Save time, aggravation, possible security issues: Upgrade to Windows XP

Are you still reading this e-newsletter on a Windows 95 or 98 machine? No need to rummage around for your installation CD, if you've forgotten: How long did it take for your computer to boot up this morning? If it took longer than about 10 seconds, you haven't yet upgraded to Windows XP. And you should.

Microsoft had previously announced it would discontinue phone support for Windows 98 altogether in January 2004, but then changed its mind when it found that users in "developing countries" hadn't had enough notice of the change, according to the company. It remains on Microsoft's front burner to phase out 98 in favor of XP, though. Microsoft support for Windows 95 ended on December 31, 2003. (We at a la mode provide our own fast, friendly, expert tech support for our products; we're talking here only about Microsoft itself supporting its operating systems.)

And there are excellent reasons beyond Microsoft support (we just heard hundreds of you make a wisecrack about "Microsoft support" when you read the previous paragraph; everybody's a comedian) to ditch Windows 95 and 98 in favor of XP.

Older operating systems are security problems waiting to happen. They weren't built when encryption of data was the kind of concern it is today. That means they transmit a lot of things you don't want captured and used for nefarious purposes, like passwords and other information, as clear text.

Microsoft's minimum requirements for Windows XP Professional are a 233-MHz Pentium II PC with 64 MB of RAM and 1.5 GB of free hard drive space. Those are minimum requirements to get the thing to boot up; for a useful XP system, you need about a 450-MHz processor with 256 MB of RAM. This practical minimum is puny compared to what's inside today's newest machines. And such performance costs a good deal less than it did when you bought that Windows 98 machine.

If you want to see whether your current computer will perform well with an XP upgrade, visit this Microsoft page called "Windows XP Upgrade Advisor." The Upgrade Advisor is a 50 megabyte download onto your system; using a slower dialup connection while you're trying to multitask isn't recommended.

Windows 98 is six years old. It's already been superceded by Windows ME, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. Longhorn, the informal name for XP's successor, is on the horizon (but far enough off that waiting for it won't do). Like most software and technology companies do, we recommend our customers upgrade to Windows XP.