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With every release of Windows, Microsoft offers a Plus package that adds added visuals and some functionality to Windows. Keeping with that practice, Plus For Windows XP adds a few bells and whistles to an application that is for the most part complete, minus a virus protection program.
In the past Plus packages like Windows Plus for Windows 98 offered up a long list of themes, sound effects, McAfee Anti-Virus, Windows compression and a few games. While the application was not an essential, when one tied virus protection to all of the bells and whistles, the idea of having a Plus package was something of a value.
With the new version of Plus, functionality is not so much an issue as added features for Media Player and just a few themes. Although this is not an essential program, on the positive side Plus does offer a few enhancements that are welcome, but far from necessary. For me as a visual person, I found the themes a nice touch, but do wish a few more had been included.
Certainly one can download themes, but I have noticed that with downloaded themes, even from respected web sites, issues of compatibility and stability can be present. This is particularly true with XP in relation to other versions of Windows. What worked on 95,98 and ME may, or may not, work as well under the more stable, and in my opinion the far superior XP.
If you are like me, and tend toward the cautious side of computing, but would like to customize the look of Windows XP, while at the same time not running the risk of having your system collapse like a house of cards, Plus for XP is one viable solution. Should you lack broadband, but still want to alter Windows XP, then this is the place to start. If nothing else, the Microsoft label offers you some assurances that you will not be left with a system in total disarray after your first install.
Unfortunately, Windows XP does not offer a lot of alterations to the interface or themes as is. Naturally, you can add third party software to do the trick. However, the problem of compatibility can be an issue, particularly for either newbies or those not having the luxury of fast Internet connection speeds.
There is a school of thought that views any interface alterations with disdain. Those of this camp feel that sound effects and attractive icons are useless luxuries that slow down a system’s performance. Of course this update will mean absolutely nothing to them. Since this upgrade has more to do with visuals, games and added options for Windows Media Player, there is nothing here to compel such a user to even consider this package.
For those that do consider this package, take into consideration that you may want a relatively fast processor and plenty of disk space to take advantage of the full range of features here. I found the recommended computer requirements to be a bit off, as they usually are. So do look at my comments in parentheses for the real low down on what you need. In short, you will need a new or relatively new PC to make this program worth your time.
While you can use XP and enjoy it, I do suggest strongly that you have a fast Internet connection to get the most from this application. There are huge downloads, updates and other factors than really make this an addition for Windows XP that needs those faster speeds. Unless you don’t mind tying up your phone for hours on end waiting for downloads, do consider broadband before making this purchase. Of course you can use Windows without broadband, but considering updates, the size of the recent update, having a fast connection is not a bad idea all the way around.
While Windows XP Plus offers some fun toys, my main criticism of it springs from what it does not offer. What is missing here are tools for real functionality. It would have been nice to see the many additions for Media Player included with the XP OS in the first place rather than having to purchase them separately. The inclusion of the Media Player MP3 converter is nice, it would have been even better had Microsoft included full support for the Internet’s most popular sound format. The fact that you have to pay for a full-fledged converter so that Microsoft can tout its propriety sound format smacks of smugness. It would have been nice to see added features that work in real world situations added to Windows Media Player rather than having to pay for them as add-ons.
As pleasant as the screen savers are, one would have expected more than the few included. Also it would have been nice to see an application that can actually offer some degree of control over such things as icons and menus, something ala Tweak UI, rather than offering a slight sampling of themes. While the themes in past editions bordered on the useless to being outright ugly, at least you had the option to use them or discard them. This time around the options are exceedingly slim.
Aside from a few games, which are nice but hardly earth shattering, XP does not really give the user much in the way of really great added functionality. While screen savers, sound effects and colorful wallpaper are nice, it would also be nice to see some real practical elements added. In previous versions of XP such things as anti-virus protection, and Windows compression added hard-core features not included in the Windows OS.
For whatever reasons, Microsoft shied away from including real applications in this Plus release. While this is pure conjecture on my part, some of the omissions software-wise in this Plus edition may have stemmed from Microsoft’s continuing battles in court. It just seems odd to release a product that is so obviously missing features and tools that seem so obvious. Ironically, Windows XP, even in the Home Edition, comes equipped with a firewall. While it lacks the well roundness of dedicated firewalls like Norton’s Personal Firewall, the application is very much there hidden within the networking tools.
On my wish list for Windows XP would have been anti-virus protection, full support for MP3 and DVD built into Windows Media Player, a full-fledged text-to-speech translator, as well as a more feature-rich image manipulation program and a larger assortment of themes. It also would not have hurt to include greater documentation of Windows XP, and perhaps beefed-up FTP and file downloading capabilities. And while we're at it, even a more sophisticated chat video conferencing program as well. Certainly an OS is just that, an operating system. It should not be expected to perform every function completely. But it would have been nice to see greater functionality, in depth tools and a more well-rounded feature set included with Windows XP Plus. Since this is a Plus package, one would have expected more. At least I did.
While those omissions and the slightness of the package really irked me, on the good side, it does offer a change from the standard look without having to search for Web sites that often do not indicate if their themes even work with XP. It is also nice to just install a package and not have to wait, search and then download an application unsure of how it will react with your system from an unknown source. For those that want to alter Windows, but do not want to spend hours and hours tweaking their computers, Windows XP offers some welcome relief.
This is not an awful application, but it is not a necessary one either. Then again at just $19.95, and yes you can get it for about twenty bucks legally, this is not all that bad an edition. If you are like me and just want to change things without bothering with searching for downloads from sometimes obscure sources, Plus XP is not bad, just a bit lacking.
Price $19.95 to $39.99 depending on source
Recommendations for using XP Plus (comments from me in parentheses)
Microsoft Plus For Windows XP:
**A Direct3D-compliant video card is required to run most screen savers, games, and visualizations. Microsoft has tested on many but not all of the major video cards incorporating the chipsets listed below. For the most recent list of supported cards and updated drivers, please visit www.microsoft.com/hcl or www.windowsupdate.com.
In essence, do even think of running this application on a machine that dates further back than the release of Windows XP.
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