John Holtz wrote:
> I am confused about the diferent versions of Windows XP.
> What is the difference between XP Home edition and XP Media
> Center edition?
The WinXP Home and WinXP Pro versions are _identical_ when it
comes to performance, stability, and device driver and software
application compatibility, but are intended to meet different
functionality, networking, security, and ease-of-use needs, in
different environments. The most significant differences are that
WinXP Pro allows up to 10 simultaneous inbound network connections
while WinXP Home only allows only 5, WinXP Pro is designed to join a
Microsoft domain while WinXP Home cannot, and only WinXP Pro supports
file encryption and IIS. (Oh, and WinXP Pro usually costs roughly $100
USD more than WinXP Home.)
Windows XP Comparison Guide
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/h.../choosing2.asp
Which Edition Is Right for You
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp
Windows XP Home Edition vs. Professional Edition
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase...p_home_pro.asp
WinXP Media Center Edition is a _superset_ (iow, it does
_everything_ WinXP Pro can do, plus contains additional multi-media
features) of WinXP Pro. WinXP MCE is available to the general
consumer market only as on OEM product on specifically designed
systems.
Windows XP Media Center Edition Home
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ehome/default.asp
> And also the XP version that comes already
> installed in the computers you buy now days. I understand
> it's different then the version you buy out-right.
There are some very important reasons that an OEM license costs so
much less than a retail license. OEM licenses are very limited:
1) OEM versions must be sold with a non-peripheral piece of
hardware (normally a motherboard or hard drive, if not an entire PC,
although Microsoft has greatly relaxed the hardware criteria for
WinXP) and are _permanently_ bound to the first PC on which they are
installed. An OEM license, once installed, is not legally
transferable to another computer under any circumstances. This is the
main reason some people avoid OEM versions; if the PC dies or is
otherwise disposed of (even stolen), you cannot re-use your OEM
license on a new PC. The only legitimate way to transfer the
ownership of an OEM license is to transfer ownership of the entire PC.
2) Microsoft provides no free support for OEM versions. If you
have any problems that require outside assistance, your only recourse
is to contact the manufacturer/builder of the PC or the vendor of the
OEM license. This would include such issues as lost a Product Key or
replacing damaged installation media. (Microsoft does make allowances
for those instances when you can prove that the OEM has gone out of
business.) This doesn't mean that you can't download patches and
service packs from Microsoft -- just no free telephone or email
support for problems with the OS.
3) An OEM CD cannot be used to perform an upgrade of an earlier
OS, as it was designed to be installed _only_ upon an empty hard
drive. It can still be used to perform a repair installation (a.k.a.
an in-place upgrade) of an existing WinXP installation.
4) If the OEM CD was designed by a specific manufacturer, such as
eMachines, Sony, Dell, Gateway, etc., it will most likely only install
on the same brand of PC, as an additional anti-piracy feature.
Further, such CDs are severely customized to contain only the minimum
of device drivers, and a lot of extra nonsense, that the manufacturer
feels necessary for the specific model of PC for which the CD was
designed. (To be honest, such CDs should _not_ be available on the
open market; but, if you're shopping someplace like eBay, swap meets,
or computer fairs, there's often no telling what you're buying until
it's too late.) The "generic" OEM CDs, such as are manufactured by
Microsoft and sold to small systems builders, don't have this
particular problem, though, and are functionally the same as their
retail counterparts, apart from the licensing, support, and upgrading
restrictions.
--
Bruce Chambers
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You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
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both at once. - RAH
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