Microsoft Windows XP (Archived Report)



Microsoft Windows XP (Archived Report)










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ARCHIVED REPORT:
Microsoft Windows XP

by Faulkner Staff

Copyright 2015, Faulkner Information Services. All Rights Reserved.

Docid: 00017887

Publication Date: 1508

Report Type: PRODUCT

Preview

Microsoft, having now released several subsequent generations of its
operating system, discontinued sales of Windows XP on June
30, 2008. The company ended its original support period for Windows XP with Service Pack
3 on April 4, 2009, and its extended support period on April 8, 2014. With
the passage of this milestone, Windows XP is now considered legacy software and
will no longer be supported in any form by Microsoft.

Report Contents:

Description

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Related Faulkner Reports
Microsoft Company
Profile

Although Microsoft is now several generations
beyond Windows XP, many of the more than one billion copies of it that Microsoft sold are expected to remain in use for years to come,
largely because of its overall stability
and familiarity, and also due to compatibility issues certain legacy software may have with
newer versions of Windows.


Vendor

Name: Microsoft
Headquarters
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
(425) 882-8080
Fax: (425) 706-7329
Web: http://www.microsoft.com/
Type of Vendor: Operating System and Application Software Provider
Founded: 1975
Service Areas: Global
Stock Symbol: MSFT (NASDAQ)

Microsoft’s final major update for Windows XP,
Service Pack 3 (SP3), was essentially an end-of-life rollout for the operating
system. Many had anticipated
this update would be made
available in 2006. However, several delays and the impending launch of
Microsoft’s next version of Windows, Vista, caused the release to be pushed back
almost two years. SP3 was finally unveiled in
February 2008 and released to manufacturing that April. It offered customers
features such as Network Access Protection
(NAP),
black hole router detection, credentials security service provider, and the
Microsoft Kernel Mode Cryptographic Module. 

Windows XP is now at the end of its lifecycle. Mainstream support for the OS
ended on April 4, 2009, while its extended support period ran out on April 8,
2014. Microsoft’s announcement of the final service pack update for Windows XP,
SP3, was the last effort in its push for user adoption of a newer version of
Windows. The company has now ceased supporting Windows XP in any form, including
security updates.

 

Applications

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At the time of its release, Windows XP was hailed by users for its advanced features. One of
the main changes in Windows XP over previous Windows releases was that the XP platform officially
ended the DOS-lineage operating systems offered by Microsoft and also represented the first major
upgrade to the Windows user interface since mid-1995, when Windows 3.1 was
replaced by Windows
95.

Windows XP was hailed as a major move forward in the desktop operating market, adding stunning
new features that were considered innovative at the time. The operating system was made available in five
core editions, each focused at a particular market segment: Home, Professional, Media Center, Tablet PC, and
64-bit editions.

Table 1 outlines the applications of each edition of Windows XP.

Table 1. Windows XP Editions
Version

 Applications
Home Edition

The consumer version of Microsoft’s Windows XP, Home Edition
offered features designed
specifically for home PCs. With applications such as the Internet Explorer and Windows Media
Player, the Home Edition of Windows XP also featured Windows Messenger and home networking
options.
Professional Edition

Windows XP Professional enhanced the Home Edition by offering users a version of the OS focused
on business users. It integrated the strengths of Windows 2000 Professional,
such as standards-based security, manageability, and reliability, with the business features of
Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition, such as Plug and Play, simplified user interface, and
support services. Among the notable features of XP Professional were IPSec support, Smart Card
support, Windows Security Center, Remote Desktop, offline viewing, support for wireless
networking, and Bluetooth support.
Media Center Edition

Windows XP Media Center Edition was an operating system that provided the basis for
entertainment-based systems. The software allows users to leverage their PCs as entertainment hubs for
their homes, bringing live and recorded TV, movies, music, photos, and radio to a single location
that could be accessed via a PC monitor or TV display and using a single remote control. With Windows
XP Media Center Edition, users could pause and rewind live TV or radio, digitally record a TV series
or program category, watch DVDs and videos, organize and play music, and display digital photos.
The platform included an Encrypting File System, which provides protection from hackers and data
theft by encrypting files with a randomly generated key. Also included were Windows Server Support; Internet Explorer;
Windows Media Player; Windows Movie Maker; and a single, unified full-screen portal for TV,
PVR,
movies, music, photos, radio, and range third-party content.
Tablet PC Edition

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition provided a custom-tailored platform for Tablet PCs. Coming with all the features
of Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition was a platform for developers to integrate
pen, ink, and speech capabilities into new and existing applications.
64-bit Edition

The 64-bit Edition of the company’s Windows XP platform supported both 32-bit and 64-bit
configurations. Providing support for the Itanium 2 processor, the 64-bit Edition
was designed to
meet the demands of technical workstation users who required large amounts of memory and floating
point performance in areas such as mechanical design and analysis, 3D animation, video editing and
composition, and scientific and high-performance computing applications.
Service Pack 3

SP3 did not add many significant updates to the product. Clients looking for
enhanced functionality were encouraged by the company to migrate to Windows 7,
the most up-to-date version of the OS available at that time. The
Service Pack did add some minor updates, however, including additions to both Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 7, as well as
Network Access Protection (NAP) to help organizations take advantage of new
features in the Windows Server 2008 operating system. The
latest version of Media Player was also included in
the release as were new descriptions of Security Options. Support for FIPS 140-1 Level 1 cryptography as a
DLL at the kernel level was also provided, while Black hole router detection was
improved to let the operating system reconfigure the
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to keep connections active.

Environment

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Table 2 outlines the environments in which each version of Windows XP was
designed to operate.

Table 2. Windows XP Operating
Environment
Version

 Applications
Home Edition
  • PC with 300 MHz or higher processor (recommended).
  • 128 MB of RAM or higher (recommended).
  • 1.5 GB of available hard disk space.
  • Super VGA (800×600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor.
  • CD-ROM or DVD drive.
  • Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
Professional Edition
  • PC with 300 MHz or higher processor (recommended).
  • 128 MB of RAM or higher (recommended).
  • 1.5 GB of available hard disk space.
  • Super VGA (800×600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor.
  • CD-ROM or DVD drive.
  • Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
Media Center Edition
  • PC with 300 MHz or higher processor (recommended).
  • 128 MB of RAM or higher (recommended).
  • 1.5 GB of available hard disk space.
  • Super VGA (800×600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor.
  • CD-ROM or DVD drive.
  • Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
Tablet PC Edition
  • Identical to Windows XP Professional
    (see above), with the exception of requiring a keyboard and pointing
    device.
64-Bit Edition
  • PC with x86 or x64 based processors.
  • 1GB of RAM or higher (recommended).
  • 1.5GB of hard disk space.
  • Super VGA (800×600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor.
  • CD-ROM or DVD drive.
  • Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.

Support

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Microsoft ended its last phase of support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014.
The company recommends that users migrate to a later version of Windows.

Pricing

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Windows XP was available through Microsoft’s OEM partners and retailers until
June 30, 2008, and through certain OEM sales channels, typically for 
Netbooks and budget PCs, until October 2010.  This version of the operating
system is no longer offered by retailers. 

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Microsoft Windows XP Support Page:http://support.microsoft.com/ph/1173

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