Hide XP implementation considerations

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

Testing for application compatibility
Application compatibility testing is one of the biggest challenges; there are potentially hundreds of applications installed within any organisation that will require testing. Automated tools, such as Microsoft's SMS or Novell's ZENworks, can be used to detect and report on all applications installed on client PCs and can be a great asset. Remember that not all of the detected applications are necessarily "core" to the business; you'll need to assess the necessity to test each one. I estimate that most organisations will determine that they have 10 to 12 "core" applications within their environments that will require complete product testing with respect to the XP environment. Work with clients to determine which applications are required to run under Windows XP; those that don't should be uninstalled. Once identified, these applications need to be certified as Windows XP-compatible, either from the software developer, Microsoft, or by internal testing. Some applications may have to be upgraded for Windows XP certification. Microsoft's Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) is but one of a collection of tools and documents that enable both application developers and IT professionals to resolve application compatibility issues. Technical staff involved in the project should avail themselves of the tools available from Microsoft. Determine hardware upgrades and replacements
Based on minimum system requirements (Pentium 600-MHz/256 MB RAM/2 GB free disk), you must do a comprehensive hardware inventory detailing which PCs meet these requirements. Using this inventory, you can then determine how many PCs would require upgrading and or replacing. Both of these issues must be addressed before an overall project budget can be determined. Once the hardware upgrade/replacement quantity is determined, shop around for pricing. Then, factor delivery and prep into the project plan. In addition to the PC upgrades, additional testing will need to be done on peripherals to ensure they'll continue to function under the Windows XP operating system; this includes PDAs, printers, scanners, and others. An excellent utility for investigating hardware compatibility is the Windows XP Upgrade Advisor. Companion products
Applications that are associated with Microsoft Office must be upgraded in order to ensure full compatibility. Such applications include:
  • Visio
  • Project
  • Access
  • FrontPage
  • Publisher
  • PhotoDraw
  • MapPoint
  • Data Analyzer
It's a stretch to state that all companion products must be upgraded, but capitalising the cost of such upgrades into the overall project cost makes good sense. Who's going to pay?
Finally, before any real integration and upgrading begins, it's a good move to make sure it's clear who's paying for what. Costs for upgrading applications to function properly under Windows XP must be considered. Determining who will pay can be a thorny issue for both IT and the business. It's best to develop a general policy -- for instance, that upgrade costs will be shared among business units or be paid from IT budgets -- rather than dealing with each separate application upgrade separately.
For a weekly round-up of the enterprise IT news, sign up for the
Enterpise newsletter. Find out what's where in the new Tech Update with our
Guided Tour. Tell us what you think in the
Enterprise Mailroom.

Talkback

I STILL didn't get a direct answer to my question: What is the difference between Windows XP, Office XP (standard and professional) and Windows 2000 professional? What does one do that the others don't do? I want to make an informed decision before upgrading my computer.

via Facebook 18 August, 2003 17:38
Reply

how do i stop all the programmes like correct connect and others starting up on startup of my computer

via Facebook 23 April, 2004 08:50
Reply

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

PatrickG

openhgs has made the point for Windows 8 multiple monitors without realising it! With Windows 7 you have to switch the mouse and so your focus...

2 hours ago by PatrickG on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
Leslie Satenstein

Mozilla has threatened to stop supporting Linux. I guess that UBUNTU is going with another browser. I indicated that if Mozilla stops supporting...

3 hours ago by Leslie Satenstein via Facebook on Firefox rapid release improves Fedora Linux
Andy Bolstridge

Much as I abhor Microsoft's licensing practices, this is almost certainly down to purchasing IT equipment via 3rd party consultants - you get the...

3 hours ago by Andy Bolstridge via Facebook on 6 million wasted licences and £1,200 PCs: welcome to government IT
Jack Schofield

@openhgs Windows users have had multiple desktops since Linus started writing Linux. They just haven't shipped as standard because not enough...

20 hours ago by Jack Schofield on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
Jack Schofield

@Phil at Cloud4 What, Microsoft gets £1,200 per PC and £1,622 per server? Gosh, I'm amazed....

20 hours ago by Jack Schofield on 6 million wasted licences and £1,200 PCs: welcome to government IT
craigsc

You guys have no idea what is going on at Autonomy. Autonomy could have been a much more profitable organization. The sales operations at Autonomy...

22 hours ago by craigsc on HP cuts 27,000 staff as Autonomy chief Lynch leaves
Moley

How does this impact on dual or multi booting? Seems to me to more or less prohibit this, from Windows 8 anyway. Will Grub 2 recognise Windows 8,...

22 hours ago by Moley on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
apexwm

I don't understand why there cannot be a slight pause during the boot process so the user can press a key. Many operating systems do this, even if...

23 hours ago by apexwm on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
Gavin Goodman

You can now buy the Xi3 modular computer in the UK at http://www.ocdistribution.com . This can be bought with the Tand3m software, pricing and...

23 hours ago by Gavin Goodman on CES 2012: Xi3 microSERV3R
Phil at Cloud4

I agree: Mike Lynch can clearly build a business and manage strategy. I suspect the exit of Mike is more likely the end of a planned handover...

1 day ago by Phil at Cloud4 on HP cuts 27,000 staff as Autonomy chief Lynch leaves
Phil at Cloud4

This is unbeleivable government wastage with only one winner... Microsoft 1 - Tax payer Nil!

1 day ago by Phil at Cloud4 on 6 million wasted licences and £1,200 PCs: welcome to government IT
Mispam

So what do you do when you can't boot into windows? Why can't I just hold Shift while I power up instead of having to boot into windows and click a...

1 day ago by Mispam on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
apexwm

I've also seen that Mac OS X for Intel machines is supposed to run in VirtualBox, which would also be a nice solution. I've never tried it though.

1 day ago by apexwm on xTreme Triple Booting: Linux, Mac & Windows
dave heasman

What I wonder is why when companies are caught bang to rights in not providing contracted services, people bend over to smear the customers? Surely...

1 day ago by dave heasman on Virgin throttles broadband for high-speed customers
pjc158

Strange statement from HP regarding Mike Lynch and not capable of scaling a company. Autonomy was a $7bn purchase which started as a small company...

1 day ago by pjc158 on HP cuts 27,000 staff as Autonomy chief Lynch leaves
lojolondon

Or - possibly, they will destroy business by ensuring people do not invest where there is no return. Another socialist idea, well beyond it's...

1 day ago by lojolondon on Open Data Institute will act as biz incubator
J.A. Watson

Good stuff Jake, very interesting. Thanks. jw

1 day ago by J.A. Watson on xTreme Triple Booting: Linux, Mac & Windows
openhgs

"the cost of a second LCD screen is about the same as one day of an office worker's time, so this should soon be recouped in extra productivity."...

1 day ago by openhgs on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
Thomas Gellhaus

I also installed the KDE version; I also will probably try out razorqt since I really haven't had a chance to before. I'm looking forward to the...

2 days ago by Thomas Gellhaus via Facebook on Mageia 2 Released
francisabigail

Acquiring when reinvention/cannibalization is too challenging for a large organization can be an excellent strategy- still, so many mergers stumble...

2 days ago by francisabigail on Ariba buy parks SAP on Oracle's cloud turf