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XP Behind the Scenes Changes
Beyond the GUI, most of the major "behind the scenes" changes from Windows 2000 to Windows XP are for the better, including the following:
Faster boot-up and shutdown: On the same hardware, I've clocked a 20 to 40 percent performance improvement for boot-up and shutdown sequences. Overall, performance seems improved as well (but how much of this results from a much more realistic minimum memory requirement of 128 MB, I wonder?).
Better stability and reliability: Despite repeated installations, lots of beta software, all kinds of applications coming and going, and the kind of extraordinary abuse that a systematic workout of the OS can cause, I've not had a single blue screen the whole time I've been working with Windows XP. I can't say the same about either Windows NT Professional or Windows 2000 Professional. In this case, this is an incremental but much-appreciated improvement.
Better remote access and control: New utilities like Remote Desktop permit remote access to a desktop machine, while Remote Assistance lets somebody else (normally, a helpdesk or tech support staffer) take over your machine and run it remotely while you watch or participate in the action. This is a big step up from the previous editions, where this kind of functionality meant acquiring third-party software.
Lots more wizards, lots more help: Above and beyond the Help and Support facility, new wizards are available galore. My personal favorites include the Forgotten Password Wizard, which lets users with sufficient foresight create a Password Reset Disk so they can get into a system and reset their passwords without administrator-level privileges. This is definitely a plus for those of us in the crowd subject to lapses of memory (or "senior moments," in my case). Another great Wizard is useful for SOHO (small office, home office) operations: the Network Setup Wizard, which makes it reasonably straightforward to set up and configure a small (less than 10 device) network. Internet Connection Sharing makes it easy to share a device-based Internet link (for example, a modem) on a single machine with other users on a LAN.
Fast user switching: This facility permits users to switch from one account context to another without logging off and logging back on, but alas, this doesn't work in a domain environment (only for standalone and workgroup computers). For those in the domain world, the good old runas command is still available at the command line, in fact, with more features and functions than ever.
Internet Connection Firewall (ICF): This facility allows users to impose restrictions on what can come from (and go to) the Internet from one or more Windows XP machines. When Internet Connection Sharing is used, Microsoft recommends that the ICF be installed on at least the machine that hosts the shared connection, but it can (and probably should) be installed on all Windows XP machines that access the Internet. Reasonable defaults are set, according to the documentation, but I want to play with this more before I form a final opinion on this particular tool.
Network bridge: This facility permits a single computer with multiple communication interfaces to distribute traffic across all such interfaces (providing, of course, the same protocols are in use throughout, in keeping with standard bridge limitations). Here again, this is a nice feature for SOHO networking.
System Restore: This facility tracks system changes and creates checkpoints between them, making it easy to roll back unwanted changes should they cause problems. Changes monitored include applications, systems settings, and driver updates or installations. To manage settings for this facility, use the System Restore tab in the Control Panel's System applet. To run the related System Restore tool, choose Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore.
A more disturbing addition to Windows XP is its support for the so-called "raw sockets" interface. This is an alternative to the standard Berkeley sockets interface that permits applications to access the network directly without going through upper layers of protocol- and policy-based security controls. Simply put, it exposes Windows XP Home (not Professional) systems to a broader range of potential hacks and attacks. For more discussion on this topic visit Steve Gibson's outstanding rant on the subject.
Otherwise, I've found the protocols, networking support, and default security settings for Windows XP Professional to be no worse than those in Windows 2000 Professional, and much improved in many cases. But they still default new volumes and folders to Full Control permissions, instead of changing it to "Authenticated Users" as every resource on the subject recommends — even Microsoft.