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Tech types are all atwitter over the “Product Activation” requirement that will be introduced with Windows XP. After you install a retail copy of Windows XP, you won’t have unfettered use of it until you “activate” it online or with a phone call to Microsoft. There’s lots of details, but the idea is to keep you from installing one copy on multiple computers. Mark Minasi does a great job of summarizing the known information and the reasons that this makes people nervous in this article for Windows 2000 magazine. Although these are valid concerns, by the way, don’t get too excited – my friends and clients will not be affected and I continue to hope that Windows XP will be an enormously satisfying release. […] continued

Last week Microsoft announced that Windows XP won’t support Bluetooth. Today Microsoft turned its back on another emerging technology when it announced that Windows XP won’t support USB 2.0.

Bluetooth and USB 2.0 have both received lots of publicity, but the reality is that neither one is ready to be rolled out to a mass market yet. Manufacturers have squabbled, standards have been slow to evolve, and alternatives to each have quietly been making headway. The alternative to Bluetooth is a wireless networking standard named 802.11b, which will be supported in Windows XP. And the alternative to USB 2.0 is technology developed by Apple called IEEE 1394 or FireWire. […] continued

Windows 2000 is so stable that it’s easy to forget to keep it up to date. If you’re running Windows 2000, visit Microsoft Windows Update and check for critical updates. (If you haven’t installed Service Pack 1, it’s a good idea, but not if you’re on a dialup connection – it’s a big download.) And if you’re a gamer, look for “Application Compatibility Updates.” They allow more than 180 programs to run that initially weren’t compatible with Win2K – especially games. Yesterday it became possible for the first time to play Grim Fandango on Windows 2000. Life is good!

Windows 2000 Professional is the most stable operating system ever released for a personal computer. It’s a joy. But it’s missing some of the cuddly features that home users appreciate, it wasn’t marketed aggressively to small businesses, and many users were left out because upgrades from Windows 98/ME to Win2K are virtually impossible.

Later this year Microsoft will release Windows XP, a new operating system intended to replace all of its existing desktop systems – Windows 2000, ME, and 98. It looks breathtakingly good. This is potentially as big as the shift from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95.

Windows XP is based on the Windows 2000 code, so it’s super-stable. […] continued

If you’re using Windows 2000 Professional, take a look at this quick list of 10 tips put together by ComputerWorld. There’s bound to be a couple of things that will come in handy. If you’re not using Windows 2000 Professional on a business desktop – why not? Windows 2000 Professional is the most stable operating system ever released for a personal computer. Period. Call me. We should talk.