Upon its release, Windows XP received generally positive reviews, with critics noting increased performance and stability especially in comparison to Windows Me, the previous version of Windows aimed at home users , a more intuitive user interface, improved hardware support, and expanded multimedia capabilities.
However, some industry reviewers were concerned by the new licensing model and product activation system. Extended support for Windows XP ended on April 8, , after which the operating system ceased receiving further support or security updates with exceptional security updates being made e.
As of May , 1. In the late s, initial development of what would become Windows XP was focused on two individual products; 'Odyssey', which was reportedly intended to succeed the future Windows , and 'Neptune', which was reportedly a consumer-oriented operating system using the Windows NT architecture, succeeding the MS-DOS-based Windows However, the projects proved to be too ambitious.
In January , shortly prior to the official release of Windows , technology writer Paul Thurrott reported that Microsoft had shelved both Neptune and Odyssey in favor of a new product codenamed 'Whistler', after Whistler, British Columbia, as many Microsoft employees skied at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort.
And since Neptune and Odyssey would be based on the same code-base anyway, it made sense to combine them into a single project'.
At PDC on July 13, , Microsoft announced that Whistler would be released during the second half of , and also unveiled the first preview build, The build notably introduced an early version of Windows XP's visual styles system. Microsoft released the first beta build of Whistler, build , on October 31, Subsequent builds gradually introduced features that users of the release version of Windows XP would recognise, such as Internet Explorer 6.
Microsoft had originally planned to use the slogan 'Prepare to Fly', but it was replaced due to sensitivity issues in the wake of the September 11 attacks. On August 24, , Windows XP build was released to manufacturing. During a ceremonial media event at Microsoft Redmond Campus, copies of the RTM build were given to representatives of several major PC manufacturers in briefcases, who then flew off on decorated helicopters.
While PC manufacturers would be able to release devices running XP beginning on September 24, , XP was expected to reach general, retail availability on October 25, On the same day, Microsoft also announced the final retail pricing of XP's two main editions, 'Home' and 'Professional'. While retaining some similarities to previous versions, Windows XP's interface was overhauled with a new visual appearance, with an increased use of alpha compositing effects, drop shadows, and 'visual styles', which completely changed the appearance of the operating system.
The number of effects enabled are determined by the operating system based on the computer's processing power, and can be enabled or disabled on a case-by-case basis. XP also added ClearType, a new subpixel rendering system designed to improve the appearance of fonts on liquid-crystal displays.
The Start menu received its first major overhaul in XP, switching to a two-column layout with the ability to list, pin, and display frequently used applications, recently opened documents, and the traditional cascading 'All Programs' menu. The taskbar can now group windows opened by a single application into one taskbar button, with a popup menu listing the individual windows. The notification area also hides 'inactive' icons by default. A 'common tasks' list was added, and Windows Explorer's sidebar was updated to use a new task-based design with lists of common actions; the tasks displayed are contextually relevant to the type of content in a folder e.
Fast user switching allows additional users to log into a Windows XP machine without existing users having to close their programs and logging out. Although only one user at the time can use the console i. Windows XP uses prefetching to improve startup and application launch times. All Windows licenses must be tied to a unique ID generated using information from the computer hardware, transmitted either via the internet or a telephone hotline. If Windows is not activated within 30 days of installation, the OS will cease to function until it is activated.
Windows also periodically verifies the hardware to check for changes. If significant hardware changes are detected, the activation is voided, and Windows must be re-activated. Some of the programs and features that were part of the previous versions of Windows did not make it to Windows XP.
For instance, support for TCP half-open connections was removed in Service Pack 2, [45] and the address bar on the taskbar was removed in Service Pack 3. Both editions were made available at retail as pre-loaded software on new computers and as boxed copies.
Boxed copies were sold as 'Upgrade' or 'Full' licenses; the 'Upgrade' versions were slightly cheaper, but require an existing version of Windows to install. The 'Full' version can be installed on systems without an operating system or existing version of Windows. Windows 98 or Me can be upgraded to either version, but Windows NT 4. Two specialized variants of XP were introduced in for certain types of hardware, exclusively through OEM channels as pre-loaded software.
The OS is primarily aimed at first-time computer owners, containing heavy localization including wallpapers and screen savers incorporating images of local landmarks , and a 'My Support' area which contains video tutorials on basic computing tasks. It also removes certain 'complex' features, and does not allow users to run more than three applications at a time.
After a pilot program in India and Thailand, Starter was released in other emerging markets throughout As the result of unfair competition lawsuits in Europe and South Korea, which both alleged that Microsoft had improperly leveraged its status in the PC market to favor its own bundled software, Microsoft was ordered to release special versions of XP in these markets that excluded certain applications.
Consumer interest was minuscule, with roughly 1, units shipped to OEMs, and no reported sales to consumers. A service pack is cumulative update package that is a superset of all updates, and even service packs, that have been released before it.
Service Pack 3 is slightly different, in that it needs at least Service Pack 1 to have been installed, in order to update a live OS. It contained over minor, post-RTM bug fixes, along with all security patches released since the original release of XP. SP1 also added USB 2. This feature was added to comply with the settlement of United States v.
Microsoft Corp. Service Pack 2 SP2 was released on August 25, The security improvements codenamed 'Springboard', [68] as these features were intended to underpin additional changes in Longhorn , included a major revision to the included firewall renamed Windows Firewall, and now enabled by default , and an update to Data Execution Prevention, which gained hardware support in the NX bit that can stop some forms of buffer overflow attacks.
Raw socket support is removed which supposedly limits the damage done by zombie machines and the Windows Messenger service which had been abused to cause pop-up advertisements to be displayed as system messages without a web browser or any additional software became disabled by default.
Additionally, security-related improvements were made to e-mail and web browsing. Service Pack 2 also added Security Center, an interface which provides a general overview of the system's security status, including the state of the firewall and automatic updates. Third-party firewall and antivirus software can also be monitored from Security Center.
This was done so that the browser would not violate a patent owned by Eolas. This thread is locked. You can follow the question or vote as helpful, but you cannot reply to this thread.
I have the same question 5. Report abuse. Details required :. Cancel Submit. You must contact Toshiba tech support to purchase recovery media for their computer. If they no longer offer the recovery CDs for sale I've had good experiences ordering recovery discs for clients from RestoreDisks. How satisfied are you with this reply? Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site. In reply to Malkeleah's post on August 17, A subscription to make the most of your time.
Try one month free. This site in other languages x.
0コメント