Windows XP Home Edition vs. Windows 98 and Me
The operating system core
Windows XP-Home Edition is a much stabler operating system than Windows 98 or Me could ever hope to be. The main thing that sets Windows XP Home Edition apart from Windows 98/Me is the core of the new operating system, called the Kernel. The Kernel is based on advanced technology developed for Windows NT (and enhanced for Windows 2000) rather than on good old DOS, or the so-called Windows 9x Kernel. This fact alone gives the new home user oriented operating system much greater stability.
For example, the depletion of a small chunk of memory known as the system resource pool can seriously crash Windows 98 or Me. Since the size of the system resource pool is hard coded into the operating system Kernel, it can never change, no matter how much RAM you have in your Windows 98 or Me system.
In contrast, the NT Kernel--and subsequently, the Windows XP Home Edition operating system--doesn't have any sort of limitation on the system resource pool. This equates to better performance and increased stability.
Wizard Bottom Line: Definitely worth the cost of the upgrade! Keep in mind that I'm not saying the new Windows XP Home Edition will be crash-proof. However, you can be sure that the same issues that bring Windows 98 or Me to its knees ten times a day will merely be a thorn to Windows XP Home Edition. These conflicts can probably be resolved without crashing the entire Windows XP operating system.
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