Analysts now caution that sales may be slower than expected because consumer confidence has been hurt by last week's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Because of concerns about prolonged economic and political instability, analysts say consumer appetite for buying new software and computers is unlikely to return in the fourth quarter.
Microsoft said it will offer an upgrade adviser tool, downloadable from the Web, that can tell consumers whether their current PC, devices and programs are compatible with XP. The company will also give out CDs of the adviser at retail stores and in magazines.
If users try to install something that isn't compatible, a warning will pop up and link them to information on the product maker's Web site.
"This is the first time that we had so many ways to tell the user `this isn't going to work. There's no point in messing around with it and calling your friends to fix it'," Lin said.
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