Windows XP

Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base. The name "XP" is short for "eXPerience." Windows XP, the successor to Windows 2000 and Windows Me, was the first consumer-oriented operating system produced by Microsoft to be built on the Windows NT kernel. Windows XP was released worldwide for retail sale on October 25, 2001, and over 400 million copies were in use in January 2006. It was succeeded by Windows Vista in January 2007. Direct OEM and retail sales of Windows XP ceased on June 30, 2008. Microsoft continued to sell Windows XP through their System Builders (smaller OEMs who sell assembled computers) program until January 31, 2009. The NT-based versions of Windows, which are programmed in C, C++, and assembly, are known for their improved stability and efficiency over the 9x versions of Microsoft Windows. Windows XP presented a significantly redesigned graphical user interface, a change Microsoft promoted as more user-friendly than previous versions of Windows. A new software management facility called Side-by-Side Assembly was introduced to ameliorate the "DLL hell" that plagues 9x versions of Windows. It is also the first version of Windows to use product activation to combat illegal copying. During development, the project was codenamed "Whistler", after Whistler, British Columbia, as many Microsoft employees skied at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort. According to web analytics data generated by W3Schools, from September 2003 to July 2011, Windows XP was the most widely used operating system for accessing the internet. As of January 2012, Windows XP market share is at 32.6% after having peaked at 76.1% in January 2007.

Screenshot of Windows XP Windows XP Part of the Microsoft Windows family Developer Microsoft Corporation Website Windows XP: Homepage Releases Release date RTM: August 24, 2001 Retail: October 25, 2001; 10 years ago [info] Current version 5.1 (Build 2600: Service Pack 3) (April 21, 2008; 3 years ago) [info] Source model Closed source, Shared source[1] License Proprietary commercial software Kernel type Hybrid Update method Windows Update Windows Server Update Services(WSUS) System Center Configuration Manager(SCCM) Platform support IA-32, x86-64 and Itanium Preceded by Windows Me and Windows 2000 Succeeded by Windows Vista Support status Mainstream support Ended on April 14, 2009[2] Extended support Extended Support until April 8, 2014 for Windows XP with Service Pack 3 and Windows XP x64 Edition with Service Pack 2[2] Downgrade support Available until January 14, 2020[3] Further reading Development of Windows XP Features new to Windows XP Windows XP editions Criticism of Windows XP

[ Source: Wikipedia | Copyright info: Used with permission from Microsoft. ]