Legal and critical issues
On Windows XP, there was strong criticism and investigations due to the integration of multiple applications for which there was traditionally a third-party market, such as firewalls, multimedia players (Windows Media Player), instant messaging programs (Windows Messenger), as well as quite a few distrust of Microsoft’s Passport service [ citation needed ]. Another of the strongest criticisms and cause of controversy was its very marked instability and its total slowness of operation. Most of these problems could only be solved with the latest Service Packs.
Security
According to abbreviationfinder, Windows XP was criticized for its susceptibility to malware, such as viruses, Trojans, or worms. The default security options require an administrator account that provides unrestricted access to the entire system, including vulnerabilities. According to experts, Windows XP had not foreseen the growing dangers of the Internet, as reflected in the basic and disabled Firewall by default, the vulnerabilities of Internet Explorer, the lack of reinforcements in Outlook Express among other defects; sustaining its argument on vulnerability via the internet as cited above. Microsoft responded by creating Service Pack 2 to correct most of these deficiencies, at the cost of delaying the development of Windows Vista.
Windows, with a large market share, has traditionally been a target for virus writers. Security holes are often invisible until exploited, making prevention difficult. Microsoft has indicated that the release of updates to patch security holes is very frequent by most crackers who discover them.
Product activation
While the need to activate Windows products was common in servers, the software industry, and businesses, Windows XP also introduced this option for common users. This system was introduced by Microsoft to decrease piracy. The activation was tied to the hardware of the computer system so the change of this, as the Motherboard made the installation deactivate and require activation again.
Windows Genuine Advantage Program (WGA)
Main article: Windows Genuine Advantage
The Windows Genuine Advantage system was installed with update KB892130 and verified if the copy of Windows is genuine; which allowed access to Microsoft product and security updates.
Copy restrictions
Windows XP limits the installation using previously used keys, thereby preventing unauthorized installations. These keys are included in the product documentation, but a number of keys were leaked online and used in unauthorized installations. The service packs contained a list of such keys and retrieved information on the new keys used. Microsoft developed an engine for Service Pack 2 that detected illegal keys. Due to protests from security consultants, Microsoft disabled this option, so Service Pack 2 used the previous Service Pack 1 key system.
Non-Genuine Windows
If the product key was not Genuine or Genuine, Windows displayed warning windows that prompted the user to purchase a valid Microsoft license and added an icon next to the clock on the taskbar. Also, the desktop turned black and if the system was not validated, Microsoft software or programs such as Windows Media Player 11, Windows Defender, and many more could not be downloaded. However, these measures were soon bypassed or reversed by users, in addition to the fact that the system itself mistook millions of genuine copies for pirates. As a consequence, instead of a successful anti-piracy measure, it has become a nuisance. Due to the failure of this system, Microsoft decided to make this strategy optional and rename it Windows Activation Technologies.
Feature integration
The inclusion of applications for which a third-party market already existed (such as Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Messenger and Internet Explorer), caused such a level of controversy by legitimate authorities, users and developers around the world. that prompted several lawsuits and legitimate lawsuits with various governments and regulatory entities. In response, Microsoft had to release various fixes. With SP1 they gave the freedom to choose which applications the user wanted to use for the most common tasks such as e-mail, listening to music and surfing the Internet. In Europe, they were forced to release Windows XP version N (the “N” in Does not include Windows Media Player), which was a failure to have the same price as the original. In South Korea, they were forced to replace existing ones with Windows XP K (which scrapped Windows Messenger) and Windows XP KN (which also scrapped Windows Media Player).
Excess versions
Another criticism was the excess of versions that Microsoft was producing over time. At first, there were only two versions: Home Edition (for home use), and Professional Edition (for advanced users and work computers). However, it later released additional versions that were not sold individually, but were factory installed on some computers. Windows XP Tablet Edition (for touchscreen laptops predecessors of today’s tablets), Windows XP Media Center Edition (for media centers), Windows XP N, K and KN (to comply with regulations imposed in various parts of the world), and Windows XP Newbies (for low-priced computers intended for novice users in developing countries).
No resolution limit
The option to force a resolution not recommended helps a lot because some programs and games required a certain partially high resolution to run.
There in Windows XP, the resolution limits could be exceeded; it was enough to uncheck the Hide the modes that cannot be displayed on this monitor box, after that, the resolutions not recommended were shown, however, since Windows Vista and later this option has been restricted.
Disadvantages
- It is possible to install and run the operating system on classic IA-32 processors like P5 Pentium without MMX instructions Windows XP is incompatible with pre-Pentium processors (like Intel type 486) because it requires CMPXCHG8B instructions.
- For many tasks, including web browsing, email, and other simple activities, 64 megabytes of RAM provided a user experience equivalent to or better than Windows Me on the same type of hardware.
