Windows XP in 2024: Why it's so good (and what you can do with it)

This video briefly introduces the Microsoft Windows product line starting in 1985 through to it's absolute peak (imo) - Windows XP. Some examples of the kind of programs that it can run are provided, including discussion and demonstration on using it on the modern web in 2024. Also includes the original XP advert from 2001, and a clip of a 1985 spoof advert for Windows 1.01 acted out by Steve Ballmer.

There is also a brief clip from the South Park Movie criticising Windows 98, which summed up perfectly most peoples feelings towards it at the time (it had just come out). Windows 98 Second Edition was much better.

The second half of the video is dedicated to XP game-play and features clips from the following XP-compatible games (in order of appearance):

Need for Speed: ProStreet
Quake III Arena
Crysis
Classicube
Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing
Quake 4
Screamer 4x4
Halo
Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

The first PC featured in this video is an IBM PC/AT with a VGA card and early IBM VGA Monitor. Although fully working, the official Windows 1.01 demo program it is shown to run is overlaid for visual clarity.

The second PC (that runs XP) is a duel 2.5ghz Xeon (four cores each) and matching motherboard from 2008 (XP was the most popular OS in the world at that time). It has 8gb of 1333mhz memory but XP only uses the first 4gb, as this is the 32 bit version, not the 64 bit version. This system will run the 64 bit version just fine but other than being able to use the extra memory, there is little performance improvement and software compatibility is not as good.

The system is runing an Nvidia GT-740 graphics card, bought brand new at the end of 2023 for just $40 delivered.

The Windows XP desktop and all games are set to run at 1280x1024 as that is the monitors native resolution. It refreshes at 60hz, some game V-Sync to that but others do not. The recorded footage is mostly overlaid back over the monitor panel in post, for reasons of clarity. The boot sequence is captured optically through the camera.

NOTE: YouTube has copyright-flagged the music in GTA and removed it. Which is slightly daft given that it originates in a computer game. These segments are silent now.