Microsoft Windows XP Professional UPGRADE with SP2

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Microsoft Windows XP Professional UPGRADE with SP2
Microsoft Software (CD-ROM)
Buy New: ~~$199.99~~ $160.00 9 Used & new from $95.48

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description:
Upgrade only; previous version of XP required Get the most out of your operating system, and avoid the bugs that can slow down your computer's performance. This upgrade combined with the newest Service pack delivers the enhancements you need for a faster, more capable PC. Security Center offers a central control system for your Windows XP security -- work with the firewalls, auto updates and antivirus tools Great news for people sick of pop-up ads - The built-in pop-up blocker controls them, with a new submenu and status bar icons The new Add-Ons manager gives you instant access to all the Browser Helper Objects and extensions, enabling and disabling them easily The firewall now has its own control panel, for customizing firewall setting to suit any connection Enhancements to the Windows Update service make installing new updates easy -- you can even choose which ones to install, if any Wireless Networking - Multiple wireless connections to choose from

Amazon Product Description:
With Windows XP Professional Edition with Service Pack 2, you get safer browsing and communication, powerful security tools, and improved experiences. Windows XP is the operating system release that unifies the Microsoft range, with all the desktop versions now built on the NT/2000 code base rather than the shakier foundation of Windows 95, 98, and Me. That makes XP a great upgrade for users of the now-obsolete 9x and Me line, but for those already on Windows 2000 Professional it is a closer call. Despite the similar name, there is no special synergy between Windows XP and Office XP, which works fine on Windows 2000.

The Security Center lets you check the status of your essential security settings.

XP certainly looks different, with rounded window corners, larger and more detailed icons, and a clean-look desktop that on first installation shows only the taskbar and Recycle Bin. XP is also more customizable than earlier versions of Windows, and includes visual themes that let you change the whole appearance of Windows in an instant. That is the window-dressing, but underneath are some significant improvements. One of the most interesting is Remote Desktop. A standard XP feature, this uses technology from Microsoft Terminal Server to enable users to access their computer over any connection; for example, by dialing into the office from home.

This is not just file access--this technology lets you run applications remotely as if you were sitting at your desk at work. This is mature technology, stable and carefully thought out. So, for example, you can print from a remote word processor to a local printer. A variation on the theme is Remote Assistance, where the user can allow a remote helper to view their desktop, or optionally gain control of the keyboard and mouse, in order to troubleshoot a problem. The feature can also be disabled to ease security concerns.

Laptop users benefit from enhanced power management, with options to extend battery life by reducing CPU speed and display brightness. IrDA support has been fixed so that, unlike Windows 2000, Windows XP can easily use modems in mobile telephones via infrared. A new screen font, ClearType, improves legibility for laptop or other flat screens, and there is built-in support for wireless networking using the popular 802.11 standard. A great feature of XP, also found in Windows 2000, is the ability to synchronize network files with offline copies. Previously, these files could not be stored securely, but now they can be encrypted.

The Information Bar in Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2 notifies you when it blocks ActiveX control or active content and then lets you decide what to do.

For Web browsing, XP comes with Internet Explorer 6.0. The enhancements in IE 6.0 are mainly of interest to Web developers, and in any case Microsoft makes IE freely available to all Windows users. Although Java is not installed by default, it is not difficult to download a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Windows Messenger, originally a chat client, has evolved into a collaboration tool that allows for video conferencing and application sharing.

Service Pack 2 allows users to instruct Internet Explorer how to handle downloads from a specific publisher

The most significant new feature for Internet users is the built-in firewall. A firewall protects against one of the most disturbing security risks, in which other users unknown to you might connect to your computer while it is online, reading private files or causing other damage. XP's built-in firewall is a simple affair, but it does prevent most types of unauthorized connection.

Windows XP has strong multimedia features. The new Media Player lets you copy music from CD to hard disk, create your own playlist, and write your own music CDs if you have a CD writer. Although there is loss of quality as a result of compression, the process is easy and convenient. Media Player 8.0 can play back DVD video, but only if a hardware or software DVD decoder is already installed. You can also play MP3 audio files and MPEG videos, but sadly, not the popular RealMedia formats. In the end, Media Player does nothing that you cannot also do with free alternatives, but it is slick and nicely integrated.

The XP user interface is not a radical departure from earlier versions of Windows, but there are a number of small changes that together add up to a significant improvement. The Start menu now automatically features the most frequently used programs at the top of the list, and you can add and remove shortcuts by right-clicking the icon and selecting Pin or Unpin from the pop-up menu. Windows online help is integrated into a Help and Support Center that works like an internal Web site, with searchable help, tutorials, and walk-throughs.

Windows XP Professional includes all the features of Windows XP Home, and adds support for dual processors, encryptable file systems, offline folders, the Remote Desktop as described above, and extra administration features that come into play when connected to a Windows server domain. XP is demanding on hardware, and it would be a mistake to install it on less than Microsoft's recommended minimum requirements. There is also activation to consider, a mildly annoying anti-piracy measure that requires you to obtain a code from Microsoft for full installation, and in the future if you reinstall or make major system changes.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Features

Internet Explorer Pop-up Blocker Makes browsing the Internet more enjoyable by enabling you to reduce unwanted ads and content.

Internet Explorer download monitoring Warns you about potentially harmful downloads and gives you the option to block files that could be malicious.

Internet Explorer Information Bar Provides better information about events that are happening as you browse the Web, so it’s easier to know what’s going on and address potential security issues.

Windows Security Center Allows you to easily view your security status and manage key security settings in one convenient place.

Windows Firewall update Automatically turned on by default, this improved firewall helps protect Windows XP from viruses, worms, and other security threats that can spread over the Internet.

Improved wireless support Dramatically improves and simplifies the process of discovering and connecting to wireless networks.

Bluetooth technologies Enables you to easily connect to the latest Bluetooth-enabled hardware devices such as keyboards, cell phones, and PDAs.

Windows Media Player 9 Series Makes it easy to enjoy music, video, and broadband content with enhanced security.

Customer Reviews
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Average Customer Review

Upgrading to XP Pro, November 25, 2008
By A. Jones (Columbia, TN USA)
I was a little nervous to attempt an upgrade from Windows 98 to XP because of some of the problems I've read that individuals had doing so. When I began the upgrade, there was a option to select that would test your PC to see if it was upgradeable and it told me that mine was not. However, when I restarted my PC with the upgrade DISC already installed, the upgrade began it's process. There's an option to print out instructions during the installation, I suggest that one do this so that you can have a paper copy of what to do next. Once I picked the correct options, the upgrade proceded without a hitch. Make sure you have at least 128MB of RAM and free hardrive memory space before you begin. The XP installation was a success and now it's like I have a new PC. I love it.

Upgrades are never as good, October 31, 2008
By Amazon8892
Generally speaking, to get the best performance from any operating system a clean install of a full version is recommended. The best choice is to choose a full version of the product and enjoy the benefits of not being left with artifacts and leftover's of your previous operating system which can lead to instability in certain cases. I would only buy this on a limited budget.

Have a backup plan ready..., October 30, 2008
By Michael G. Fitzsimmons
I work for a small business, and have need of 6 pc's logging onto my computer. We have Windows XP Home edition currently, but Home edition would only allow 5 pc's at a time to log on to my pc. We purchased the upgrade from Amazon.com, and shortly recieved the package. I backed up our data, just in case something went wrong. In the middle of the installation, the setup program was unable to read one of the files on the disc, and caused an error that could not be averted. It would not let me move forward in the installation, nor would it let me return to Windows Home edition. So, in short, I'm stuck until I get another disc in here. The company I purchased it from was very un-helpful (Tech for less) in helping me to find a replacement disc. This setback caused us many problems for us for about 3 weeks, which is an eternity for a small business.
I don't know how functional this upgrade is, as I never got it installed, but I highly recommend that if you purchase this upgrade, you have a spare readily available or at least a back-up plan in case it fails.

Cheers

Microsoft...what can I say, June 27, 2008
By Woodwind (NC, USA)
This was rather complicated to install and I just don't have to much good to say about microsoft. I'm sure glad I don't have to buy a new license everytime I play my music CD's on a different CD player!!!!

Amazingly overpriced for a captive audience, June 13, 2008
By Alan Bensetler (Boston, MA USA)
At the same time that Microsoft is discontinuing sales for Windows XP, they continue to charge $199 to upgrade XP Home to XP Pro. There is not much additional functionality provided except for the networking support required to allow a computer to join a Domain. Hence companies of any size that require this must pay an artifically-inflated price because they have no option. It is also somewhat buggy in that the upgrade can disable some functions as documented by Microsoft Knowledgebase entries.