Windows XP N Editions...

[Zim Hosein]

Windows XP N Editions

After much hemming and hawing, Microsoft finally shipped its so-called N Editions of Windows XP--Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional Edition N--to European Union (EU) countries in mid-June. The N Editions, as you may recall, were designed to satisfy an EU antitrust ruling against the software giant which stipulated that Microsoft must ship a version of Windows XP that did not include Windows Media Player (WMP) or any associated files.

Microsoft's documentation about the N Editions explains what files where left out to meet this requirement. In total, almost 200 files were removed from XP Home and Professional Editions, though most of them are ancillary or support files. The most crucial missing pieces, of course, are Windows Media Player itself (WMPLAYER.EXE) and the "classic" version of WMP (MPLAYER2.EXE) that Microsoft still inexplicably ships in other XP versions.

If you're wondering what the XP N Editions are like, wonder no more. I got my hands on both XP Home N and XP Pro N this week and gave them both a spin. The results were pretty uneventful.

Windows XP N Editions

 

[veloc1ty]

careface -_-

 

[Zim Hosein]

Originally posted by: veloc1ty
careface -_-

 

[HappyPuppy]

I like hot fudge sundaes.

 

[suse920]

Yay a downgrade!!

 

[The Pentium Guy]

Originally posted by: suse920
Yay a downgrade!!

...haven't all their products been updating and downgrading ?

 

[NatePo717]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
I like hot fudge sundaes.

mmmmmm yummy

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: The Pentium Guy

Originally posted by: suse920
Yay a downgrade!!

...haven't all their products been updating and downgrading ?

no...

 

[OdiN]

I would have liked to see them ship it with just windows. No IE, no notepad, no calculator, no WMP, no wordpad, no paint...I mean like NOTHING. Offer each as an "upgrade" for the N version for like $20 each.

 

[codeyf]

Originally posted by: OdiN
I would have liked to see them ship it with just windows. No IE, no notepad, no calculator, no WMP, no wordpad, no paint...I mean like NOTHING. Offer each as an "upgrade" for the N version for like $20 each.

:thumbsup:

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: OdiN
I would have liked to see them ship it with just windows. No IE, no notepad, no calculator, no WMP, no wordpad, no paint...I mean like NOTHING. Offer each as an "upgrade" for the N version for like $20 each.

Uhhhh. $20 for notepad? $20 for calculator? $20 for paint? Notepad is about 2 lines of code and has no competition. Are you RETARDED? Those should DEFINITELY be left in. Wordpad is neccessary (it acts as a viewer for Word documents). WMP is the only really expendable part.

 

[imported_goku]

Originally posted by: codeyf

Originally posted by: OdiN
I would have liked to see them ship it with just windows. No IE, no notepad, no calculator, no WMP, no wordpad, no paint...I mean like NOTHING. Offer each as an "upgrade" for the N version for like $20 each.

:thumbsup:

thats only useful if they were to reduce the price on the os, they may very well do that but keep it at the price they have now :shocked:

 

[intogamer]

damnit I want to take off IE

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: OdiN
I would have liked to see them ship it with just windows. No IE, no notepad, no calculator, no WMP, no wordpad, no paint...I mean like NOTHING. Offer each as an "upgrade" for the N version for like $20 each.

Uhhhh. $20 for notepad? $20 for calculator? $20 for paint? Notepad is about 2 lines of code and has no competition. Are you RETARDED? Those should DEFINITELY be left in. Wordpad is neccessary (it acts as a viewer for Word documents). WMP is the only really expendable part.

*WHOOSH* over your head.


Uhm...what I'm saying is that MS should do this out of spite over such a ridiculous ruling that they can't include a media player in an operating system. It's absurd.

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: OdiN
I would have liked to see them ship it with just windows. No IE, no notepad, no calculator, no WMP, no wordpad, no paint...I mean like NOTHING. Offer each as an "upgrade" for the N version for like $20 each.

Uhhhh. $20 for notepad? $20 for calculator? $20 for paint? Notepad is about 2 lines of code and has no competition. Are you RETARDED? Those should DEFINITELY be left in. Wordpad is neccessary (it acts as a viewer for Word documents). WMP is the only really expendable part.

*WHOOSH* over your head.


Uhm...what I'm saying is that MS should do this out of spite over such a ridiculous ruling that they can't include a media player in an operating system. It's absurd.

Heh. Go cry about it. I just hope they start selling the N editions here so I can start using them on customer systems instead of the full version (since my systems ship with superior media players installed anyway)

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: OdiN
I would have liked to see them ship it with just windows. No IE, no notepad, no calculator, no WMP, no wordpad, no paint...I mean like NOTHING. Offer each as an "upgrade" for the N version for like $20 each.

Uhhhh. $20 for notepad? $20 for calculator? $20 for paint? Notepad is about 2 lines of code and has no competition. Are you RETARDED? Those should DEFINITELY be left in. Wordpad is neccessary (it acts as a viewer for Word documents). WMP is the only really expendable part.

*WHOOSH* over your head.


Uhm...what I'm saying is that MS should do this out of spite over such a ridiculous ruling that they can't include a media player in an operating system. It's absurd.

Heh. Go cry about it. I just hope they start selling the N editions here so I can start using them on customer systems instead of the full version (since my systems ship with superior media players installed anyway)

Ok Mr. High and Mighty superior media player installerer person guy!!!

If they are the same price...what difference does it make if it has WMP or whatever you install? It just won't use WMP...not like it causes problems with whatever crap you are putting on there.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: OdiN
I would have liked to see them ship it with just windows. No IE, no notepad, no calculator, no WMP, no wordpad, no paint...I mean like NOTHING. Offer each as an "upgrade" for the N version for like $20 each.

Uhhhh. $20 for notepad? $20 for calculator? $20 for paint? Notepad is about 2 lines of code and has no competition. Are you RETARDED? Those should DEFINITELY be left in. Wordpad is neccessary (it acts as a viewer for Word documents). WMP is the only really expendable part.

*WHOOSH* over your head.


Uhm...what I'm saying is that MS should do this out of spite over such a ridiculous ruling that they can't include a media player in an operating system. It's absurd.

Heh. Go cry about it. I just hope they start selling the N editions here so I can start using them on customer systems instead of the full version (since my systems ship with superior media players installed anyway)

Like wingimp? (winamp)

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Heres my thought on the issue, if youdont like windows media player........here it comes..........................dont fsking use it! They shouldnt have to produce a seperate version just because you dont like part of the product.

Thats like saying brand X tires are so much better, but since ford wont put them standard on the cars they make, but instead put brand Y they are violating Anti-trust laws. Gimme a break. Windows media player works great and if its not your thing, it will take 30 seconds to stop using it and make wingimp your default.

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer
Heres my thought on the issue, if youdont like windows media player........here it comes..........................dont fsking use it! They shouldnt have to produce a seperate version just because you dont like part of the product.

Thats like saying brand X tires are so much better, but since ford wont put them standard on the cars they make, but instead put brand Y they are violating Anti-trust laws. Gimme a break. Windows media player works great and if its not your thing, it will take 30 seconds to stop using it and make wingimp your default.

While I mostly agree with you there should at least be an option to uninstall it.

 

[Chaotic42]

I am the only one that wants my OS to play videos, browse the internet, read/create PDFs, handle zip/rar/etc files, edit photos, watch DVDs, and burn media out of the box with no additional downloads required?

This stripping features away is stupid.