Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft 's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001.

Windows XP is light, stable, and extremely fast. It has been the most popular operating system of Microsoft. It comes with two major editions: Home and Professional. You can get a quick overview of the two editions in the content below. Tip: Though Microsoft ended support for the system in 2014, it still has widespread use.

After extensive prototyping, including abandoning earlier attempts at a consumer NT-based operating system, Microsoft settled on a prototype called “Whistler” that would eventually turn into Windows XP. According to Microsoft, the “XP” meant “experience,” with a promise to focus on user experience in the new release.