But Windows XP will be a solid foundation for all users. Because Windows XP will be installed by such a wide range of users, ranging from technically unsophisticated home users to administrators wishing to automate corporate roll-outs, OS deployment has improved significantly with this release. Microsoft Group Product Manager Tom Yaryan discussed the ways in which Windows XP improves on the installation, serviceability, and deployment capabilities it inherits from Windows 2000. OS setup is difficult today. For end users, the Setup user experience has been enhanced dramatically.
Text is presented in plain English rather than confusing technical jargon.
Questions that require user input are batched together so that the user can walk away from the machine and know that Setup will continue without them needing to OK a dialog box later on. Setup has been removed, replaced by a fully-graphical Setup that was inspired by that used in Windows Me. For the first time, Microsoft is actually pushing upgrades over clean installs for the home user. When a Windows 9x desktop is upgraded to Windows XP, a backup is automatically taken of the old installation so that the user can go back if the Windows XP upgrade fails. The archive file is about 300 MB, and 1 GB of free space will be required for Setup to even run.