Customer Reviews
very easy to use 
2008-05-10
I bought xp to run on my mac along with vmware. It works great, very easy to use. I would highly recommend it to individuals with macs whose browsers are not compatible with pc based programs.
There are very bugs to work out with this version, as opposed to the Vista.
In all honesty though, If I didn't need windows for work, I probably wouldn't have made the purchase because the mac browsers are very proficient'
Re: Service Pack 3 for Windows XP Pro 
2008-05-08
IF you have pattern sensitive or motion sensitive epilepsy ( or have problems with blinking, flashing, motion, animations, etc. ) DON'T INSTALL SP3 FOR A WHILE. I cannot use Vista because of accessibility problems so I have to use XP.
2008-05-08
The Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3 makes changes to XP that severely affect accessibility for people with some forms of epilepsy. I suspect that Microsoft is partially trying to install some Vista style features ( ripped off from Apple ). In particular, I have seen Apple style "sliding down" menu boxes or whatever they are called. As an example, open the "control panel" applet. BEFORE, it was accessible, NOW, the elements at the top of the left column "slide" down. I had enough bad seizures ( bad in this case means very unpleasant - I can actually feel them in my brain ) that, after experimenting trying to disable this abomination, at had to get away from the computer.
For people like me, my computer is my lifeline. Since Macs are absolutely not accessible, we are stuck with Microsoft Windows XP. Vista is absolutely not accessible, as is Leopard, etc. With Microsoft destroying the minimal accessibility of XP, there is nowhere to go.
IF YOU DECIDE TO INSTALL SP3 - FULLY BACKUP YOUR COMPUTER SO YOU CAN REVERT TO SP2 IF YOU HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS. ( I have two notebooks; if I cannot figure out a workaround, then I will never be able to install SP3 )
BTW, I review so that other people like me can find information about products to avoid and so that they can realize that the problems that they are having are common to other people. There is essentially no accessibility any more. It is so bad that it is only a matter of years before we can no longer live in this society due to blinking, flashing, etc.
Workaround:
Control Panel | System | Advanced | Performance - SETTINGS
Unclick EVERYTHING that allows animation, fading, sliding, etc. I am not sure how comprehensive this will be but it helps.
BTW, FULL accessibility demands that the display be totally "quiet" as far as any unnecessary motion or blinking. Unnecessary features that make Windows XP inaccessible are, in particular, "progress bars", animations for copying files. Microsoft Word has major accessibility problems. The animations associated with spell checking ( the IDIOT animated book icon at the bottom of the screen - every time you type the animations start. Also, the rippling red underline when Word autocapitalizes. MICROSOFT - GO AWAY )
Not bad for Windows 2008-04-23
ME, CE, 95, 98, 2000 all blew and XP was the only good one out of the lot. Vista also sucks beyond words so don't bother with it. XP takes 1.5 GB to run itself, Vista takes 40GB thats insane. Just use XP or better yet use Mac OS X. Linux Ubuntu is ok too if you have a masters in computer science to get it to connect to the internet.
Windows XP Pro vs Windows Vista Ultimate 
2008-04-18
Where do I start. I originally purchased Windows Vista to run on my newly built PC Intel QX6700 Core 2 extreme quad processor, Zalman CNPS 9700 to cool the CPU, 4 gigs of Corsair Dominator ram DDR2-800, 2 - 150G Raptor X's in raid 0, with 2 Nvidia 8800GTX's in SLI configuration, with Creative SB XFI Fata1ty Pro sound card all snuggled into EVGA 680i SLI Mobo Ver A, encased in a Silverstone TJ09. 24 inch Samsung Syncmaster monitor. One year now and Vista still has driver issues and hangs up all the time. I keep the drivers update all the time and run plenty of security software. I purchased Windows XP Pro for it's absolutely stable platform extensive driver compatability with added cards and input output devices. Yes Vista has DX10 well it just isn't as important as the best stable platform. Besides DX9c works pretty darn good itself. Service Pack 3 is due out in a couple of weeks and may very well be Microsofts last major update for Windows XP. I think I will run Windows XP at least until MS can get their next platform out Windows 7 somtime on 2010 or more likley 2011. I hope you are able to get this software before it is completely unavailable. Windows XP Pro is rock solid better than that other computer companies operating system.
not worth the agrivation involved in the setup 2008-03-23
Ok so I bought this horrible waste of time and money to repair an old computer that my dad gave me to keep my larger files seperate from my school stuff. i had to repair the hard drive but that in itself was simple. my issue is with the utter complication of getting this installed. i had ubuntu on the desktop running ok but i needed windows to run my internet service and both my mp3 player and my girlfriends. alas i have been stuck with a lingering black screen everytime i try to install. my guess is that i have to download drivers. or wipe the hard drive but get this microsoft is still stuck in the stone age and requires me to use 3.5 inch floppy discs in order to make a boot disk. i'm still trying to install it and will continue until i succeed but beware that there is little support both from other users and certainly from microsoft
So much better than Vista 2008-06-25
I ordered XP Pro in order to downgrade the OS on my recently purchased Toshiba Qosmio laptop . . .although Toshiba is not offering any help in this, I am still looking forward to dumping Vista once and for all in exchange for the XP Pro I am using on my other computers.
Automatic Update Problem 
2008-06-11
Microsoft Windows XP functions very well, which balances out the one star rating--lowest possible--I would give its automatic update function. After downloading an update, it attempts to restart your computer and will do so if you don't tell it "Restart Later." Even if you do this, it will again attempt to restart your computer.
In other words, if you don't know this is happening and you fail to intervene, the automatic update will reboot your computer and destroy every single piece of work you were doing, perhaps hours of work if you are unlucky. This has been pointed out to Microsoft, but the problem has not been fixed.
Used not New 
2008-05-31
I recieved the product in a timely manner however the box, which was listed as "new" on the website was in fact opened and the key code was no good. I had to call windows customer support to gain a new key code for the disk. I know that with software such as this, once it is used it can no longer be applied to a different computer so I was wary of purchasing it on-line to begin with. Now I feel my concerns were justified and don't feel that I will buy software from amazon again.
XP Versus Vista - It's MS Extortion 2008-05-20
I just bought XP Pro because MS is supposed to phase out XP in June of this year. Go to InfoWorld and read about why the world is up in arms with MS. Over 200,000 signatures have signed the petition to save XP.
And MS is loving every minute of it, as well as all PC and hardware manufacturers. Why?
Vista has promoted the sale of new PCs, Printers, Scanners, etc. This is a win-win scenario for MS, PC and hardware manufacturers. And Vista will not run off most of your 3rd party applications, but it runs MS's Office, games, and other MS applications. Does this sound familiar (IE vs Netscape wars)?
Because Vista does not work, everyone must buy a copy of XP to replace Vista. All of the different packaged versions of the same Windows OS were created to take advantage of everyone. A few years back I bought XP 64. It was not supported by Adelphia (now Comcast) and I could not even get on the Web.
I believe MS designed Vista so it would not work on most machines and to promote PC and peripheral sales; money flowed to MS by selling flawed Vista and by double-dipping XP Pro/Home to replace dysfunctional Vista just to make our expensive PCs useful again. In 2010 MS will grease world-wide ATM debits by selling Windows 7/its next version. MS learned well from all of its other OS failures (95, 98, especially from Millennium).
MS and PC hardware manufacturers are in the hog pen together, selling Windows, Printers, software applications, and on and on. Aren't most of the hardware manufacturers behind the power curve, not producing drivers or driver updates for Vista?
I think Congress needs to do some investigating, that is, if they are not already in MS's deep soft money pockets!
The Al Queda mind set (AQMS) is in warp drive in the U.S., the AQMS financial version that is (also oil, mortgage ARMs, medical, drugs, and so on).
"Let the Buyer Beware" does not apply to MS software because many buyers are trumped by clever advertising/hype/mis-information. "Plausible deniability" has become a legal cesspool in the U.S.
Windows XP Pro 2008-05-15
I would have liked to know that it was not a boxed version. It does include the Microsoft Certificate of Authenticity however, so I presume it is real Microsoft Windows XP Pro software.
