Until now, you’ve really had two choices when it comes to a Microsoft operating system (OS) – Windows 98/Me or Windows NT/2000.

Fig.1: Windows XP features a radically altered Taskbar and a "Start" menu that lists your most recently used applications. The default desktop (shown here) is called "Bliss" and a fresh install places just one icon on the desktop - the Recycle Bin. You can easily add the familiar icons shown below right by clicking the "Customize Desktop" button in the Display Properties dialog box.

Home users have traditionally opted for Windows 98/Me due to its strong multimedia and games support, plus its support for a wide range of hardware and for features such as plug and play (P’nP), USB and Firewire. At least, that was the upside. The downside was that it was hardly the most stable OS around. Anyone who has used Windows 98/Me has, at one stage or another, encountered system lockups and the dreaded "blue screen of death".

It’s no exaggeration to say that Windows 98/Me system crashes have caused PC users a lot of frustration.

That’s why many businesses (and not a few home-users) have instead opted for the rock-solid stability of Windows NT or Windows 2000. These provided true multi-tasking ability without the frustrating lockups encountered in Windows 98/Me and are a must if you frequently multi-task or run heavy-duty applications such as desktop publishing or large accounting programs.