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The June 30 date came and went, and Microsoft Corp. has officially placed Windows XP on the long road to retirement.
Support for the most widely used operating system in the world will still be available for some time, but there are signs that the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant is forging ahead deeper into an all .Net model, while scrapping the Win32 code altogether-even in legacy mode. Windows 7 might just be that turning point.
With the fundamental shift in the way its desktop OS functions, Microsoft has placed millions of users in a tough position. The new XP mechanic must be crafty and resourceful to solve performance problems, security flaws, unstable environments and countless other issues.
But not everyone is tech-savvy enough to solve arcane errors that pop up from time to time. With that in mind, the Test Center came up with a simple list of fixes, tools and automated techniques that can satisfy most users with little to no technical understanding of XP.
Prepare Yourself
Similar to adjusting a carburetor to produce the right purr, XP requires up-front adjustments to get the OS...