Windows XP Professional incorporates additional features and components not found in the Home version: Remote Desktop service, Active Directory client, enhanced security, Offline Files, support for dual processors, deployment via Remote Installation Services (RIS) and the System Preparation tool (Sysprep), personal web folders via Internet Information Services (IIS), and roaming profiles. The networking, security, and collaborative functionality included in Windows XP Professional makes it ideal for business networks. Microsoft developed two versions of desktop operating systemsWindows 9x and Windows NT. Windows XP represents the merging of these two lines of operating systems. Service packs are a software bundle of patches and hotfixes plus additional features.  Currently Microsoft offers Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP. Aside from fixes, it contains enhanced security featuresPop-up Blocker and Add-on Manager for Internet Explorer, Windows Firewall, improved email handling to discover virus-type emails, wireless network support, and more efficient automatic updates.
Deploying Windows XP Professional involves planning, designing, developing, testing, and implementing. The minimum and recommended hardware requirements for Windows XP Professional are listed in Table 1. Minimum hardware will exhibit poor performance.
Table 1. Minimum and Recommended Hardware Requirements for Windows XP ProfessionalDevice | Minimum | Recommended |
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Processor | Intel Pentium/Celeron running at 233MHz or higher | Intel Pentium II/Celeron running at 300MHz or higher | RAM | 64MB | 128MB | Hard disk | 650MB available on a minimum 2GB size disk | 2GB available on any size disk | Monitor | VGA (800x600) | Super VGA (800x600 or higher resolution) | Disk drives (for CD installations) | CD-ROM or DVD drive | CD-ROM or DVD drive at 12x or faster speeds | Other | Standard keyboard and mouse or other pointing device | Standard keyboard and mouse or other pointing device |
Always check hardware for compatibility at Microsoft's HCL/Windows Catalog website before installing. Always check the BIOS compatibility with Windows XP prior to installation. Before installing Windows XP Professional, upgrade the BIOS to the latest functional and compatible version. Application compatibility should be reviewed and tested before deploying. Options for incompatible applications are to retire the application, replace the application, upgrade the application, or use the Application Compatibility features of Windows XP. To determine whether a computer can be upgraded, open a command prompt and run the winnt32.exe command from the installation CD or network installation point as follows: d:\i386\winnt32.exe /checkupgradeonly, where d:\ is the CD-ROM drive or the drive letter mapped to the network installation point. TCP/IP is the standard (default) network protocol in Windows XP. The default configuration is as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) client. To join a domain, open the System applet in Control Panel, and click the Computer Name tab and then click the Network ID button to use the wizard, or click the Change button. To be in a standalone configuration is to be a member of a workgroup. If other computers are members of the workgroup, they act as a peer-to-peer network. Each computer can be configured to share printers and files, and each computer maintains a separate list of users and groupsunlike domains, which provide centralized management of users and network resources. To interact with other computers on a network as a server, you can install File and Printer Sharing, using the Network Connections applet in Control Panel. Simple File Sharing is enabled by default in Windows XP Professional. You must change this setting in the Folder Options item in the Tools menu of any Windows Explorer or an open folder's window if you want user-specific resource access. The NTFS file system is required for access control permissions on files and folders. Windows Product Activation (WPA) is required to be completed within 30 days when using media purchased retail. Media through volume licensing does not require WPA.
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