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There has been
a lot of publicity about the advantages of Windows®
XP which must leave users wondering whether or not they should take
the plunge and upgrade their version of Windows to XP.
What
are the advantages ?
The advantages of Windows XP over previous versions of Windows®
are discussed fully at www.microsoft.com/windowsxp.
In general XP is faster and more robust than previous versions of
Windows®
but at the end of the day it is still just an operating system -
it is the software that you run on top of the operating system (e.g.
ScotWeave) that is more important to your everyday needs and upgrading
to XP may not make much difference to the way that this software
operates.
What
are the disadvantages ?
The main issue is the availability of driver software for older
printers, scanners and other hardware devices. What this means is
that if you upgrade to XP then your printer, scanner, CD-RW or other
device may not work unless you can locate a Windows®
XP driver for the device. Windows®
XP driver information can usually be found on the website of the
device manufacturer but XP drivers are NOT available for every printer,
scanner etc. out there.
If your computer
is connected to a local area network then you may also experience
difficulties in connecting to other computers on the network, depending
upon the network protocols that have been used to setup the network.
This may require someone to make adjustments on your network to
resolve this problem.
So
should I upgrade ?
Firstly,
you can only upgrade to XP from current licensed versions of Windows®
98, 98 SE or Millennium Edition. If you are running any other version
of Windows®
then you will have to purchase a full copy of XP (rather then a
cheaper upgrade copy) and you will have to install rather then upgrade
XP which can be more complicated.
If your pc is
more then 3 years old then you should perhaps consider replacing
the pc completely with one which comes with Windows®
XP ready installed.
Check the website
of your printer and scanner manufacturer to see if there are Windows®
XP drivers available. If there are not then you may have to replace
your printer/scanner.
Windows®
XP and the ScotWeave Dongle
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