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AnchorDesk

David Coursey
More of the straight dope about Windows XP--direct from MS

David Coursey
Executive Editor, AnchorDesk
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
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Questions about XP? Boy, do you have questions about XP. Ever since I ran my first Q&A column about the new Windows OS, I've been inundated with e-mail asking about issues both major and minor.

Yesterday I brought you five questions and their answers from a Microsoft representative. Today, I've got six more with Microsoft's Mark Croft--who, an anonymous reader pointed out, is a marketing guy rather than a developer--answering your questions.

The anonymous reader, who appears to be someone inside Microsoft, was kind enough to point out that all Mark's answers have been correct, so I guess developers will concede that even marketing types know something, at least occasionally.

Here are today's XP questions--and answers.

  1. Will my DOS apps run under Windows XP and, if so, how well?
    Mark Croft: Several improvements to the DOS virtual machine were made in Windows XP to ensure broader compatibility with many popular DOS titles--specifically, new SoundBlaster 16 support and a number of quality fixes. We tested a number of popular DOS titles to ensure improved compatibility over Windows 2000 and NT4.

  2. Will my Windows 98/Me games run under XP?
    Croft: Probably. We tested over 1,200 top-selling consumer-oriented applications for Windows XP. Many of these were games. We will have a definitive list of applications we have tested available publicly by the end of September. In addition, the "Designed for Windows" logo will provide an at-a-glance validation for any applications or hardware in retail by the holidays and beyond. The application compatibility technology in Windows XP works for many apps beyond just those we tested internally, plus the compatibility modes offer another tactic for getting apps running if they don't work by default.

    However, there will definitely be exceptions--some apps simply won't work. Usually this will be because the app is either very old and/or rare, or because it could cause stability issues. When push comes to shove, reliability takes precedence over compatibility in Windows XP.

  3. If I have questions about drivers working properly, what should I do?
    Croft: Microsoft is providing a tool--Upgrade Advisor (UA)--which users can run on their machines prior to installing Windows XP to determine how compatible their systems will be with Windows XP. This tool can be updated dynamically via a Web connection and provides an easy way to check a whole PC. The data on this is identical to the data used by Windows Setup during an upgrade.

    Over and above UA, users should check any critical devices with the vendor; a minority of devices will have valid Windows 2000 drivers or an updated vendor driver that Microsoft does not yet know about. So even if a device shows as incompatible, it's worth checking directly with the vendor.

  4. Do I need the home or professional edition? What's the difference?
    Croft: Window XP Professional is designed for businesses of all sizes and power users who demand the most of their computing experience. Professional provides all the benefits of Windows XP Home Edition, plus added remote desktop, security customization, manageability, and multilingual features. The big item for any business with a domain or a need to manage PCs centrally is the whole management toolset--domain membership, group policies, roaming profiles, offline folders, etc. Also, WinXP Pro supports dual processors and a personal Web server.

    Windows XP Home Edition is designed for home users and provides a rich computing experience together with the latest enhancements in digital media, a clean and simplified visual design, and help and supportability improvements, among other features.

  5. I have Windows 2000 Pro. Why should I upgrade to XP? And why can't I upgrade to the home version?
    Croft: Customers currently running Windows 2000 Professional should evaluate the specific scenarios where XP could improve their computing experience--for example, Remote Desktop or Remote Assistance. Windows XP should offer improved usability and better support tools, meaning better productivity, less futzing, and lower support costs. IT professionals may also value the improved wireless and wireless security features (based on 802.11x).

    The upgrade path from Windows 2000 Professional to Windows XP Home Edition is not supported, because it would result in feature takeaways--for example, some of the advanced security and management options in Win2K Pro just do not upgrade to WinXP HE (specific examples are Encrypting File System, Domain Membership, and Offline Folders). In that sense, it would not be an upgrade. Also, the vast majority of Win2K Pro is deployed in businesses, and the default upgrade path for these customers should be WinXP Pro--ensuring that their current feature set is added to, not diminished.

  6. And for Windows NT users?
    Croft: NT4 is a very different upgrade proposition from Win2K Pro. Upgrading to WinXP Pro from NT4 should offer users four major benefits: better reliability, better compatibility, better performance, and improved manageability. Each of these items is significantly better in WinXP Pro--something that even conservative users should value.

So there you have it: Your most common Windows XP questions answered, direct from Redmond.

I'm going to take a break from the XP question-and-answer beat for now. Not that I won't be writing about XP; for instance, I've found out some things I really look forward to sharing with you, like how to save money on upgrades for both Windows XP and Office XP. In the meantime, feel free to send in more XP questions. The number of e-mails I get makes answering each one personally quite impossible, but I will be collecting them and periodically take a shot at replying in this column.

Do you feel that you better understand Windows XP now? Do you have additional questions? TalkBack to me.

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