2. Windows XP Windows XP is a major revision of the Microsoft Windows operating system created for use on desktop and business computer systems. As of February 2006, it is the latest general-purpose version of Microsoft's family of operating systems, and is expected to be succeeded by Windows Vista sometime in the second half of 2006. Codenamed "Whistler" during its development, it was released on October 25, 2001. The letters "XP" are said to come from the word experience. The most common editions of the operating system are Windows XP Home Edition.

3. Windows XP Media Center 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.

4. Edition’s The two major editions are Windows XP Home Edition, designed for home users, and Windows XP Professional, designed for business and power-users. The Home Edition lacks several features provided by Windows XP Professional. For instance, the Home Edition cannot become part of a Windows Server domain — a group of computers that are remotely managed by one or more central servers.

5. Windows XP introduced several new features to the Windows operating system line. Some of the most noteworthy and recognized include: The ClearType font rendering mechanism, which is designed to improve text readability on Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and similar monitors; Support for most DSL modems and wireless network connections, as well as networking over Firewire Faster start-up and hibernation sequences; The ability to discard a newer device driver in favor of the previous one (known as driver rollback), should a driver upgrade not produce desirable results;

6. Windows XP features a new task-based graphical user interface. The Start menu and search capability were redesigned and many visual effects were added, including: A transparent blue selection rectangle in Explorer *A watermark-like graphic on folder icons, indicating the type of information stored in the folder. *Drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop *Task-based sidebars in Explorer windows *The ability to group the taskbar buttons of the windows of one application into one button

7. Service Pack 1 Program Access and Defaults Menu added in Service Pack 1 Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows XP was released on September 9, 2002. Its most notable new features were USB 2.0 support and a Set Program Access and Defaults utility. For the first time, users could control the default application for activities such as web browsing and instant messaging, as well as hide access to some of Microsoft's bundled programs.

8. Service Pack 2 Service Pack 2 (SP2) was released on August 6, 2004 after several delays, with a special emphasis on security. Unlike previous service packs, SP2 adds new functionality to Windows XP, including an enhanced firewall, improved Wi-Fi support with a wizard utility, a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer, and Bluetooth support. It also includes a new API to allow third party virus scanners and firewalls to interface with a new security center application, which provides a general overview of security on the system.

9. Service Pack 3 Windows XP Service Pack 3 is currently in development. It will be released after Windows Vista has been finished; presently, Microsoft's web site indicates a "preliminary" release date of "2H 2007" for Service Pack 3.[17] Service Pack 3 may include Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, and many other changes, but Microsoft has not made any official statement on feature sets.

10. Integration of operating system features In light of the United States v. Microsoft case which resulted in Microsoft being convicted for illegally abusing its operating system monopoly to overwhelm competition in other markets, Windows XP has drawn fire for integrating user applications such as Windows Media Player and Windows Messenger into the operating system.

12. Windows In 2001, ProComp claimed that the bundling and distribution of Windows Media Player in Windows XP was a continuance of Microsoft's anticompetitive behavior, and that the integration of Passport into Windows XP was a further example of Microsoft attempting to gain a monopoly in web services. Both of these claims were rebutted by the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) and the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).