I was using XP prior to public release, and used every version of it, including Media Center edition. Like I said, and like you stated in a very roundabout way

I was using XP prior to public release, and used every version of it, including Media Center edition. Like I said, and like you stated in a very roundabout way whilst dismissing what I had to say, it comes down to choice of hardware. For the average Joe, there weren't problems, they were building machines with current-gen hardware and eschewing yesteryear hardware too. Anybody who had problems just bought new hardware, they didn't muck around at the library. Perhaps libraries where you are provide better information, but libraries in the UK at the time were pretty much the last place you would go for technical documentation.