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Windows XP is an operating system designed by Microsoft, especially for business computers, personal computers and media centres. The International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that more than 400 million copies were sold in the five years following the release of Windows XP on 25 October 2001. Windows XP succeeded Windows 2000 Professional and Windows Millennium systems and has itself recently been replaced by Windows Vista.

The huge success of Windows XP can be attributed to its Home Edition and the XP Professional version which include many advanced features. It offers support for Windows server domains and can also support dual processors especially designed for business clients and users requiring more power. Another version is the Windows XP Media Centre Edition which offers enhanced audio and video recording. This particular edition of Windows XP came pre-installed on Media Centre PCs.

Another Windows XP version, the Tablet PC Edition, was launched specifically for notebooks and laptops. This edition of Windows XP is compatible with a pen-sensitive screen on which a stylus can be used to jot down notes, scribble, draw, or write on the screen of the laptop. This is used for handwritten notes and drawings which are digitally saved on the hard drive of the laptop.

A lower cost edition, Windows XP Starter, was released for low-end hardware. XP Starter has many similarities to Windows XP Home, however it can run only three programs simultaneously since some of the more advanced features are disabled. One notable factor is that each country’s edition is customized to the basic requirements of that country. For example, desktop wallpapers display popular local locations and Help features are available in non-English languages as well. The Malaysian version contains a desktop background of the Kuala Lumpur skyline.

Yet another edition is known as Windows XP Embedded which has been customized for consumer electronics such as video games, set-top boxes as well as for sale-terminals, kiosks and ATMs, and most importantly for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) usage. In July 2006, Microsoft released Windows Fundamentals for older PCs. This version of Windows XP was targeted at people who wished to upgrade to Windows XP but lacked the recourses to buy new hardware.