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Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition FULL VERSION with SP2

Price: $199.00 USD

Windows XP Home makes it easy to use your Computer for those Personal projects you enjoy. Service Packs round up the bug fixes and product updates you need for operating more smoothly. This Service Pack bridges the gaps between the original software and user requests more fully, responding to customer wishes -- and making XP even better. Share your home computing resources with simple-to-use Networking tools Service Pack features - Security Center offers a central control system for your Windows XP security -- work with the firewalls, auto updates and antivirus tools Great news for people sick of pop-up ads - The built-in pop-up blocker controls them, with a new submenu and status bar icons New Add-Ons manager gives you instant access to all the Browser Helper Objects and extensions, enabling and disabling them easily Firewall now has its own control panel Enhancements to the Windows Update service make installing new updates easy Wireless Networking - Multiple wireless connections to choose from

With Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2, you get safer browsing and communication, powerful security tools, and improved experiences. Packed with multimedia features, Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2 aims to unlock the full potential of your personal computer. It also looks great, with rounded window corners, larger and more detailed icons, and a clean-look desktop.

The Security Center lets you check the status of your essential security settings.

The best thing about Windows XP is that, because it belongs to the Windows NT/2000 product family, it's designed from the ground up for reliability, security, and networking. XP Home users will soon see the benefits of this. The dreaded Windows crash-and-reboot cycle really is much less common with XP, and, provided the hardware is up to scratch, XP's performance is better, too. The downside is that using a different code base can make compatibility with old applications less assured. Business applications normally run fine, but older games, MIDI software, and system utilities may well cause problems.

Windows XP is more customizable than previous versions, including its visual themes that let you change the whole appearance of Windows in an instant. Fast User Switching is a neat feature for computers used by more than one person--it lets another user log on without killing the previous user's session, and when you switch back, running applications and open documents are as you left them. This is impressive, but what really counts is that XP understands how to deal with multiple users. Each user has their own special folders, such as My Documents, which cannot be seen by other users. And for those with more than one computer, the network setup wizard simplifies setting up a network.

Windows XP Home has many strong multimedia features. New Media Player lets you copy music from CD to hard disk, create your own playlist, and write your own music CDs if you have a CD writer. You can also play back DVD-Video (but only if a hardware or software DVD decoder is already installed) and play MP3 audio files and MPEG videos (but sadly not the popular RealMedia formats). Admittedly, Media Player does nothing that you cannot also do with free alternatives, but it is slick and nicely integrated. There is also Windows Movie Maker, a basic tool for capturing and editing videos that's fun to use, although too limited for serious work.

The Information Bar in Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2 notifies you when it blocks ActiveX control or active content and then lets you decide what to do.

For Web browsing, XP Home comes with Internet Explorer 6.0 and MSN Explorer. The most significant new feature for Internet users is the built-in firewall. A firewall protects against one of the most disturbing security risks, in which other users unknown to you might connect to your computer while it is online, reading private files or causing other damage. XP's built-in firewall is a simple affair, but it does prevent most types of unauthorized connections.

Service Pack 2 allows users to instruct Internet Explorer how to handle downloads from a specific publisher

The XP user interface is not a radical departure from earlier versions of Windows, but there are a number of small changes that together add up to a significant improvement. For example, you can add and remove shortcuts from the Start menu by right-clicking on the icon and selecting Pin or Unpin from the pop-up menu. Windows online help is integrated into a Help and Support Center that works like an internal Web site, with searchable help, tutorials, and walkthroughs. Laptop or other flat-screen users can set Windows to use ClearType for screen fonts, for a more readable display.

There are, of course, some pitfalls. Windows XP Home is demanding on hardware, and it would be a mistake to install it on less than Microsoft's recommended minimum. Business users note: unlike Windows 98 or Me, XP Home Edition cannot join a Windows server domain, so the networking is peer-to-peer only--see Windows XP Professional Edition for this functionality. There is also no multiprocessor support, and a mildly annoying anti-piracy measure requires you to obtain a code from Microsoft for full installation and any future system changes. But don't let that put you off: this is Microsoft's best Windows yet.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Features

Internet Explorer Pop-up Blocker Makes browsing the Internet more enjoyable by enabling you to reduce unwanted ads and content.

Internet Explorer download monitoring Warns you about potentially harmful downloads and gives you the option to block files that could be malicious.

Internet Explorer Information Bar Provides better information about events that are happening as you browse the Web, so it’s easier to know what’s going on and address potential security issues.

Windows Security Center Allows you to easily view your security status and manage key security settings in one convenient place.

Windows Firewall update Automatically turned on by default, this improved firewall helps protect Windows XP from viruses, worms, and other security threats that can spread over the Internet.

Improved wireless support Dramatically improves and simplifies the process of discovering and connecting to wireless networks.

Bluetooth technologies Enables you to easily connect to the latest Bluetooth-enabled hardware devices such as keyboards, cell phones, and PDAs.

Windows Media Player 9 Series Makes it easy to enjoy music, video, and broadband content with enhanced security.

Publisher: Microsoft Software

Microsoft Windows XP Professional FULL VERSION with SP2

Price: $299.99 USD

Windows XP Pro is the ideal new solution for your business and advanced home computing needs. Service Packs round up the bug fixes and product updates you need for operating more smoothly. This Service Pack bridges the gaps between the original software and user requests more fully, responding to customer wishes -- and making XP even better. Security Center offers a central control system for your Windows XP security -- work with the firewalls, auto updates and antivirus tools Great news for people sick of pop-up ads - The built-in pop-up blocker controls them, with a new submenu and status bar icons New Add-Ons manager gives you instant access to all the Browser Helper Objects and extensions, enabling and disabling them easily Firewall now has its own control panel, for customizing firewall setting to suit any connection Enhancements to the Windows Update service make installing new updates easy -- you can even choose which ones to install Wireless Networking - Multiple wireless connections to choose from

With Windows XP Professional Edition with Service Pack 2, you get safer browsing and communication, powerful security tools, and improved experiences. Windows XP is the operating system release that unifies the Microsoft range, with all the desktop versions now built on the NT/2000 code base rather than the shakier foundation of Windows 95, 98, and Me. That makes XP a great upgrade for users of the now-obsolete 9x and Me line, but for those already on Windows 2000 Professional it is a closer call. Despite the similar name, there is no special synergy between Windows XP and Office XP, which works fine on Windows 2000.

The Security Center lets you check the status of your essential security settings.

XP certainly looks different, with rounded window corners, larger and more detailed icons, and a clean-look desktop that on first installation shows only the taskbar and Recycle Bin. XP is also more customizable than earlier versions of Windows, and includes visual themes that let you change the whole appearance of Windows in an instant. That is the window-dressing, but underneath are some significant improvements. One of the most interesting is Remote Desktop. A standard XP feature, this uses technology from Microsoft Terminal Server to enable users to access their computer over any connection; for example, by dialing into the office from home.

This is not just file access--this technology lets you run applications remotely as if you were sitting at your desk at work. This is mature technology, stable and carefully thought out. So, for example, you can print from a remote word processor to a local printer. A variation on the theme is Remote Assistance, where the user can allow a remote helper to view their desktop, or optionally gain control of the keyboard and mouse, in order to troubleshoot a problem. The feature can also be disabled to ease security concerns.

Laptop users benefit from enhanced power management, with options to extend battery life by reducing CPU speed and display brightness. IrDA support has been fixed so that, unlike Windows 2000, Windows XP can easily use modems in mobile telephones via infrared. A new screen font, ClearType, improves legibility for laptop or other flat screens, and there is built-in support for wireless networking using the popular 802.11 standard. A great feature of XP, also found in Windows 2000, is the ability to synchronize network files with offline copies. Previously, these files could not be stored securely, but now they can be encrypted.

The Information Bar in Windows XP Professional Edition with Service Pack 2 notifies you when it blocks ActiveX control or active content and then lets you decide what to do.

For Web browsing, XP comes with Internet Explorer 6.0. The enhancements in IE 6.0 are mainly of interest to Web developers, and in any case Microsoft makes IE freely available to all Windows users. Although Java is not installed by default, it is not difficult to download a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Windows Messenger, originally a chat client, has evolved into a collaboration tool that allows for video conferencing and application sharing.

Service Pack 2 allows users to instruct Internet Explorer how to handle downloads from a specific publisher

The most significant new feature for Internet users is the built-in firewall. A firewall protects against one of the most disturbing security risks, in which other users unknown to you might connect to your computer while it is online, reading private files or causing other damage. XP's built-in firewall is a simple affair, but it does prevent most types of unauthorized connection.

Windows XP has strong multimedia features. The new Media Player lets you copy music from CD to hard disk, create your own playlist, and write your own music CDs if you have a CD writer. Although there is loss of quality as a result of compression, the process is easy and convenient. Media Player 8.0 can play back DVD video, but only if a hardware or software DVD decoder is already installed. You can also play MP3 audio files and MPEG videos, but sadly, not the popular RealMedia formats. In the end, Media Player does nothing that you cannot also do with free alternatives, but it is slick and nicely integrated.

The XP user interface is not a radical departure from earlier versions of Windows, but there are a number of small changes that together add up to a significant improvement. The Start menu now automatically features the most frequently used programs at the top of the list, and you can add and remove shortcuts by right-clicking the icon and selecting Pin or Unpin from the pop-up menu. Windows online help is integrated into a Help and Support Center that works like an internal Web site, with searchable help, tutorials, and walk-throughs.

Windows XP Professional includes all the features of Windows XP Home, and adds support for dual processors, encryptable file systems, offline folders, the Remote Desktop as described above, and extra administration features that come into play when connected to a Windows server domain. XP is demanding on hardware, and it would be a mistake to install it on less than Microsoft's recommended minimum requirements. There is also activation to consider, a mildly annoying anti-piracy measure that requires you to obtain a code from Microsoft for full installation, and in the future if you reinstall or make major system changes.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Features

Internet Explorer Pop-up Blocker Makes browsing the Internet more enjoyable by enabling you to reduce unwanted ads and content.

Internet Explorer download monitoring Warns you about potentially harmful downloads and gives you the option to block files that could be malicious.

Internet Explorer Information Bar Provides better information about events that are happening as you browse the Web, so it’s easier to know what’s going on and address potential security issues.

Windows Security Center Allows you to easily view your security status and manage key security settings in one convenient place.

Windows Firewall update Automatically turned on by default, this improved firewall helps protect Windows XP from viruses, worms, and other security threats that can spread over the Internet.

Improved wireless support Dramatically improves and simplifies the process of discovering and connecting to wireless networks.

Bluetooth technologies Enables you to easily connect to the latest Bluetooth-enabled hardware devices such as keyboards, cell phones, and PDAs.

Windows Media Player 9 Series Makes it easy to enjoy music, video, and broadband content with enhanced security.

Publisher: Microsoft Software

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition UPGRADE with SP2

Price: $99.99 USD

Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2 ofers you greater flexibility and more options, when creating those great digital projects. The Service Pack is filled with updates that make XP even better!

The Security Center lets you check the status of your essential security settings.

The best thing about Windows XP is that, because it belongs to the Windows NT/2000 product family, it's designed from the ground up for reliability, security, and networking. XP Home users will soon see the benefits of this. The dreaded Windows crash-and-reboot cycle really is much less common with XP, and, provided the hardware is up to scratch, XP's performance is better, too. The downside is that using a different code base can make compatibility with old applications less assured. Business applications normally run fine, but older games, MIDI software, and system utilities may well cause problems.

Windows XP is more customizable than previous versions, including its visual themes that let you change the whole appearance of Windows in an instant. Fast User Switching is a neat feature for computers used by more than one person--it lets another user log on without killing the previous user's session, and when you switch back, running applications and open documents are as you left them. This is impressive, but what really counts is that XP understands how to deal with multiple users. Each user has their own special folders, such as My Documents, which cannot be seen by other users. And for those with more than one computer, the network setup wizard simplifies setting up a network.

Windows XP Home has many strong multimedia features. New Media Player lets you copy music from CD to hard disk, create your own playlist, and write your own music CDs if you have a CD writer. You can also play back DVD-Video (but only if a hardware or software DVD decoder is already installed) and play MP3 audio files and MPEG videos (but sadly not the popular RealMedia formats). Admittedly, Media Player does nothing that you cannot also do with free alternatives, but it is slick and nicely integrated. There is also Windows Movie Maker, a basic tool for capturing and editing videos that's fun to use, although too limited for serious work.

The Information Bar in Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2 notifies you when it blocks ActiveX control or active content and then lets you decide what to do.

For Web browsing, XP Home comes with Internet Explorer 6.0 and MSN Explorer. The most significant new feature for Internet users is the built-in firewall. A firewall protects against one of the most disturbing security risks, in which other users unknown to you might connect to your computer while it is online, reading private files or causing other damage. XP's built-in firewall is a simple affair, but it does prevent most types of unauthorized connections.

Service Pack 2 allows users to instruct Internet Explorer how to handle downloads from a specific publisher

The XP user interface is not a radical departure from earlier versions of Windows, but there are a number of small changes that together add up to a significant improvement. For example, you can add and remove shortcuts from the Start menu by right-clicking on the icon and selecting Pin or Unpin from the pop-up menu. Windows online help is integrated into a Help and Support Center that works like an internal Web site, with searchable help, tutorials, and walkthroughs. Laptop or other flat-screen users can set Windows to use ClearType for screen fonts, for a more readable display.

There are, of course, some pitfalls. Windows XP Home is demanding on hardware, and it would be a mistake to install it on less than Microsoft's recommended minimum. Business users note: unlike Windows 98 or Me, XP Home Edition cannot join a Windows server domain, so the networking is peer-to-peer only--see Windows XP Professional Edition for this functionality. There is also no multiprocessor support, and a mildly annoying anti-piracy measure requires you to obtain a code from Microsoft for full installation and any future system changes. But don't let that put you off: this is Microsoft's best Windows yet.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Features

Internet Explorer Pop-up Blocker	Makes browsing the Internet more enjoyable by enabling you to reduce unwanted ads and content.
Internet Explorer download monitoring	Warns you about potentially harmful downloads and gives you the option to block files that could be malicious.
Internet Explorer Information Bar	Provides better information about events that are happening as you browse the Web, so it’s easier to know what’s going on and address potential security issues.
Windows Security Center	Allows you to easily view your security status and manage key security settings in one convenient place.
Windows Firewall update	Automatically turned on by default, this improved firewall helps protect Windows XP from viruses, worms, and other security threats that can spread over the Internet.
Improved wireless support	Dramatically improves and simplifies the process of discovering and connecting to wireless networks.
Bluetooth technologies	Enables you to easily connect to the latest Bluetooth-enabled hardware devices such as keyboards, cell phones, and PDAs.
Windows Media Player 9 Series	Makes it easy to enjoy music, video, and broadband content with enhanced security.

Publisher: Microsoft Software

Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP

Price: $19.99 USD

MODEL- MS-CD75309WI VENDOR- MICROSOFT CORPORATION FEATURES- Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP Built exclusively to take advantage of the power of Windows XP Microsoft Plus! delivers exciting new features for digital music gaming photos and more. Tailor your digital audio and video to your own tastes challenge yourself with a variety of fun and exciting games and customize the look and feel of your desktop with amazingly lifelike screen savers and images. Discover the new and vibrant multimedia experience. * Quickly convert MP3 files to space-saving Windows Media Audio (WMA) files. * Personalize the style of the Windows Media Player in Windows XP with attractive custom skins and use Plus! Personal DJ to create play lists of your favorite songs. * Boost the clarity and richness of music with new speaker enhancement technology. * Enjoy digital audio and video like never before! * Challenge yourself with captivating new arcade-style games featuring stunning 3-D graphics. * Explore the fun and excitement of bowling through the streets of ancient Rome. * Discover an intense game for fans of Tetris that will test your skills for quick thinking and strategy. * Navigate a new 3-D version of the classic tabletop labyrinth game filled with vibrant visuals and sounds. * Test your skills with over 40

Beginning with the release of Windows 95, Microsoft has made a habit of augmenting each new operating system with an add-on package of assorted enhancements and goodies. The latest such supplement to come to market is Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP, a collection of graphic and audio utilities, rudimentary games, screen savers, and desktop themes specifically designed for users of Microsoft's latest and most robust OS. But whereas the Windows 95 and Windows 98 Plus! editions blended several genuinely useful applications such as disk management tools and virus checkers with the usual stable of multimedia tweaks, Plus! for Windows XP offers more fluff than substance. Although newbies will undoubtedly find much of the collection quite compelling, veteran users may not be so impressed.

The program is divided into four distinct categories--Digital Media, Games, Screen Savers, and Themes--each of which may be accessed through a single, convenient graphical interface. Of these, the Digital Media component is clearly the deepest and most interesting. Its handy utilities include an MP3 audio converter for transforming disk-hogging WAV and MP3 files into space-efficient WMA format, a music playlist organizer known simply as Personal DJ, an exceedingly capable CD label maker, 20-plus Media Player skins, and three animated Media Player visualizations (including one culled from the Xbox game Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee).

Music and video fans in particular will immediately gravitate to the Voice Command for Windows Media Player module, which allows users to operate most Media Player functions by issuing verbal commands into their computer microphone. Even when faced with garbled enunciation and loud background music, Voice Command faithfully recognizes commands such as "Volume Up" and "Pause." Sadly, Microsoft's seemingly innovative Speaker Enhancement tool is ultimately little more than a glorified tone control that often hinders rather than improves the sound of your speakers.

Of the three games included in the package, the most intriguing is Russian Square, a deceptively addictive puzzle affair that plays like a one-dimensional offspring of Tetris and Rubik's Cube. Far less involving are the arcade bowling knock-off HyperBowl and the three-dimensional Labyrinth, a virtual take on the real-life game that involves a tilting table, metal ball, and lots of ball-gobbling holes. Eight animated screen savers and four desktop themes complete the package, the most notable of which is the stunningly lifelike and absolutely gorgeous underwater screen saver called "Aquarium." Otherwise, the program's themes and screen savers are no better than those that can be downloaded free of charge from various Web sites.

With Plus! for Windows XP, Microsoft has assembled a multipronged mixture of useful and not-so-useful multimedia tools and lighthearted amenities into one easily accessible compilation. If you aren't the type to scout around the Internet for individual components and feel the need to spruce up your XP audio-video environment, it may be for you. --Gordon Goble

With Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP, you can personalize your computer experience like never before. Built exclusively to take advantage of the power of Windows XP, Microsoft Plus! delivers exciting new features for digital music, gaming, photos, and more. Tailor your digital audio and video to your own tastes, challenge yourself with a variety of fun and exciting games, and customize the look and feel of your desktop with amazingly lifelike screen savers and images.

Everything you need to amplify your audio and video experience is included. Use the power of your voice to control Windows Media Player without lifting a finger. Easily create colorful, customized CD covers, labels, and inserts, and automatically add your own track listings and artwork using Plus! CD Label Maker. Enjoy stunning 3-D visualization effects, vibrant speaker enhancements, and a powerful personal DJ for automatically creating custom playlists in Windows Media Player. Quickly and easily convert your library of MP3 files to Windows Media Audio (WMA), saving valuable space on your hard drive.

Challenge yourself with fun and exciting new games. Take the fun and excitement of bowling in 3-D into the streets of ancient Rome with HyperBowl Plus! Edition. Labyrinth Plus! Edition rolls the classic tabletop labyrinth game into a 3-D world filled with vibrant visuals and sounds. Test your skills for quick thinking and strategy with Russian Square, an intense new puzzle game for fans of Tetris.

Customize your computer with 3-D graphics and photos. Personalize your computer with exciting new desktop visuals, including eight photorealistic 3-D screen savers and four enhanced themes, including wallpapers, screen savers, media player skins, and much more. Watch exotic fish come to life on your desktop in this amazingly lifelike recreation of a marine aquarium or display your favorite photos in a variety of custom-animated 3-D photo galleries. Even add your favorite background music.

Publisher: Microsoft Software