Windows XP

Windows XP
Developer	Microsoft
OS family	Microsoft Windows
Codename	Whistler
Source model	Closed source Source available (through Shared Source Initiative)
Announced	February 5, 2001
Final release	Service Pack 3 with May 14, 2019 security update (5.1.2600.7701) April 19, 2019
Update method	Windows Update Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)
Platforms	IA-32, x86-64, and Itanium
Licensing	Proprietary commercial software
Released to manufacturing	August 24, 2001
General availability	October 25, 2001
Kernel type	Hybrid
Preceded by	Windows 2000 (1999) Windows Me (2000) Windows Odyssey (cancelled, 1999) Microsoft Neptune (cancelled, 1999) Windows Triton (cancelled, 2001)
Succeeded by	Windows Vista (2006) Windows Blackcomb (cancelled, 2002)
Website	Website as of October 29, 2001
Support status
Mainstream support ended on April 14, 2009 Extended support ended on April 8, 2014 Embedded support ended on August 31, 2019 Exceptions exist until at most April 9, 2019, see here for details.

Windows XP (codenamed Whistler) is a personal computer operating system produced by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and business users and Windows Me for home users, and is available for any devices running Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows Me that meet the new Windows XP requirements. Windows XP is the merger of two cancelled projects: Windows Neptune and Windows Odyssey, where were merged in early 2000. The name "XP" is short for "eXPerience", highlighting the enhanced user experience.

Development of Windows XP began in the late 1990s under the "Neptune" codename, built on the Windows NT kernel and explicitly intended for mainstream consumer use. An updated version of Windows 2000, codenamed "Odyssey", was also initially planned for the business market. Both projects were scrapped and merged in January 2000 in favor of a single OS codenamed "Whistler", which would serve as a single platform for both consumer and business markets. As a result, Windows XP is the first consumer edition of Windows not based on the Windows 95 kernel or MS-DOS.

Upon its release, Windows XP received critical acclaim, noting increased performance and stability (especially compared to Windows Me), a more intuitive user interface, improved hardware support, and expanded multimedia capabilities. However, some criticisms of Windows XP were its security issues at launch, and many people believed their product activation and anti-piracy schemes had gone too far. Windows XP and its server counterpart Windows Server 2003 were succeeded by Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, released in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Mainstream support for Windows XP ended on April 14, 2009, and extended support ended on April 8, 2014. Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, based on an embedded version of Windows XP Professional, was the last supported version of Windows based on the Windows XP codebase, and received security updates until April 2019. Prior to Windows XP's end of support date, unofficial methods were made available to apply the updates to other editions of Windows XP, which Microsoft discouraged, citing compatibility issues.

As of September 2022, the majority of PCs in some countries (such as Armenia) still appeared to be running on Windows XP, with just 0.39% of Windows PCs globally and 0.1% of all devices across all platforms running the operating system.

Description

Windows XP was the first Windows NT kernel-based OS designed for both the business and general type consumer markets, and was much more stable than the Windows 9x line due to the improved codebase (heavily based on Windows 2000). It was also the first version of Windows to implement product activation to prevent piracy. Windows XP was also a major advance from the MS-DOS based versions of Windows in security, stability, and efficiency due to its use of Windows NT. Windows XP runs on 32-bit (i386/x86), 64-bit (amd64/x64), and Itanium (ia64) machines.

Development

Main article: Development of Windows XP

In the late 1990s, development of a new OS began, and during this time it was codenamed "Neptune". Neptune was based on the Windows NT kernel, but was made specifically for home users. An updated version of Windows 2000 called "Odyssey" was also planned for the business market. However, in January 2000, both projects were shelved in favor of a single OS codenamed "Whistler", which would serve as a single platform for both home consumers and businesses alike. On February 5, 2001, Microsoft announced that "Whistler" would be officially named Windows XP and that “Office 10” would become Office XP, with "XP" representing "eXPerience".

Release

In June 2001, Microsoft indicated that it was planning to spend at least US$1 billion on marketing and promoting Windows XP, in conjunction with Intel and other PC makers. The theme of the campaign, "Yes You Can", was designed to emphasize the platform's overall capabilities. Microsoft had originally planned to use the slogan "Prepare to Fly", but it was replaced because of sensitivity issues in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

New and updated features

Main article: Features new to Windows XP

Removed features

Main article: List of features removed in Windows XP

Support lifecycle

Support for the original release of Windows XP (without a service pack) ended on August 30, 2005. Both Windows XP Service Pack 1 and 1a were retired on October 10, 2006, and both Windows 2000 and Windows XP SP2 reached their end of support on July 13, 2010. The company stopped general licensing of Windows XP to OEMs and terminated retail sales of the operating system on June 30, 2008, 17 months after the release of Windows Vista. However, an exception was announced on April 3, 2008, for OEMs producing what it defined as "ultra low-cost personal computers", particularly netbooks, until one year after the availability of Windows 7 on October 22, 2009. Analysts felt that the move was primarily intended to compete against Linux-based netbooks, although Microsoft's Kevin Hutz stated that the decision was due to apparent market demand for low-end computers with Windows.

Variants of Windows XP for embedded systems have different support policies: Windows XP Embedded SP3 and Windows Embedded for Point of Service SP3 were supported until January and April 2016, respectively. Windows Embedded Standard 2009, which was succeeded by Windows Embedded Standard 7, and Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, which was succeeded by Windows Embedded POSReady 7, were supported until January and April 2019, respectively. These updates, while intended for the embedded editions, could also be downloaded on standard Windows XP with a registry hack, which enabled unofficial patches until April 2019. However, Microsoft advised Windows XP users against installing these fixes, citing incompatibility issues.

End of support

This section is a stub, you can help Microsoft Wiki by expanding it.

Reception

Upon its release, Windows XP received mostly positive reviews from critics. Critics generally noted the increased performance of Windows XP, especially in comparison to Windows Me. They also reported that it had a more intuitive user interface, improved hardware support, and expanded multimedia capabilities. However, it was not free from criticism at the time of its release. Many users had criticized the new licensing model and the product activation system, as well as its many security flaws and zero-days upon its release. However, after Service Pack 2 was released, Windows XP received critical acclaim from many users and critics. It is estimated that over 400 million copies of Windows XP were sold during its first five years of availability, and that at least one billion copies were sold by April 2014.

Windows XP was an extremely popular operating system and remained popular even after the release of newer versions, particularly due to the poor reception of its successor, Windows Vista. Windows 7 finally took over XP's market share at the end of 2011 only to have it taken over by Windows 10 just 6 years later compared to XP's 10 years. Part of its popularity was also due to its extremely minimal system requirements; Windows XP can start on 32 MB of RAM (although 64 MB was the recommended minimum), and run smoothly with just 128 MB of RAM. Windows XP has the second most variants of any Microsoft operating system ever (just behind Windows 7). Windows XP was so popular that its default background, the 1996 photograph Bliss, became the most viewed photograph in the world after Windows XP release.

Legacy

Windows XP is still considered by many to be the be the greatest operating system ever made. The failure of Vista caused many to revert back to XP. after the failure of windows 8, XP still had significant marketshare. The Windows XP startup and Error sound has also became an internet meme circulating around popular sites including YouTube and TikTok. Some people still use Windows XP to this day including the United States Military, Doctors, and numerous police forces because some features simply will not work on any newer Windows OS. The default wallpaper “Bliss” is by far the most viewed image on the internet. Windows XP was the first operating system that focused on user experience. The colorful interface was inviting, making computers more approachable for the average user.

Gallery

Whistler booting screen; Whistler one of the names for Windows XP while in development.

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition logo screen.

Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition logo screen.

Windows XP 64-bit Edition (Intel Itanium) boot screen.

Bootup on first time use.

Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition (AMD64) boot screen.

Windows XP Media Center Edition logo screen.

Windows logo screen in all versions after installing SP2.

Internet Explorer 6 running on Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

Windows XP login screen.

Windows XP My Computer screen.

Windows Media Player 8.0 screenshot.

XP "Luna" Windows Style theme.

XP "Classic Windows" theme.

"Energy Blue" theme.

"Energy Blue" XP Media Center theme Start Menu.

Windows XP Display Properties window

Windows XP Control Panel

Set Program Access and Defaults program screen.

Windows Security Center program screen.

The Calculator as seen in Windows XP.

The Taskbar as seen in Windows XP Professional

The default desktop for Windows XP Professional, featuring the Bliss background.

A Windows XP error message generated by Atom Smasher.

A Hong Kong rail transport screen operating on Windows XP.

Graphics elements

Taskbar sheet

External links

• Windows XP at Microsoft (archived 2001-10-29)
  • Windows XP support has ended at Microsoft Support
• Windows XP at Wikipedia