XP Myths - Myths Regarding Windows XP

Myth (Definition) - "A fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology." There are numerous Myths floating around the Internet regarding Windows XP, especially relating to Optimizations and Security. Hopefully this site will debunk some of these.


1. System Requirements

Myth - "Windows XP requires a high end PC to install and run."

Reality - "Windows XP can be installed on surprisingly low system requirements contrary to popular opinion. With the average life cycle of a regular PC being roughly 4-6 years, just about any PC being used today can run Windows XP. The following requirements are Microsoft's "official" minimum system requirements which I have tested to work fine with the exception of only 64 MB of RAM (performance is poor). Increasing your RAM to 128 MB would be the only upgrade I would strongly consider as my absolute minimum Windows XP system requirements."

233 MHz CPU (300 MHz Recommended) *
128 MB Recommended (64 MB of RAM minimum supported, limits performance and some features) *
1.5 GB of available hard disk space *
Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

* Actual requirements will vary based on your system configuration and the applications and features you choose to install. Additional available hard disk space may be required if you are installing over a network. - Source - Source 2

Notes - Again 128 MB of RAM is recommended as the minimum, since below that disables some features, reduces prefetching benefits and reduces overall performance. Anyone who claims Windows XP will not work with these settings has never actually installed Windows XP on this hardware. Older systems generally benefit from faster harddrive performance (5400 RPM to 7200 RPM, 40 conductor IDE cables to 80 conductor ect...) and faster Internet Connections (Dial-up to Broadband) before upgrading the RAM and so forth. Adding more RAM is almost always a good idea but it is important to understand what exactly you are trying to improve. The most common complaints on older systems are loading times and Internet Performance. Windows XP will work fine for basic Office, Email and Internet use. Many do not realize how low Office 2000 or Office XP's System Requirements are either. These are the minimum requirements for Windows XP NOT any third party software you choose to use. The system requirements for any third party software must be met to use that software properly.



2. DOS Game Compatibility

Myth - "You cannot run DOS games on Windows XP."

Reality - "Many MS-DOS-based games will run on Windows XP and a community out there is dedicated to smoothing the way. MS-DOS was a 16-bit platform. Windows 95 meshed 16-bit and 32-bit code with MS-DOS at its core. Most 16-bit MS-DOS based programs would work fine on Windows 95. Windows 95, 98, and Me were all based on the same core technology (called kernel). Windows XP is based on a completely different kernel. It's built on code that was introduced in Windows NT, evolved into Windows 2000, and was enhanced for Windows XP. The Windows NT kernel doesn't have any MS-DOS components in it at all-it's a pure 32-bit beast. It includes a 16-bit emulator and a command prompt mode that looks like MS-DOS. MS-DOS-based games don't have the friendly installers found in the Windows 9x-based games. You should install MS-DOS-based games from a command prompt. One of the trickiest parts of making MS-DOS-based games to run on Windows XP is getting the sound to work. Succeeding at getting your ancient games up and running on Windows XP can be as rewarding as playing the game itself!"

Notes - If all else fails you can always try the - DOSBox DOS Emulator.


3. NTFS Game Compatibility

Myth - "NTFS is not compatible with games."

Reality - "Your normal software and games could not care less what file system they are being stored on. As long as it's supported by the operating system you are using, there will be no problem. With NTFS, however, permissions can play a factor in whether a game runs correctly or not. If you don't have access to a particular file that's needed by the software, it's not going to work. This is different than when a file is stored on FAT32, and is probably responsible for the mistaken belief that a game, or other software, must be compatible with NTFS. This is another good reason to familiarize yourself with the file and folder permissions in NTFS."