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Criticism of Windows XP deals with issues with security, performance and the presence of product...

Criticism of Windows XP deals with issues with security, performance and the presence of product activation that are specific to the Microsoft operating system Windows XP. Windows XP has been criticized for its vulnerabilities due to buffer overflows and its susceptibility to malware such as viruses, trojan horses, and worms. Nicholas Petreley for The Register notes that "Windows XP was the first version of Windows to reflect a serious effort to isolate users from the system, so that users each have their own private files and limited system privileges." However, users by default receive an administrator account that provides unrestricted access to the underpinnings of the system. If the administrator's account is compromised, there is no limit to the control that can be asserted over the PC. Windows XP Home Edition also lacks the ability to administer security policies and denies access to the Local Users and Groups utility. Microsoft executives have stated that the release of security patches is often what causes the spread of exploits against those very same flaws, as crackers figure out what problems the patches fix, and then launch attacks against unpatched systems. For