upgrade from xp home to xp pro

[Doug]

Hi,

I would like some advice about upgrading from xp home (sp2 installed) to xp
pro (no sp but sp2 available on a separate disk).

The xp home edition is pre-installed is on a HP notebook and the xp pro is
on a disk that I am thinking of buying from a colleage who has already
changed their operating system to win 2003(?).

I don't know much about licensing of xp, but is there anyway that I can work
out if the license key that the person is giving me is for an OEM or some
other restricted system, or if it has already been sold to someone else and
therefore could be illegal in some way. I don't want to buy it if it will
give me problems - either with my PC or with microsoft.

This person is not giving me the original xp pro package - says he doesn't
have it anymore - just the original disk in a cd case with the license
written on a sticker. They assure me that it will work, but I don't want to
risk the work involved in having to restore my previous xp home in case the
license is 'OEM' or some other restricted version. Is there any way to know
if this is a valid key? The key has 25 characters and doesn't say anything
about OEM.

I would also appreciate having some advice on if it is necessary to upgrade
to xp pro to install a web server for asp.net development with visual
studio.net 2003 enterprise architech edition. If not, is there a reasonable
alternative?

thanks for you help.

Doug

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Doug,

There is no easy way to distinguish a retail key from an OEM one. You would
have to rely on the colleage being honest. If it is OEM, and has been used,
you may not be able to activate the installation.

Also, as you have WinXP Home w/SP2 preinstalled, you will need to slipstream
the Pro disk with SP2 as well. You can't install the older version over the
newer one. Instructions here:
http://www.theeldergeek.com/slipstreamed_xpsp2_cd.htm

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Doug]

Rick - thanks for your advice - can I simply remove sp2 - I installed it
myself from the disk that I received from microsoft in the mail. It is in
the add/remove programs in the control panel - or will this cause problems?

Doug

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Doug,

Yes, you can just remove SP2 first. Make sure you disconnect the system from
the internet during the upgrade process.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org