kale said:
My new laptop came with XP home. I just received XP pro for xmas. Not sure if
this is the right version I need to upgrade. On the side of the box it says
"for distribution only with a new PC." Any help would be appreciated.
What you have is an OEM version of Windows XP.
An OEM version will not install as an upgrade of an existing version
of Windows. Like it says on the the package, it is intended for use
on a new PC and a new PC would not have an existing version of Windows
previously installed on it.
In order to use your new XP Pro you would have to remove the existing
XP Home by formatting the hard drive and then installing your XP Pro
on the now empty drive. The format will wipe out all of your
installed applications and user data files, so you will need to ensure
that you have the original CDs and license numbers or product keys
needed to reinstall all of the applications; and that your user data
files are adequately backed up, preferably twice.
Because your computer is a laptop you will almost certainly need to
install some specific drivers for the proprietary hardware components
that most laptops contain. You may even need to download these from
the laptop manufacturer's web site and save them to a CD beforehand so
you can load them during the XP Pro install process.
Once XP Pro is installed you can then install all of your application
programs and then restore your data files etc from the backups.
The Files And Settings Transfer Wizard in Windows XP may simplify the
data backup and restore tasks somewhat for you. See the article on
using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard by MVP Gary Woodruff:
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/fast.htm
Before you undertake such a massive task you might want to reconsider
the advisability of moving to XP Pro. Unless you have an actual
current or anticipated future need for one of the specific features or
functions that are found in XP Pro but are not included with XP Home
there is no real benefit in doing this. Other than these specific
items the two versions are identical and both are produced from the
same source code base. In particular there is zero difference in
performance or stability between the two versions.
If your OEM XP Pro is still sealed in the package it may be
returnable. If it is then you might be better off doing so and
exchanging it for the Retail Upgrade version of XP Pro. There will
probably be a price difference between the two, with the upgrade
costing perhaps an additional $50 to $75 compared to the OEM.
Good luck
Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
