbers for Windows Vista 32 bit on this machine.  The Pass Mark Performance Test got a score of 537.8  this is not bad at all for a laptop.  Below is the Windows Experience Index (in Vista scores range from 1.0 to 5.9)

Windows Exprierence Index from Vista

Now Windows 7 32 bit got a 590.4 out of the same Performance Test.  Below is the Windows Experience Index (in Windows 7 scores range from 1.0 to 7.9)

Windows Experience Index from 7

Now Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit gets results that are not what I expected.  The Pass Mark Performance Test score is a 528 This is slower than both the 32 bit version of Windows 7 and Vista. When you look at the test results Windows 7 64 bit actually does better in some areas but worse in others however this result is in every test category, there is not one category where Windows 7 64 bit does worse in comparison to its 32 bit counter part.    Below is the Windows Experience Index and note that these values are the same as the 32 bit version.

Windows Experience Index on Windows 7 64 Bit

It is odd that the Windows Experience Index is the same but the test results are different.  After using the computer I would suggest the 64 bit version as I felt is was improved over the 32 bit version.  As always your results may very, so in conclusion I would say if you have a slower system with less than 4 Gb of ram stick with 32 bit but if the system is faster and still under 4 Gb or ram go with 64 bit, and always go with 64 bit when you have more than 4 Gb of ram.  At least that is my opinion.

Some of you know that I set up Windows Vista Home Premium on this Netbook earlier and you can read that here.  I was glad to say goodbye to  XP and see Vista running on this little machine.  Well the day after Thanksgiving I was able to get the family pack of Windows 7 Home Premium for $150.  It was time to upgrade the Mini, I knew my fiance would love the new features and I wanted to see how much better it would run on there.  So again I went to work.

Here is some background, I got this Netbook because it is light and portable, not to just check e-mail and look cool.  This thing is very light.  I would suggest any of the HP Netbooks if you are interested in them.  This one is an HP Mini 1000 the true model number is the 1030NR.  I have read that the best thing you can do to these computers that run Intel Atom processors is to upgrade the ram and I did just that, I upgraded it to 2Gb.  Other than that this thing is still stock.

The upgrade was much simpler than putting Vista on this and I would say that anyone could do this very easily.  I had purchased an external DVD drive when I got the Mini so I attached it to it and booted off of the Windows 7 install disc.  The Mini will only support 32bit versions of Windows. I booted off of the 32bit disc and formated the hard drive and installed Windows,  it was simple.  Afterward I ran Windows Updates and installed Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate.  Total Windows, Office and a few programs fills up the 16Gb Solid State hard drive.  Just a few gigs free when it is all said and done.  I again disabled System Restore and set to a manual page file size instead of letting the OS manage it.

Windows 7 on HP Mini 1030NR

This was an easy install, the Device Manager was clear from the end of installation.  However a basic mouse driver was installed.  If you want the scroll function, download the Vista mouse driver from another HP laptop that used a Synaptics driver.  Also just a note the built-in webcam in the Mini works just fine in Windows 7, did not have to load any drivers for it the Windows Setup did it automatically.

All in all this Mini seems faster with 7 installed than with Vista.  The numbers are interesting, below is the Scores from Windows 7, check out my other blog here for windows Vista’s numbers on the same machine. Remember in Vista the highest score was a 5.9, in Windows 7 the highest score is a 7.9

Again I ran the Passmark Performance Test and Vista got a 172, while Windows 7 gets a 178.8, not a big jump but it is still a performance increase and you notice it on the Mini, the system is much more responsive.

So if you bought that Netbook on Black Friday or have an older one  I would suggest a Windows 7 upgrade.  If you do not have an external DVD drive you can look into local computer service shops to do an upgrade for you.  Windows 7 takes everything good about Vista and makes it better, as well as taking the bad and making it great. This upgrade is simple and recommended.

The calculator in Windows 7 underwent a lot of change and it is awesome.  But there have been many different calculators for Windows and some of the other calculators features have been incorporated into the Windows 7 one.  So we are going to take an in-depth look at them.  Below is a look at the basic view in the Windows 7 calculator and the Windows Vista one which had not changed from the old 16bit days. 

Side by side of Windows 7 Calc and Windows Vista Calc in Basic View

The only other view in the Vista calc was the Scientific View and below is another comparison. 

Side by side of Windows 7 calc and Windows Vista calc in Scientific View

Now for a long time there has been a separate download called Calculator Plus, this has a weird interface which can be put back to the normal one. Just hit View and then hit Classic View, this will now stay the normal way.    It has unit conversions which the Windows 7 calc has.  It is available for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 from here http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=32b0d059-b53a-4dc9-8265-da47f157c091&displaylang=en

Default Skin for Calculator Plus in Windows 7

There was also a Powertoy Calculator available for Windows XP that did unit conversion and Graphing. You can get it for Windows XP from here as well as some other neat additions  http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

Default View of the Windows XP Power Toy Calculator

Now I had said earlier that all of these do some form of unit conversion.  Below is a side by side view of the conversion options.  It is interesting and a little confusing. 

Side by side of Conversion options

Now this looks very confusing so below I did a spread sheet to make it more clear. 

A better look at which calculators convert what

Now I have gotten the Exchange Rates to update in Windows 7 it just seems inconsistent.  The Windows 7 Calculator has the best conversion options so far.  It is really cool.  But Conversions is not the only thing new in the 7 Calculator.  there are two new views, Programmer pictured below.

Programmer mode in Windows 7 calc

And there is also a Statistics view which I am sure will be helpful for some students. 

Statistics mode in the Windows 7 calc

There is also a Date Calculation view that is pretty neat.  It is fun to play with.  I have had some fun with this. 

Date Calculation in Windows 7 calc

There are also Worksheets which offer different preprogrammed calculations.  They are very nice additions, and I hope it gets people thinking.  First there is a Mortgage Worksheet. 

Mortgage Worksheet in Windows 7 calc

There is also a Vehicle Lease Worksheet, I know this will help some people figure out if they can get that car. 

Vehicle Lease Worksheet in Windows 7 calc

The last two worksheets are for Fuel Economy one for the American MPG and one for the Metric L/100 KM

Fuel Economy Worksheets in Windows 7 Calc

This is a great improvement indeed.  If you like you can download the other two calculators and make your older version of Windows feel more updated and add functionality.

Well here is an interesting look at five free downloads for Windows 7, Vista, and some for XP.  If you want to add fun and functionality to your operating system than this is for you.  So lets take a look. 

1.  Windows live Mail, I use this everyday.  This is not the old Outlook Express you remember from older Windows versions.  This is more like a mini Outlook.  Not only does it do mail but it is a contact manager and has your calendar.  All of this can sync with your e-mail as well.  The e-mail function works with pop3 connections and with internet based e-mail like Hotmail, and Gmail.  This program is worth a look and allows a great place to manage your every day life.  It is part of the Windows Live Essentials pack and you can download this for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 from http://download.live.com/wlmail

Windows Live Mail in Windows 7

2. Windows Live Photo Gallery, if you want something to manage your pictures and do basic editing that is easy to use, is not slow, and you can add raw image support to then this is for you.  I prefer this to Google Picasa!  It is much more nimble and I prefer the auto correct in Windows Live Photo Gallery.  All in all it is just great software.  This is again part of the Windows Live Essentials pack and is available for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 from http://download.live.com/photogallery

Windows Live Photo Gallery in Windows 7

3. Windows Live Movie Maker, this program has changed for the better, it picks up the office tab and ribbon interface and is much easier to use.  I like the output options for YouTube, HD, or DVD.  It is just easier to use than the earlier versions.  If you want free video editing and is easy to use than this is it.  I actually enjoy using this and will start using it for the first time in a while,  I never liked the older versions.  It is again part of the Windows Live Essentials pack however it is only available for Window Vista and 7 and you can get it at http://download.live.com/moviemaker

Windows Live Movie Maker in Windows 7

4. Microsoft Security Essentials, is pretty cool. This is based on of the highly acclaimed Microsoft One Care and also draws from Microsoft Forefront.  This is free antivirus software for the home user.  So far independent tests show it to perform very well at protecting systems from viruses and spyware.  Better than most other solutions.  I have been using it on my Windows 7 installations and it has been great.  It does not constantly notify you with things.  It also replaces Windows Defender.  One program to do two things.  It is light and does not bog the system down at all.  If you don’t have money I suggest downloading this over AVG but AVG is also a good Free one.   With Security Essentials however so far so good.  It is available for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 from http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/support.aspx?mkt=en-us#mainNav

Microsoft Security Essentials in Windows 7

5. Microsoft Carioca Rummy, this is a fun game.  It is a form of Contract Rummy popular in Argentina and Chile.  Once you get the hang of it, it will become addicting.  You can use it in Spanish or English.  I love playing this game and it adds another great game to any system.  You can download it for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9F295184-A788-49D6-8C7A-966B72C014F7&displaylang=en

Microsoft Carioca Rummy in Windows 7

These programs will add fun and functionality to any system.  It will even breath life into the aging Windows XP so take a look at them and have some fun.

To start this seems to work on other motherboards that use the Promise 378 chipset, so give this a shot and let me know how it works.  When I did my comparison of Windows 7 to Windows XP (which you can read here) I needed an XP machine to install 7 on.  I chose my Dads it is an Asus KV8 SE Deluxe motherboard with an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ running at 2.2GHz, 2 Gb of ram and an ATI X800 All-in-Wonder.  I partitioned the hard drive and booted up the Windows 7 disk.  Now this motherboard has the Promise 378 Sata chipset and if any of you are familiar with the Promise 378 chipset for sata you know how much of a pain it is.  It’s hard enough to get Windows XP installed.  Well I tried to install Windows 7 and things went fine until I got to the point in the installation to select the hard drive where Windows is to be installed.  There were no hard drives listed!!! I was confused.  I did some searching and found that there were no Promise 378 drivers made for Windows Vista let alone 7.  So I got to thinking and working.

I knew I was running the Promise 378 in ATA mode so I could connect only one hard drive.  So I thought of loading an older driver and looked at Asus website for one.  But before I did that I thought for a moment, an XP driver might not work.  Windows 7′s code is based on of Vista’s.  Vista’s code is based on Server 2003.  And that was the ticket.  I went here http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

1. Under General Download the first Select Product select Motherboard.

2. the second one is  Select Series select Socket 754

3. the third one is Select Models select KV8 SE Deluxe

Then hit search then when it asked which operating system you are using select Win 2003.  (if you are installing the 64-bit version of 7 or Vista try downloading the Windows 2003 64-bit driver instead)

Now it will say XX Files Found and under there click on IDE

Then down load the second driver (pictured below), Promise SATA378 Driver V1.00.0.26 (ATA Mode)

The Second Driver is the ATA Mode Driver

Expand the zip file to a folder and burn that folder to a disc.

Then restart your installation and when you get to the point that no hard drives show up take out your Windows 7 install disc and put in the one with the drivers, or if you have a second optical drive insert the burned disc into that.  And then in setup hit load drivers and select the 2003 driver, it should find it automatically.  It did for me and after a while of searching the drive shows up.  Continue the setup as you normally would.  That is all you have to do.  This should work for Windows Vista or Windows 7.  Here is the end results.

Device Manager Showing The Win2003 SATA Driver Installed

It took some doing but here is the proof, a screen shot of the Computer Properties.

Asus KV8 SE Deluxe running Windows 7

It does not do too bad performance wise although I get weird graphic glitches, AMD is not going to release a Windows 7 driver for the X800 graphic card in this machine, but the card could be going bad as well.  Below is the Windows Experience Index.

Windows Experience Index

Well I think I would leave 7 on here if I could get the graphic glitches fixed, but this computer is old and is slated to be rebuilt.  It does not handle Microsoft Flight Simulator X very well.  I hope this helps people figure out how to get Vista and 7 installed on their Promise 378 hardware.

Well I kind of did this just for fun since I already took a look at Windows 7, Vista, and XP I thought I would look at ME, the spiritual ancestor to XP.  Windows ME was released for one thing, to be a home operating system, unlike Windows 95 and 98 which were designed to do both home and work.  ME was all about digital media and at the time it was just really taking off.  My first Windows based computer would run Windows 3.11 Windows for Workgroups and then later Windows 95.  My parents would have Windows 98 and 98 SE and I got a computer with ME.  I hated 98 with a passion.  I constantly had problems with their computer and it seemed to me like I had less problems with ME.  This may be due to the fact that I was running an Intel Pentium 4 and they were running an AMD K6-2, I told them to get Intel but they did not listen, and it was the last time they did not listen to my advice I might add.  Anyway for me growing up with 3.11 and 95, ME felt just like them, yeah a little buggy but I used it for years and did not give it up until after Service Pack 1 was released for XP because I still had programs that would not run in XP even with the compatibility tab options. It is also interesting to note that Windows 2000 was released on February 17, 2000 while Windows ME was released on September 14, 2000 so ME is newer than 2000 and that is why there are different features between the two, also Microsoft was already combining the Home and Professional lines of Windows into one product.   So let’s take a look at where we came from, let’s look at our past and check out my list of five new features in Windows ME.

1. System Restore was a good edition to Windows, however it did have a nasty habit of backing up viruses, spyware, and all.  It was a step in the right direction and saved my butt a few times.  Take a look at the interesting interface that seemed to not fit into ME at all.

System Restore in Windows ME

2. Compressed Folders, finally Zip file support was a part of Windows.  I still use this to this day.  I think this was the best thing about ME and was glad to see it stay in every Windows version since.

Compressed Folder in Windows ME

3. Windows Movie Maker was started in Windows ME.  This little program was actually pretty neat considering it came with the operating system unlike iMovie for Mac which was part of iLife which was purchased separately.  iMovie was much better than Movie Maker but Movie Maker still did basic editing.  This program would evolve as Windows did and now is a separate download for Vista and 7.  You can download the new version of Movie Maker at  http://download.live.com/moviemaker

Windows Movie Maker in Windows ME

4. MSN Messenger, Windows ME was the first version of Windows that came with MSN Messenger.  It was replaced in Windows XP by Windows Messenger and in Vista all that was left was an icon to download Windows Live Messenger.  I remember using MSN Messenger to talk to my friends on Hotmail a lot when I was younger.  You can download the newest version of Windows Live Messenger for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 at  http://download.live.com/messenger/

MSN Messenger in Windows ME

5. Windows Media Player 7, while Windows Media Player is not new, this was the first one to have a skin to it that would become familiar.  Windows Media Player went from looking like any other program to being something that stood out and was a lot more functional.  While the newest version, version 12 is not available for download yet you can get version 11 for Windows XP at  http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/11/default.aspx

Windows Media Player 7 in Windows ME

It is interesting to see where we are today in computing and look back at where we were.  I wonder what will come next as we move on.  I hope you enjoyed this blast from the past.  I sure did.

Don’t forget to check out my list of five new features in Windows 7

Well my processor came and I got Windows 7 Enterprise installed on my laptop.  It runs much better than on the Toshiba.  I have been enjoying playing with Windows 7 and really have started to become quite accustom to it.  And I have made a list of Five new features I like in Windows 7. Let’s see what is new.

1. The Notes program, I have used this time and time again and it’s cool to see it become a more manageable program. The notes look cleaner as well.   Also if you want you can copy the old note gadget from Vista into the same folder on 7 and use them both.  This is pictured below.

The Windows 7 Note program next to the Notes Vista Gadget

2. Aero Peek, this is an awesome and much needed feature.  By simply moving my mouse to the area to the right of the clock on the task bar all the windows even the ones that are maximized become clear.  This is really handy for looking at the desktop gadgets however the Notes program also becomes clear, somehow that needs to change to I can see the notes at a glance too.

Aero Peek

3. The Wireless jump list, well im not sure it is a jumplist but it sure is cool.  If you click once on the wireless icon in the system tray a list comes up of available wireless networks.  Just click on the one you want to use and connect.  It is that easy and really could not get any simpler.

Wireless Jump list

4. System Image and System Repair Disc, these two go together.  So in the Backup and Restore item in the Control Panel you can create a System Image, now this is best done on a separate hard drive as it will take up a lot of space.

Backup and Restore

What is cool is the option underneath to create a System Repair Disc which can access the System Image and you can use that to fix any problems like Windows not booting or having why too many viruses or spyware, if you have those things happen.  It is good for piece of mind.

Create System Repair Disc

5. Math Input Panel, this was actually an add-on for the Tablet PC version of XP but now it is part of Windows and you can use a mouse with it.

Math Input Panel

I am sure this will help students with homework, I used it with the touch pad mouse on my laptop and was able to make it work just fine.  It took a little doing but hey it is another tool to help. It will convert your writting into text for professional math equations in documents and so on.   You can download a similar tool for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition here  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=9D346916-B526-487E-919D-0BCE568DEF39&displaylang=en

Also you can get a similar tool for Vista as well and you can use a mouse as well, get it here  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4861aad3-1d67-4b02-bfd5-4add1879d3dc&DisplayLang=en

Math Input Panel with math written in it.

There are many improved features in Windows 7 and I could go on about those and I may sometime.  I love using 7 and plan to make it my only operating system on my laptop soon.  If your thinking about the upgrade do it.  If you’re a student check out my blog on student discounts.

If you like check out my blog on The Six best new features of Windows Vista

Also for fun check out my list of five new features of Windows ME

I had a friend ask me last night if Windows 7 runs better than XP, and I did not know.  I knew that it ran better than Vista, so I went to work. 

First my laptop has never known Windows XP and it never will, I do not like XP and prefer Vista over it and love 7 over both of them.  Some would say I am nuts but as a computer technician the newer versions of Windows make my life easier.  This laptop is a Compaq Presario C700 (C712NR) with 2Gb of Ram and an Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 running at 2.16 GHz this also runs an Intel Mobile 965 Express Graphics Chipset.  The laptop came with Vista Home Premium 32bit and I installed Windows 7 Enterprize 32bit.     Below is the Windows Experience Index from Vista.  Please note that the Index range is from 1.0 to 5.9 in Vista.

Windows Experience Index form Vista

As you can see the laptop does ok but below is the Windows Experience Index from 7 it seems like there is not much of a difference. Please note that in 7 the Index range is from 1.0 to 7.9 and that might be why the numbers are different. 

Windows Experience Index from 7

The difference in the numbers is interesting however I also ran Pass Mark Performance Test in both operating systems.  I figured this would give me a good answer if Windows 7 was in fact faster than Vista.  In Vista the Performance Test got a total score of 537.8 while in 7 it got a total of 590.4  I think these numbers speak for themselves.  Vista is slower than 7 the benchmark proves this.  So then what about Windows XP?

Well my father has a computer that I figured would be a great it is a home built machine with an Asus KV8 SE Deluxe motherboard with an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ running at 2.2GHz and with 2Gb or Ram and an ATI X800 XT All-in-Wonder.  It already has Windows XP installed and it has never known Vista, so I partitioned the hard drive and installed Windows 7 Enterprize 32bit.  Pictured below is the Windows Experience Index from Windows 7

Windows Experience Index in Windows 7

As before I ran the Pass Mark Performance Test on both operating systems and here are the results you have been waiting for.  Windows 7 got a total score of 390.1 where Windows XP got a total score of 440.6  XP did better in 2D and 3D graphics than 7 and that could be do to the lack of proper driver support, as time goes on im sure that gap will close.  Really XP does not do that much better than 7 but it is a little faster.  Still my mother was using Windows 7 for the first time today on my fathers computer and really liked it and wants to use it more, and she has never used Vista. 

So Windows 7 is faster than Vista but just a little slower than XP, not bad Microsoft, not bad at all.  If you are thinking of making the jump to Windows 7 the numbers speak for themselves, go for it.  The new Features and the fact that it is more energy efficient make Windows 7 worth the upgrade, even if it is a little slower than XP.

Windows Vista brought a lot of change, and a lot of new features.  Love it or hate it Vista changed the game. I could not decide on five so here are my pick of six new features that were introduced in Vista.  Let’s revisit them.

1. Windows Defender, spyware and adware have been a big problem for a while.  I was glad when Microsoft introduced Windows Defender into Windows, it offered an extra layer of protection.  It is not the best program out there for this purpose, I prefer to use Spybot and Ad-Aware to remove spyware but Windows Defender does active protection and does not use up much system resources doing it. Also it is updated through Microsoft Update making staying protected easy.  You can also download Windows Defender for Windows XP.  You can get it at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/resultsForProduct.aspx?displaylang=en&productID=f8f1c499-e587-48a5-ac81-164e850dca48&nr=20&sortCriteria=Popularity&sortOrder=Ascending&stype=ss_sd

Windows Defender in Windows Vista

2. Windows Sidebar and Desktop Gadgets, This was an awesome upgrade to Windows allowing more customization to Windows by allowing anyone to make a gadget and being able to download them.  There are gadgets that do just about everything and they are all free. Pictured below are some of the gadgets I use every day. Yeah there is a gadget for that!  You can download more for Windows Vista here at http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/vista/SideBar.aspx?mkt=en-us  Now those should work for Windows 7 but the official website is here at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/downloads/personalize?T1=desktopgadgets

Windows Sidebar and Desktop Gadgets

3. Instant Search, I hated having to use search to find anything in Windows because it took for ever, but in Vista is it ever easy.  Type a few letters and bam its there.  I love it and I can’t say enough about it.  You can update Windows XP with instant search too get it at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=55C18CB3-C916-4298-ABA3-5B98904F7CDA&displaylang=en

Instant Search

4. The Network and Sharing Center, This is a little gem in Vista allowing networks to be managed more easily, it also saves Wireless Network information, so finally you did not have to retype in your security key every few days to reconnect to the wireless. Sharing was also simplified and made it easier to share information at home.

Network and Sharing Center

This just made networking easy and if you had a problem it could try to repair it for you, a much needed feature.

Windows Network Diagnostics

5.  Windows DVD Maker, a simple program so you can share your videos and pictures with family and friends on DVD.  Not to shabby, but it is simple.  Hey not bad for the first version of the program.

Windows DVD Maker

6.  Windows Update, this is not really a new feature but so improved it might as well be,  finally Windows Update and Microsoft Update did not have to be accessed from a browser.  This is hands down the best decision Microsoft made in Vista.  A program that did Windows Update, awesome!

Windows Update in Vista

It is nice to see new features when Windows is released.  Computing changes and it is good that Windows tries to keep up.  If you are running Vista or thinking about it I would suggest upgrading to Windows 7, it takes Vista strong points and makes them much better.

Check out my list of Five new features in Windows XP it is a blast from the past.

Or check out my list of five new features in Windows 7

Well Windows XP was released in 2001 and I did not know much about it at the time of its launch.  I admit when it was first released it felt like a glorified service pack for Windows 2000.  While Windows 2000 is its ancestor, Windows ME was its spiritual ancestor.  But it did feel like they simply took all the features of Windows ME and shoved them into 2000 and tweaked it a bit.  While it is true that Microsoft took and combined its home and professional lines to create one Windows desktop version, there was more to Windows XP.  It would become one of the most used operating systems of its day.  So I have gone back and created a list of the top five best new features that Windows XP introduced.  Let’s revisit them.

1.  The Luna theme, for the first time in a long time Windows was not a drab grey color.   The interface seemed more warm and welcoming, it was a nice change.  One that I wanted when I first saw it.  Now is was also nicknamed the Fisher-Price theme and Windows was even called Windows XP Fisher-Price Edition, but it was a nice improvement.  It started people skinning Windows by hacking files as well, It actually inspired and made people ask the question What If? Could I make Windows look like…?  I have to admit it, it really was a good change.

The Blue Luna Theme in Windows XP

2. Windows Media Center, while it was not released with Windows XP at first and was never offered as an update, it was a neat thing you could do.  Use your computer to record TV.  It offered a media driven hub for people and even was imitated in some forms so others that did not have the Media Center version of XP could enjoy it, and was also imitated on Linux.  For some their computer became their DVR (Digital Video Recorder).

Windows XP Media Center

3. Fast User Switching and Local Users, While local users were not exactly a new feature they were so greatly improved and finally brought to the home computer.  This changed a lot of things for home consumers.  Finally parents could have an account for their kids  to mess in while their background and icons never changed.  But the nice feature here was the fact that you did not have to log someone out to use your account, you could switch them.

Users Control panel Applet

Fast user switching made sharing the computer in a house hold very easy.  Remember too that Windows XP was released in a time where there was usually was only one computer in a house.  It would not be till years later that computers would come down in price and we would see almost as many computers in a house as TV’s.  The Fast User Switching was not only needed, it was a good move.

Fast User Switching Option

4. Windows Firewall was originally called the Internet Connection Firewall until Service Pack 2 was released with a revamped version of the firewall that was enabled by default unlike the previous version.   Microsoft did this after so many computers were getting infected with viruses and spyware.  the Windows Firewall helped a lot and provided those who could not afford to purchase a firewall for their computer some protection.

The Windows Firewall in Windows XP

5. The Compatibility Tab was a great help.  Most home users were using Windows 98 or Me which ran on top of DOS.  The programs made for these DOS based Windows versions often times were not compatible with Windows 2000.  In XP Microsoft fixed a lot of the problems with the Compatibility Tab.  Accessible by right clicking on the program and clicking on Properties, this would help the adoption of XP.

The Compatibility Tab

Windows XP was a good and logical evolution of the Windows product line.  It did have a few new features but it really improved on a lot of old ones.  It is almost 9 years old now and really is past its prime.  If your running XP I suggest looking at Windows 7, it runs better on slower computers than Vista.

You can also check out my list of Six new features in Windows Vista

Also for a blast from the past check out the Top Five New Features in Windows ME