I officially proclaim the next seven days as Microsoft Windows XP Week.

Microsoft's new XP operating system hits store shelves on Thursday, Oct.25, which means many of us will feel compelled to dig deep and shell out some and-earned cash to keep up with the Gateses.

I've been playing with the new operating system for a while and, although it has a lot going for it, you may not need to spend the required $99 for Microsoft XP Home Edition or $299 for the more sophisticated Professional Edition.

If the one-eyed monster on your desk is running Windows ME or earlier and you want to be able to take advantage of the latest innovations in system stability, sound and graphics and use some of those new, high-speed peripherals, you may as well write out a check now.

But, if you're using any of the three versions of Windows 2000, you may want to wait for something better to come along.

Also, according to Microsoft, you need at least a Pentium II 300 with a minimum of 64 megabytes (they "suggest" 128) of RAM, two gigabytes of free hard-drive space and a CD-ROM drive that is rated at 12X or faster to use it.

Another reason you might want to avoid using XP is the annoyability factor of its new copyright protection. Essentially, Microsoft forces you to register a new version of the product for every computer you own by detecting variations in hardware. This can become a nuisance if you frequently change video cards, CD-ROM devices, memory or hard drives. Although it has become a lot more tolerant of these changes than it was in earlier beta versions, it may still require that you reregister with Microsoft whenever these changes are made.

XP is definitely more stable and versatile than its predecessors, basically because it is technically a hybrid of Windows ME and Windows 2000 with a few extras thrown in to satisfy the computer geek in all of us. This, folks, is a good thing, especially if your system crashes frequently or hiccups at the slightest touch of your mouse or keyboard.

One of the neatest features is a utility that enables you to run older peripherals - printers, disk drives, scanners, etc. - in "compatibility mode," allowing you to use them even though newer XP drivers may not exist. I'm using it with several devices and it works beautifully.

Another is speed. This baby boots up a lot faster than older versions of Windows and programs seem to load in half the time. This, of course, cuts down on bathroom breaks and hourly runs to the water cooler, but we all have to give up something in the name of progress.

Other features include:

- A much cleaner desktop. All those annoying icons that were loaded when older versions of Windows are installed are gone - even those for My Computer and Internet Explorer. All we see now is a small trash can in the lower-right-hand corner of the screen.

- A much more sophisticated Start Menu. That's where all the icons went.

- A choice between a simplified graphical interface and the more traditional one, which makes the operating system easier to use for the casual computer user.

- The ability to burn CDs without using third-party software.

- Much more efficient use of memory, which makes it possible for you to run several programs at the same time without crashing.

- A built-in firewall and increased security that blocks intruders from accessing your computer.

- Improved compatibility with software and hardware.

- A Files and Settings Transfer Wizard that makes it easier to transfer documents and settings from one computer to another.

- A Networking Setup Wizard that makes installing a home network a lot easier.

And, in the Professional version:

- A Remote Desktop that allows you to access to computers using Windows XP Professional from a remote location.

- Internet Information Services, which supports Web site creation, configuration and management.

- An Automated System Recovery Tool that allows users to restore systems to previous configurations when problems occur or changes to the operating system cause instability of startup failures.