Windows XP, Vista

Windows XP is a graphical operating system that was released in 2001. Windows XP was a major revision of the Microsoft Windows operating system created for use on desktop and business computer systems. It is presently the latest general-purpose version of Microsoft's family of operating systems, and is succeeded by Windows Vista. The letters XP are said to come from the word ’experience’.

The most common editions of the operating system are Windows XP Home Edition, which is targeted at home users, and Windows XP Professional, which has additional features and is targeted at power users and business clients. Windows XP Media Centre Edition, released one year later, consists of Windows XP Professional with new features allowing users to record and watch TV shows, watch DVDs, listen to music and more.

Windows XP is known for its improved stability and efficiency over previous consumer versions of Windows. It presented a significantly redesigned GUI (graphical user interface), a change Microsoft promoted as more user-friendly than previous versions of Windows. Windows XP is also the first version of Windows to use product activation to combat software piracy, a restriction that did not sit well with some users and privacy advocates.

Windows XP introduced several new features to the Windows operating system line. The most noteworthy ones include: faster start-up and hibernation sequences; the ability to discard a newer device driver in favour of the previous one (known as driver rollback), should a driver upgrade not produce desirable results; a new, arguably more user-friendly interface, including the framework for developing themes for the desktop environment; fast user switching, which allows a user to save the current state and open applications of their desktop and allow another user to log on without losing that information; the Remote Desktop functionality, which allows users to connect to a computer running Windows XP from across a network or the Internet and access their applications, files, printers, and devices and support for most DSL (digital subscriber line) modems and wireless network connections.

Windows Vista is the next major version of Microsoft Windows. Vista will be one of the most substantial updates in the history of Windows in terms of new features and is thought to be the largest and most costly software development project in the history of computing.

Windows Vista has many new features, such as an updated graphical user interface, improved searching technology, a number of new security features, and completely redesigned networking, audio, print and display sub-systems. Vista also aims to increase the level of communication between machines on a home network using peer-to-peer technology, making it easy to share files, password settings, and digital media between computers and devices. Microsoft's primary stated goal with Vista, however, has been to improve the state of security in the Windows operating system. Amongst the many common criticisms of Windows XP, the most significant has been its security vulnerabilities, and an overall susceptibility to viruses and buffer overflows.