Like any major Windows upgrade, XP comes with its own unique set of headaches: Many tech shops find that applications don't work or connect and that upgrade budgets are blown thanks to additional costs for storage, memory, and peripherals. Yet, as other tech professionals attest, the migration effort can go smoothly and result in big returns on investment. Those that have upgraded successfully cite compelling reasons to take the plunge: XP is more stable and reliable than 2000 and earlier Windows versions; it features improved security and policy management; it offers valuable support for Microsoft's .NET XML-based Web services; and it has extended remote access control. Avoid these pitfalls when preparing for XP The first step toward a successful XP implementation is using the right version: Windows XP Professional. IT and business leaders who try to cut corners and go with the Home Edition quickly discover that the Home version isn't designed to network to domains, and so it isn't a viable option. Migration teams should know up front that the XP interface is substantially different than previous Windows versions and that the new GUI may be jarring to some. It's a good idea to get familiar with the GUI before a crisis hits. Users do have the option, however, to revert to the classic Windows GUI mode for navigating systems and networks. The costs of migrating to XP are essentially no different than any other Windows upgrade. But do plan on adding more memory--most techies agree that 256 MB is optimal these days and is the minimal acceptable configuration for today's typical office worker. Also keep in mind that while XP is designed to trick applications into "thinking" that they are running on the version of Windows for which they were originally designed, that feature doesn't always work. While this feature may be improved over time, "this is a challenge for Microsoft," says analyst Al Gillen of IDC, an IT industry research firm.

Few enterprises are rushing to migrate to XP, as the results of a recent TechRepublic poll point out.

Migrating is no easy feat at times On the client side, the majority of enterprises moving to Windows XP are typically upgrading from Windows 95/98/NT rather than Windows 2000, according to Gillen. But no matter what the upgrade scenario, it seems that there are plenty of headaches for anyone migrating to XP. Bill Dunklau, president of TransWeb, a Dallas-based Web site developer, says he experienced various compatibility issues after upgrading from 2000 to XP. For example, he couldn't get his Palm desktop to synchronize under XP, even though it worked with 2000. After numerous support calls to Microsoft, Dunklau discovered the root of the problem: The XP system disconnected a com port and a USB port. Although the migration troubles meant numerous weeks of discussions with Microsoft's technical support center, Dunklau is still very happy to have XP in place. "We really struggled for weeks, but I have to give the [Microsoft] technical support people glowing reports--they even called me back [to see how things were going]," he says. Dunklau says the migration was worth the effort, as his system performs better with the upgraded client. "I actually found it a little faster when I upgraded to XP," he says, adding, "and it's a lot snappier than Windows 2000."