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  50 Things You Didn't Know About XP
1. You can rename several files at one time within Explorer. A long overdue feature, in my opinion. Super simple to do, too! Oh, I won't tell you how right now - I'll save that for an upcoming GnomeTIP.
2. The tiles view is there for getting quick picture dimensions. A godsend for those of us who work with the Web. When you select an image, its dimensions will also be displayed in the Status bar (if it's turned on).
3. Check out the Details view if you have a ton of similar files in the folder. In one glance, you can view the number of pages, bitrate, details, etc. Of course, it depends on what it is you're trying to view.
4. ClearType is a great reason to upgrade to XP. While it does have a noticeable impact on 2D performance, the view is spectacular. And it's not just for LCD screens, contrary to popular belief. Font smoothing is so twentieth century.
5. Your removable drives are automatically added to the SendTo menu. I can't figure out how to get them outta there, as I never really use my floppy or Zip drives.
6. EXIF support is built into the Explorer shell. This will allow you to see embedded information from untouched digital photos. Again, another awesome feature for shutterbugs.
7. Details view in MP3 folders is a must. It's very much like WiMP - in the sense that you can view all sorts of song details from within the Explorer window.
8. Being a neat freak, I appreciated the new 'Align to Grid' feature for the Windows desktop. Now I don't have to right-click and Arrange every time I move a stupid icon. Try as you might, you can't drag desktop icons off of the screen with this option turned on.
9. Man, you gotta play with the 'Show in Groups' Arrange option. It's truly neat, and depending on how you have the folder set up, it'll provide different sorting options (alphabetically by file type, general file type, etc.) Very, very cool.
10. When you see the shutdown dialog pop up, hold onto the SHIFT key if you wanna flip energy saving modes (from Suspend to Hibernate).
11. Just like WiMP will grab album images and lyrics from songs, it will also now grab cover shots and detailed information for your DVDs.
12. When you put in a CD with MP3s on it, XP will ask you what you want to do with it. It does the same (basic) thing when you insert a picture CD or plug in a digital camera. Very friendly.
13. Icons in the System Tray are now displayed in high color. It's about time! Oddly enough, when you configure the System Tray (by right-clicking on the Taskbar and selecting Properties), in the Notification area, someone forgot to update the old icons for Paint, Network, Calculator, etc. I get paid to notice these things, ya know.
14. ZIP file support is finally built into the OS. Yes, I know Millennium Edition had it, too. But I hate that OS.
15. No powertoys ship with the CD, although they will be available from Microsoft's site after October 25th. They are a MUST for any user, experienced or not. Super Fast User Switcher, PowerToy Calculator, Alt-Tab replacement, Virtual Desktop Manager, Photo Toys, TweakUI, Command Window Here, Slideshow generator, Magnifier, HTML Generator, and TimerShot.
16. ID3v2 is supported throughout the OS (in WiMP 8.0 as well as in the Explorer shell). To edit an MP3's information, pull up its properties and flip to the Summary tab.
17. You can store / save your current Theme to the My Documents folder. Send the niftier ones to your friends! On the surface, this feature appears to be backwards compatible with classic Desktop Themes.
18. I think I've rebooted this computer less than ten times, yet XP's boot process (from BIOS to desktop) is faster than it's ever been. Let me time the sucker. Hold on - this should only take a minute. I take that back! It took me 45 seconds to get back up and running again.
19. MSConfig is back, baby! Windows 2000 users will appreciate its return. Of course, X-Setup works just fine on XP, too.
20. In folders designated for pictures, the Tasks pane will give you an option to print them. Choose your images, layout, printer, etc. If you have a photo printer, this is a spectacular feature. If you choose not to work with the Tasks pane, you can simply open an image in the Windows Viewer and "print" from there to get to the same wizard.
21. You'd be surprised at how much alpha blending of icons improves the experience. No matter what wallpaper or background color you're using, they'll always look smooth. If you wanna XPify your icons, grab Microangelo.