Windows XP and USB Drivers Problem

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great look, feel, speed...once it got up and running.

Cons: USB Drivers not always come over from Windows 2000.

The Bottom Line: 
Great Upgrade from Windows 2000 Professional.

Author's Review
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UPDATE: APRIL 06, 2004: I HAVE BEEN USING WINDOWS XP NOW FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MONTHS, AND WANTED TO UPDATE THE REVIEW BASED ON "ACTUAL" USER PERFORMANCE.

ALTHOUGH I HAD STATED THE UPGRADING DIFFICULTIES FROM WINDOWS 2000 TO WINDOWS XP, I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO TAINT MY OVERALL OPINION BASED ON VERY FRESH DIFFICULTIES.

NOW THAT I HAVE A CLEAR MIND AND SOME PAST EXPEREINCE ON USING WINDOWS XP, I AM ADDING THE FOLLOWING UPDATE. AFTER USING WINDOWS XP FOR TWO MONTHS, I AM THOROUGHLY SATISFIED WITH THE UPGRADE. THE MENUS ARE EASIER TO READ, THE SOFTWARE HAS EVEN INCREASED THE LOADING SPEED OF THE PROGRAMS I USE MOST (FROM OFFICE 2000: WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT, OUTLOOK EXPRESS, PROJECT AND VISIO). THE ICONS ARE DIFFERENT AND SCREEN FORMATS ARE DIFFERENT THAN WINDOWS 2000, BUT XP HAS AN OPTION THAT YOU CAN CHANGE THE VIEWING SCREEN TO THE TRADITIONAL FORMATS AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS A VERY NICE FEATURE. I LEFT THE NEW FORMAT AND ICONS THE SAME AND IT TOOK VERY LITTLE TIME TO GET USED TO THE NEW FLOW.

I KEEP WINDOWS UPDATED THROUGH THE ONLINE UPDATES AND HAVE YET TO HAVE A "BLUE SCREEN" OR A PROBLEM WHERE THE PROGRAM (ANY PROGRAM) LOCKS UP. THE XP "PERIENCE" HAS BEEN A GREAT MOVE AND NOW HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE "MANY MANY" (SEE REVIEW BELOW) HOURS WITH TECH SUPPORT TRYING TO GET THINGS UP AND RUNNING.

SO FAR, THE RELIABILITY AND PERFORMANCE IS EVERYTHING THEY PROFESS IN THEIR ADVERTISED LITERATURE. I HAVE YET TO USE PROBABLY 50 PER CENT OF ITS CAPABILITIES, SUCH AS THE COMMUNICATION (VOICE AND VIDEO AND WIRELESS) FEATURES AND THE REMOTE ACCESS FEATURE, BUT GIVE ME TIME.

OVERALL, I AM VERY SATISFIED WITH THE XP UPGRADE AND RECOMMEND IT TO ALL THAT HAVE WINDOWS 2000 AND ARE LOOKING FOR THE NEXT HIGHER LEVEL.
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I recently upgraded from Windows 2000 (Professional) to the Windows XP (Professional) and had a most eventful transition period. Note: If you have Windows 2000 (Pro), you can ONLY upgrade to the Windows XP (Pro), not the "Home" addition (something that most store clerks don't really know and won't really tell you).

One of the main problems I had was an incompatibility issue between Windows 2000 and Windows XP specifically in recognizing the existing USB Drivers, of which was connecting me to the Internet via a DSL modem.

I originally thought it was the ISP/DSL providers (which will remain nameless) problem and spent a total of 6 hours on the telephone with them (over several long tag team attempts) trying to reload again and again the modem software. After this failed, my thoughts went to the Operating software...Windows XP.

After 12 hours on the phone with "technicians" in India, who's main concern and efforts were to pass the fault/blame (of course) to the ISP provider. It was not a Microsoft issue, and I should spend many more hours on the phone talking to them. After a "line in the sand" stance with the technicians was drawn, "WE" finally determined that it WAS a Microsoft loading error that occurred when I converted Windows 2000 over to Windows XP.

To make a very frustrating and long labor-intensive story short, I had to wait on a Windows XP (from New Delhi, India) expert to call me back (within three days) to assist me in totally uninstalling Windows XP and reinstalling it again...along with all the other software on my computer.

Now that I have it up and running and all of my other software loaded on my computer, everything is running great and I love the new look, action and feel of Windows XP. Overall, a great investment.