Product Details
Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade with Service Pack 2

Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade with Service Pack 2
From Microsoft

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Product Description

UPG WINDOWS XP HOME EDIT W/SP2 EN

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #639 in Software
  • Brand: Microsoft
  • Released on: 2004-08-11
  • Platforms: Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional
  • Dimensions: .51 pounds

Editorial Reviews

Manufacturer's Description
Unlock the full possibilities of your personal computer. If you've always imagined you could do more with your computer, your vision is about to become reality. From digital photos, music and video to building a home network, Windowsxp Home Edition brings you into the digital age with ease.

Better browsing and email
Service Pack 2 features for Internet Explorer:

  • The pop-up blocker makes browsing the Internet more enjoyable by reducing unwanted ads and content.
  • Download monitoring warns you about potentially harmful downloads and lets you block files that could be malicious.
  • The information bar tells you what's happening as you browse the web, making it easier to address potential security issues.
  • The Add-on Manager enhances security and reduces the potential for crashes by allowing easy management of Internet Explorer add-ons (programs which have been added to our web browser).

    Service Pack 2 features for Outlook Express

  • Our privacy enhancements reduce unwanted e-mail by limiting the possibility of your e-mail address being validated by spammers.
  • The Attachment Manager monitors and disables potentially unsafe attachments, which could contain viruses that might spread through Internet Explorer, Outlook Express and Windows Messenger.

    Powerful security tools
    The Windows firewall

  • The firewall is automatically turned on to protect Windows XP from viruses, worms and other security threats that can spread over the Internet.
  • Compatibility features let the firewall co-exist with your favourite Internet applications and home network.
  • Start-up and shutdown support ensures enhanced protection from the moment you switch on your PC to the moment you turn it off.

    The latest enhancements

  • Automatic updates keep you on top of the latest features for Windows XP.
  • New technology helps you download updates more efficiently if you're a dial-up customers.
  • Improved wireless support dramatically improves and simplifies the process of discovering and connecting to wireless networks.
  • Bluetooth technologies let you connect to the latest Bluetooth-enabled hardware devices such as keyboards, cell phones and PDAs.
  • Windows Media Player 9 makes music, video and broadband content enjoyable and secure.
  • DirectX enhancements help you enjoy advanced graphics and gaming.

    • Customer Reviews

    Great service from Amazon, not a bad purchase5
    I have just installed an XP upgrade. It is very easy although it takes nearly two hours to complete. It was my very first upgrade hence I am not certain if it is quick or not exactly so.
    Word of warning though for those who upgrade from Windows Me. I have discovered that it is much easier to reload my computer and start reloading the rest of the software afresh than just to install the upgrade. Although the upgrade worked as such I needed to update most of the drivers for my printer, broadband connection etc. Reload seemed to be an easier option in the long run.
    There was one more glitch in the system. After the upgrade my computer refused to switch itself off automatically. I contacted Microsoft UK and a solution was offered (Control Panel, Power Option, APM, enable APM support). They diagnosed the problem and offered a solution really quickly. Great customer service.
    As to the Amazon' service: I placed an order, I was kept informed about the progress, they delivered on the day indicated. Judging by my past experiences it is pretty much standard. I would highly recommend them as well.

    XP Home5
    I have been running Windows 98 2nd edition for 5 years, and have been on broadband for 2 years. My PC was constantly hanging up crashing and having all sorts of problems.

    Feeling brave and not having enough money for a new PC at the moment I decided to upgrade to Windows XP Home. After Slotting in the CD and running the upgrade took a couple of hours in all on my old Dell 500Mhz PC. There were no problems and I was up and running again with great new features. My faithfull old dog (PC) has learn't some new tricks and so far after 2 weeks is running nice and smoothly.

    The one to buy5
    The previous reviewer has written an excellent review ands theres little point in repeating what he's already stated.

    But having read his comments and being a long - standing user of Windows 98, ME, 2000 and now XP I know these various operating systems well and I feel I have to make the following corrections to what the previous reviewer has mentioned:

    XP is MUCH more stable than Windows 2000. XP contains a System Restore function - if something causes a serious error you can roll back to a previous stable configuration - very useful indeed. 2000 doesn't have this and this more than anything else makes it much less stable. In addition XP includes a compatibility mode for old DOS based software, especially games, that used to run on Windows 9x/ME and that Windows 2000 does not have - most simply will not work with 2000 but can be got to work with XP. It's not perfect but it's very good, probably around 80%. XP will boot up and shut down MUCH faster than 2000 - this might not sound like much but if you have a lot of software installed 2000 will take many minutes whilst XP will take mere seconds - if you use a computer a lot the delay becomes very frustrating.

    XP is the most rock-steady OS there is and is by far Microsoft's best effort to date. If you're used to Win9x/ME you won't believe how much better this OS is. I had occasion to use Windows 98 again recently and I couldn't believe just how much trouble it was what with it's perpetual freezing and crashing and the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. I've become very spoilt using XP indeed. It copes effortlessly with large partitions and large amounts of software while Windows 98 will not.

    BUT you do need to make sure your hardware will cope with it. It is VERY hungry on resources you'll need at least 512mb of RAM and the full install will take 7.5 GB of hard disk space compared to 414 MB or so for Windows 98 SE! It also needs a fairly fast processor, old Pentium 2 based systems need not apply you're better off sticking with Windows 2000 in that instance.

    So in short is it worth it? If you have a fairly modern PC, yes.I know every likes to complain about Bill Gates and Microsoft but there really is nothing this good to compare. Linux (and yes, I have used that too) doesn't even come close, although it is free.