(Norton Utilities, Norton AntiVirus, Norton CleanSweep, and Norton Password
Manager.) I also make regular use of Diskeeper from Diskeeper Corporation
and Dragon Naturally Speaking from Scansoft. I describe most of these in
more detail in The Part of Tens later in this book.
But first I’m going to take you through upgrading your Windows operating
system on an existing hard drive, or on a new hard drive that is installed
internally or externally to your laptop.
A laptop built to run Microsoft Windows or another PCcentric operating
system, such as one of the various flavors of Linux, is very similar to one
built to run the Apple Macintosh operating system with the exception of the
microprocessor and the chipset on the motherboard. (And Mac owners can
even run software like Virtual PC, which runs Microsoft Windows withinthe
Macintosh operating system.) Macintosh laptop owners can use this book for
all of the hardware side of the equation: hard drives, USB ports, wireless com-
munication, networks, and LCDs. And in 2005, Apple announced it would
switch to Intel as the source of its microprocessors beginning in mid-2006,
with all models based on Intel CPUs by the end of 2007, which will make inter-
operability with PC hardware and software even easier.
Seeing a Windows XP Installation ..............................................................
Before you consider installing Microsoft’s latest operating system be sure
that your laptop is up to the task. Some say latest and greatest, while others
have a slight difference of opinion, but like Paul Simon wrote, I’m all right
with it in a sort of a limited way for an off night.
Microsoft’s official requirements for Windows XP Home Edition follow:
A PC with at least a 233 MHz processor, although 300 MHz is recom-
mended. The operating system will work with processor in the Intel
Pentium and Celeron families as well as AMD’s K6, Athlon, and Duron
classes.
A minimum of 64MB of RAM, with at least 128MB recommended. Using
just 64MB may result in slowdowns and a loss of some advanced features.
At least 1.5GB of available space on a hard drive for installation and
operation.
A video adapter capable of displaying Super VGA (800×600) or greater,
and an operational LCD or monitor.
A CD-ROM or DVD drive to load the operating system.
A functioning keyboard and mouse or other pointing device.
Part V: The Software Side of Life ...............................
