14.1 The Master Compatibility List

Remember that Windows XP is based on Windows 2000. It's compatible with many more pieces of add-on equipment than Windows 2000 is, but nowhere near as broadly compatible as previous "home" versions of Windows (like Windows 98 and Windows Me). For anybody who's switching to Windows XP from an earlier version, discovering that a piece of equipment becomes flaky or nonfunctional is par for the course.

If you'd like to eliminate every glitch and every shred of troubleshooting inconvenience, limit your add-on gear to products on Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility List (HCL), which appears at http://www.microsoft.com/hcl. Each item on this list has been tested and certified to work flawlessly with Windows XP.

Now, this list doesn't include everything that works with Windows XP. Hundreds of products that work just fine with Windows XP don't appear on the list (perhaps because they haven't been submitted for Microsoft's certification process). If you have some cherished piece of gear that you're reluctant to replace and that doesn't appear on the compatibility list, try it out with Windows XP before giving up hope.

NOTE

Many drivers that were certified for compatibility with Windows 2000 and Windows Me work with Windows XP. But if all you have for a particular gadget is Windows 98 (and earlier) driver software, you're probably out of luck.