Windows XP Home Edition vs. Windows 98 and Me
Internet access
Windows XP Home Edition comes with a host of Internet-related features, most of which will be available to Windows 98 and Windows Me users. Some of these features are built into the previous operating systems while others will be available as add-ons.
As with Windows 98 and Windows Me, Windows XP features Internet Explorer 6 as the default browser and Outlook Express 6 as the default email program. You'll also find updated versions of MSN Messenger and NetMeeting in Windows XP Home Edition.
If you have a home or small network, you'll find that Windows XP Home Edition, like Windows 98 and Windows Me, comes with the easy-to-use Internet Connection Sharing feature. However, Windows XP Home Edition adds firewall software to the Internet Connection Sharing feature in order to protect broadband Internet connection users.
Wizard Bottom Line: Nice, but not really worth the cost of the upgrade. If you're running Windows 98 or Windows Me, you can download and add Internet Explorer 6 and Outlook Express 6 to your system when the package becomes available. While having a firewall integrated into Internet Connection Sharing is good, this built-in version doesn't provide ironclad protection from malicious users. To protect yourself fully, you'll still need a more advanced third-party firewall package.
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