Microsoft released what is considered by many a Millennial and early Gen-Zer as one of the greatest OPERATING SYSTEMS made by MICROSOFT of all time:
WINDOWS XP
Man, it has been literal years since I last used WINDOWS XP personally.
The last PC I had that ran WINDOWS XP was my MDG HORIZON 2900TV which was also my first PC to run it.
Not mine MDG HORIZON as Mine was barely roided up.
And my MDG HORIZON had more silver accents instead of beige.
The last time I had that machine running the OS was June 2011
MDG HORIZON Tower is on the bottom left above the GAMECUBE
in this SCREENSHOT from one of my own recorded movies.
And yes my MONITOR was turned off because I was shooting a movie.
Then My father took the machine to his SURREY, BC apartment to reformat the hard drive using the GUTTMAN METHOD before my mother and I went to MEXICO for our 4 month Vacation from JULY 1st to OCTOBER 16 of 2011.
Homer Simpson shirt aside, I'm standing here in OAXACA
circa JULY 2011.
Long before I grew my beard, mind you.
And yes, throughout Summer 2011, I refused to smile.
The very last time I ran WINDOWS XP personally with my own hands was during 9th Grade in High School where the School's Computers had yet to upgrade to 7.
Starting in the 2013/2014 School Year, All the computers had upgraded to WINDOWS 7.
(Sorry but no Photos from my NOKIA Phone I had at that time.)
SO, Why is WINDOWS XP so beloved by many when compared to other OSes like
95, 98SE, 7, 10, and even 11?
Well it's because WINDOWS XP was a breath of fresh air at just the right time.
Say what you will about the 21st Century but.....
Everybody was anticipating the arrival of the 2000s.
Maybe except FRY here but What do we care.
He gets Frozen and we knew that since MARCH 1999.
But manufacturers took a long look at the Electronics they were making and realized that for something like the year 2000, the external look of BEIGE for a computer case was now passe and that was not going to cut it anymore
And unless you were IBM with their THINKPADS,
or their NETVISTAS
Black Plastic for things like computers or Stereos were also becoming Passe too.
The year 2000 A.D demanded a change and that change was either CHROME painted plastic,
Actual aluminum for the casing,
LIAN LI PC-65 Mid-Tower Case
POWER MAC G5
Though this wouldn't show up until between 2003 to 2005.
or TRANSLUCENT COLOR PLASTIC.
iMac G3(Introduced in 1998)
HP Pavilion from 1999 with purple translucent colors
Compaq Presario 5000 series from 2000
And even though there were more people who held on to their CRTs or bought them, LCDs were starting to become the new norm.
But aside from the exterior electronics,
What about the OPERATING SYSTEMS?
Mac OS 9
Windows 2000
By this point,
OSes like MAC OS SYSTEM 9 and WINDOWS 2000 were starting to look dated with their semi-pixelated 256 Color look which made them look like holdovers from the
WINDOWS 95 or MAC OS System 7 days.
So even the OPERATING SYSTEMs needed a Fresh Breath of 21st Century Air.
Apple got to work revamping their MAC OS environments
But it's here where MICROSOFT earns it's time to shine.
WINDOWS XP had it's start as two development OSes back in the late 90s.
Those were codename NEPTUNE & ODDYSEY.
NEPTUNE is the one we're gonna talk about.
NEPTUNE was going to be the next WINDOWS version after 98SE
But unlike 98SE, 98FE, and the earlier 95,
NEPTUNE was going to built on the NT kernel instead of 9x.
Meaning that it would entirely be based on 32-Bit CODE from the NT kernel instead of the 16/32-bit hybrid nature of 9x which has WINDOWS running alongside a version of MS-DOS
(Though without DOS, this does break REAL-MODE Compatibility.),
It would use the more STABLE NTFS File system instead of FAT32,
And NEPTUNE's LOG-IN screen would look like this
NEPTUNE doing Windows Log-In screens before XP made it cool.
But the project proved too ambitious for MICROSOFT due to things that would eventually become the infamous WINDOWS 8 & 8.1 in 2012 and 2013 and various issues revolving in getting those features made in time for the new millennium.
While WINDOWS 2000 released as scheduled, albeit truncated from MICROSOFT's ambitions from the ODDYSEY project,
NEPTUNE was going nowhere and MS needed a consumer version of their OS to compliment WIN2K so they released a new version of Windows called.....
While some new features were introduced to ME like the same revamps that 2000 had as well as SYSTEM RESTORE and better USB Support compared to 98 or earlier,
ME was plagued with issues that were tied to the fact that the OS was built on 9x instead of NT as well as it's choice of file format such as FAT32.(NTFS is strictly a WINDOWS NT thing)
This made ME very infamous amongst users with many refusing to upgrade from 98 or switching to Windows 2000, MAC OS, or Linux.
(And those who had ME pre-installed, they'd rather downgrade to 98SE.)
However, the reality was that it was the OEM Manufacturers fault for why ME ran so badly for them.
As it turns out, ME runs just fine as long as you are in charge of your software and what settings you use
as even a slow E-MACHINES
E-MACHINES ETOWER 566IR
or a custom built LIAN LI build
LGR's MEGALUMINUM MONSTER 9X Build
could run ME better than an OEM GATEWAY PC could in the 2000s
BILLY COORE's Gateway Performance PC from 2001
(This one gave him so many problems so he gave it to his late father after he got his Dell PC.)
but not all of us are enthusiasts.
Anyway.
MICROSOFT knew that ME was a mess
REN HOEK Cringing....(from STIMPY'S CARTOON SHOW)
who's best users are the most TECH SAVVY but it's the average schmuck who's the largest consumer ratio....
so they got to work on revamping their WINDOWS OS.
So they got to work on making a new Windows OS that not only fixed the problems that plagued ME but also took stuff that was great about WINDOWS 2000 and unify the KERNELS into one so that one kernel is not dedicated only to the ENTERPRISE user but also to the HOME user as well.
The first releases were codenamed WHISTLER
because several MS EMPLOYEES went skiing at the CANADIAN resort town of WHISTLER, BC.
This OLYMPIC RING statue was added much later to build hype for the
Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
It's clear that as the project was in development, things were to change in the OS' operating environment.
For example,
Gone are the GARISH greys of the 9x Days.
Say hello to the vibrancy of BLUE ACCENTS with a green START BUTTON.
All thanks to this photo for making the transition smooth
This is the BLISS wallpaper,
A photo taken by CHARLES O'REAR, a retired NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC photographer who took that photo on his MAMIYA RZ67 film Camera in 1996.
A photo that although it is a beautiful grassy AMERICAN HILLTOP,
it's actually a Vineyard who's landscape was stripped of it's Grapevines due to a PHYLLOXERA INFESTATION that destroyed the grapes,
Yes, that photo.
I did a blogpost about the photo back in SEPTEMBER 3 2026 if you're curious about that:
Anyway, that photo was bought outright by Microsoft for marketing purposes as exemplified by this commercial below:
The slogan was susposed to be PREPARE TO FLY but it was changed quickly to YES YOU CAN due to sensitivity issues in the wake of the 9/11 attacks back in September 11 2001.
Oh and the OOBE was also updated from the ME days by replacing most of the WHITE Backdrops with the BLUE ACCENTS of the LOG-IN screen
Though it did replace ME's Merlin Character with
a QUESTION MARK but that's fine.
And the song TITLE.WMA(real name VELKOMENN)
which actually predates XP by 5 years.
If you want to read about the OOBE, refer to my earlier post to that here:
This was for users who just use their computer for general use such as gaming, web browsing, schoolwork, etc.
This was also the most common to get with your PRE-BUILD from OEMS back in the day.
& there was PROFESSIONAL
That was mostly for power users who need remote desktop access out of the box, ease of use with virtual machines, domain network integration, or advanced security.
I often saw this in COMPUTERS within COMMUNITY CENTRES and SCHOOLS between 2005 to 2013 and their use of the professional editions of XP made me really jealous.
There were other editions that included MEDIA CENTER
which allowed your computer to turn into a MEDIA CENTER, almost like a DVD Player with advanced capabilities while also providing a more glossier interface with the ROYALE THEMES.
Others included 64-Bit Editions....
But that was in a time when not all computers were able to support 64-Bit editions due to issues with one supporting only INTEL's ITANIUM architecture
which broke compatibility with past software,
and then there were editions that were tailored to AMD's ATHLON 64
or AMD's OPTERON 64
but still retained full compatibility with past generations.(except 16-bit legacy software)
And no I'm not counting service packs that you could actually buy from MICROSOFT as that follows the act of the MODERN WINDOWS UPDATE we use nowadays I don't want to be judgmental about one's INTERNET Connection problems from the 2000s so let's move on.
WINDOWS XP really did bring a lot of good memories for many a millennial and early Gen-Zer growing up in the 2000s.
Myself included.
I first saw a computer running WINDOWS XP at GREGORIA's house in CAMPBELL AVE. in VANCOUVER and I was surprised.
Though it was circa 2003 or 2004 so I was kind of late to the XP party.
(Sorry I don't have photos from that time period. My Parents didn't trust me holding a digital camera in the mid-2000s and they were still restrictive about me holding a film camera too.)
Then in early fall 2005, My father surprised my family with a little something,
It was an MDG HORIZON Computer running WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION pre-installed.
For years, I thought it was my father who bought the computer but in reality, it was my mother who bought the computer through an Online Storefront while my Father was the one who went to pick it up.
I remember the memories of having two accounts,
One for me and the other for my mother.
My mother often used the computer to play her music from there
Pictured however is me from....
I guess this picture is from 2006 or 2007.
Yes, I was listening to Music on WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER here.
I also remember using that computer not just to play games that we had on that machine but also to watch YOUTUBE VIDEOS.
Most were reviews or some that were just people crafting a story while capturing gameplay off of the PROJECT64 emulator using HYPERCAM.
The above photo is one such example of what I used the computer for.
Now if only my parents gave me free-reign to upgrade the PC
so I could swap things like the PENTIUM 4 for a CORE DUO series due to the PC using LGA 775 as it's socket
or put in a GPU like an NVIDIA GEFORCE or ATI RADEON
or maybe even swap out the RAM.
But at the time, I thought computers were a closed architecture but hey, I was in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL so I didn't know better.
Around late JANUARY or early FEBRUARY 2009, My parents decided that I should have the computer which was around the time my mother got herself her own DELL INSPIRON laptop so my dad set up the PC in my bedroom at the time
For 2 years, this was how my setup was
And my use of EMULATORS intensified as well as briefly starting up a YOUTUBE account before I closed that in JANUARY 2010 due to personal choices that I don't want to indulge upon.
By June 2011, A TROJAN HORSE infected the Hard Drive in my MDG HORIZON to a point that my father felt it was a lost cause to save the computer before my 4 month MEXICO trip so,
He took the PC into his SURREY Apartment and performed the GUTTMAN method to wipe the hard drive securely.
And that was the last time I had a WINDOWS XP machine to call my own.
I don't know if my father still has the PC with him in a storage facility in MAPLE RIDGE or not but I'm sure the PC has long since been e-cycled.
The last time I ever used a WINDOWS XP computer personally was around mid-2013.
My High School BRITANNIA had computers that ran XP at a time when 7 was dominant but by the start of the 2013-2014 school year when I was in the 10th grade, All the School's Computers ran WINDOWS 7 by that point.
I graduated High School in 2016 so I don't know if they upgraded to 10 by that point....
And knowing the circumstances now, I'm guessing BRITANNIA has upgraded their computers to 11 but it's been years since I've last been in a HIGH SCHOOL so take my word for it.
Sure, we've long since moved on from XP into whatever we're running on our machines but I'm sure we're gonna look back at when MICROSOFT knew how to properly enter the 21st and that was with both a VINEYARD TURNED HILLTOP & A song from the late STAN LEPARD.
Do you remember a time when setting up MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP
on your BRAND SPANKING SHINY NEW COMPUTER
you bought at BEST BUY, COMPUSA, FUTURE SHOP, etc.?
Or when upgrading from 98SE or 2000?
A lot of us remember. Those days.
Myself included.
Photo might be from 2006 but.....
Here, I am running WINDOWS XP on that
SAMSUNG SYNCMASTER CRT Monitor.
I vaguely remember the first time I saw this screen it was a FALL AFTERNOON of 2005 and it was on my MDG HORIZON 2900TV
when my dad had just hooked it up to the wall with a kickass if somewhat small 17" SAMSUNG SYNCMASTER CRT monitor
(Dad, Why didn't we keep the large 21" KDS monitor?)
Anyway, we were setting up WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION on the MDG and I was surprised to see that the setup screen looked like this:
And as you heard in the video above, I heard a song accompanying it.
(In indication that the onboard REALTEK AUDIO CHIP was working)
And for years, I've always wondered what that song was all about.
But I couldn't hear it again until a a few years later when I discovered YOUTUBE and then heard the song once again through various YOUTUBE UPLOADS from between 2008 or so.
If you want to hear the song just by itself, here's the EMBED Link
?????????
Why does the EMBEDED VIDEO make mention of INTERNET EXPLORER and the year 1996 when this post is all about WINDOWS XP and the year 2001?
Well it's because the song actually predates WINDOWS XP by 5 years and was meant for a piece of software for computers running WINDOWS 95 or WINDOWS NT 4.0.
That piece of Software is the MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER STARTER KIT
This piece of software was meant to introduce USERS to the web browser that MICROSOFT really wanted users to use instead of NETSCAPE which was the hot one at the time of release...
Back in 1996 when DIALUP was still king.
Here's a demonstration:
All credit goes to MICHAEL MJD for his demonstration
Anyway.
Throughout the use of the software, You'd hear the song that you'd later in in XP's installation.
When WINDOWS XP was getting released, there was a need to allow users to bask into what I call the transition from the 20th Century into the 21st Century and that was to put in some Music into the Installation process.
If you want to experience it again without using either an original machine or a virtual machine,
I found this link to itch.io to a game that's also a Simulator:
But ultimately, this was also proven false for ENO's connection to XP because ENO detests MICROSOFT nowadays and ENO prefers to use MAC Computers instead of x86 Machines.
And there was even a fight between people regarding the OOBE MUSIC's similarities to the SAVAGE GARDEN song A THOUSAND WORDS
But it was ultimately nothing short of a COINCIDENCE.
Then in 2011(My least favorite year personally, mind you.)
And it's there that the TRUE IDENTITY of the guy who made the song was revealed:
STAN LEPARD (Full name STANLEY JAMES LEPARD)
Was the TRUE CREATOR of the Windows XP OOBE Music and he also revealed that the song was actually composed 5 years prior for the THE NTERNET EXPLORER STARTER KIT in 1996.
And he also revealed that he composed an abridged version of the same song that would be used for the NORTH AMERICA Map for the software ENCARTA VIRTUAL GLOBE 1998
His reveal of the origins of the song surprised many Netizens of WEB 2.0 because they had been searching for almost 10 years the true origins of the song.
And with this surprise upload on SOUNDCLOUD in 2011, the search was put to rest.
while the original version of the song was eventually reuploaded just with references to INTERNET EXPLORER STARTER KIT.
While the 2020 Remix now says WINDOWS 98 but I've used 98 before and there's no connection with STAN LEPARD and WIN98 as 98's seldom used OOBE SCREEN doesn't even use music.
And 98's music for it's tour is this instead:
While STAN LEPARD passed away on FEBRUARY 11 2021 due to INTERCEREBRAL HEMMORAGE,
His profound impact on many a Late Millennial and Early Gen Zer has proven that the song will remain forever Iconic for many years.
Probably with as much of the same impact as CHARLES O'REAR'S famous
NAPA VALLEY BUCOLIC GREEN HILLS/VINEYARD Photo he took, also in 1996.
Most of my info comes from fellow Youtuber MICHAEL MJD's video of the Song's origins
And yes, I should have been mentioning this on my UPCOMING blogpost about WINDOWS XP but I decided to leave this separate from the upcoming post because a blogpost about the most iconic song we've heard in our childhoods deserves a post of it's own.
