When Microsoft launched Windows XP in the fall of 2001, many ICON members asked me if they should upgrade to the new operating system. My answer was…"That depends." XP had some pretty hefty system requirements compared to the previous versions. If your current system was fairly up-to-date, you could probably upgrade with the addition of a new driver or two, if not, you might have to buy a new computer just to run Windows XP. The answer to whether one should upgrade was then…"That depends". Followed by…"Does your existing computer do what you need/want it to do"?

With the launch, I intended to upgrade to the new OS, but for several reasons, never did. My computer was a 333 mhz Intel Celeron processor with 128 mb of RAM running Win ME, and while it would do everything I needed it to do, I wanted (a valid reason!) to upgrade to the latest operating system. Using Microsoft's XP compatibility tester, I checked to see if I could make the jump to XP. It appeared that my old machine was upgradeable if I installed some additional memory and driver updates, however, it would require so much of the computing resources that my other software might cause the system to freeze while trying to perform the tasks I wanted to do, so I continued using the system I had...until recently.

Sarah and I had talked about an upgrade for both of us ever since the XP launch but hated to spend the money, and we could both still work with what we had, so neither of us had made the jump. Because of the demands of web site design, Sarah's 500 mhz Pentium III was becoming so over-worked by her computing needs that it locked up frequently, causing her to have to reboot. Still, we resisted the investment required to upgrade until her hard drive began to fail. At that point, the question was not whether to upgrade, but rather, with what. We would have to answer "That depends" very quickly!

Our solution was a practical one. To fulfill Sarah's computing needs, we chose a powerful processor with plenty of RAM and high end graphics capability. We also felt that since DVDs hold so much more data than CDs, that we should include a DVD burner. Toss into the mix, the portability of a laptop, and we had the solution she needed. This still didn't solve my problem, as I was still using a relatively slow processor with an older operating system.

I took her old desktop machine, installed a new hard drive, doubled the RAM to 512 mb and upgraded to WIN XP Pro. Voila!...although the 500 mhz Pentium III is not very fast by today's standards, it answers "That depends" very well for me, at least for now.

Some of the most recent questions I have fielded from ICON members include: "Would I be better off with a laptop"? "What digital camera should I buy"? Should I use CD-Rs or CD-RWs"? "Which brand of printer should I buy"? And the answer is…"That depends"…on you and your needs/wants.

If you have questions similar to the ones I have described, share them with the rest of us. One of the great benefits of ICON membership is that others will gladly share their insight regarding your computing experience and help you clarify just what your "That depends"…is.

Happy Computing
Terry