Are There Risks to Upgrading from XP Home to XP Pro?

[Guest]

Hello--

I run quite a bit of professional music recording software and hardware
dongles with my PC and it is all fairly stable right now with XP Home w/ SP2.

Because I want the increased networking scalability of Pro, I would like to
upgrade my OS. I've already posted this question to my music software support
groups--so I wanted a 2nd opinion from a more MS oriented group.

Does anyone know what the risks are to my third-party software applications
and drivers by upgrading? Or are they even referenced by the upgrade?

Thanks,

sd

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I run quite a bit of professional music recording software and
hardware dongles with my PC and it is all fairly stable right now
with XP Home w/ SP2.

Because I want the increased networking scalability of Pro, I would
like to upgrade my OS.

Exactly what " increased networking scalability" do you expect to achieve?
There are really only two issues that might be pertinent:

1. XP Professional allows ten concurrent network connections, and Home only
five.

2. XP Professional can join a domain, but XP Home can not.

I've already posted this question to my music
software support groups--so I wanted a 2nd opinion from a more MS
oriented group.

Does anyone know what the risks are to my third-party software
applications and drivers by upgrading? Or are they even referenced by
the upgrade?

There should be no such risks at all. Applications are essentially not at
issue. This is the easiest and most-likely successful of all possible
upgrades, since so little has to be changed. However there are no guarantees
that it always works perfectly. However unlikely, it's always possible that
something might go wrong. For that reason it's prudent to be sure you have a
backup of anything you can't afford to lose before beginning.

 

[Guest]

Domain--thanks

Exactly what " increased networking scalability" do you expect to achieve?
There are really only two issues that might be pertinent:

1. XP Professional allows ten concurrent network connections, and Home only
five.

2. XP Professional can join a domain, but XP Home can not.




There should be no such risks at all. Applications are essentially not at
issue. This is the easiest and most-likely successful of all possible
upgrades, since so little has to be changed. However there are no guarantees
that it always works perfectly. However unlikely, it's always possible that
something might go wrong. For that reason it's prudent to be sure you have a
backup of anything you can't afford to lose before beginning.

 

[Malke]

Hello--

I run quite a bit of professional music recording software and
hardware dongles with my PC and it is all fairly stable right now with
XP Home w/ SP2.

Because I want the increased networking scalability of Pro, I would
like to upgrade my OS. I've already posted this question to my music
software support groups--so I wanted a 2nd opinion from a more MS
oriented group.

Does anyone know what the risks are to my third-party software
applications and drivers by upgrading? Or are they even referenced by
the upgrade?

What "increased networking scalability"? The only things that upgrading
to Pro will give you are:

1. The ability to join a domain - doesn't sound like you need this.
2. The inbound concurrent connections limitation (from other computers
on the network) of 5 connections for Home is increased to 10
connections for Pro. If you aren't using this computer as a
pseudo-server for file-serving to 4 or 5+ other computers, you don't
need this.

If you need these things, then by all means upgrade to Pro. If you
don't, then leave things alone because "if it ain't broke, don't fix
it".

The upgrade to Pro usually goes completely smoothly. Drivers, programs,
and data are normally not affected. However, it would be extremely
foolish to not back up first because Stuff Happens. You always have to
be prepared for the worst - a complete clean install. Chances are good
that won't happen, but it would be stupid not to be prepared.

Malke

 

[Guest]

Yes, all good advice. I presume a system restore point just prior to the
upgrade would not work. Am I wrong?

sd

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Domain--thanks

Then you clearly need XP Professional. I just wanted to make sure, because
some folks do it simply because they think it's somehow just "better."

 

[Kerry Brown]

A System Restore point would not work. You need a full backup. I prefer to
use disk imaging software with an external hard drive. Make two full backups
and verify them. XP Home to XP Pro is one of the easiest upgrades in the
Windows world. One thing that will help make sure it goes smoothly is to
uninstall any antivirus, antispyware, and 3rd party firewalls before you
start the upgrade. Also make sure the version of Pro is at the same service
pack level or higher than the installed XP Home.

One other networking advantage that the other's missed is with XP Home you
are limited to Simple File Sharing. With XP pro you can turn off Simple File
Sharing and have much finer grained control of security.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hello--

I run quite a bit of professional music recording software and hardware
dongles with my PC and it is all fairly stable right now with XP Home w/ SP2.

Because I want the increased networking scalability of Pro, I would like to
upgrade my OS. I've already posted this question to my music software support
groups--so I wanted a 2nd opinion from a more MS oriented group.

Does anyone know what the risks are to my third-party software applications
and drivers by upgrading? Or are they even referenced by the upgrade?

Thanks,

sd

WinXP is designed to install and upgrade the existing operating
system while simultaneously preserving your applications and data, and
translating as many personalized settings as possible. The process is
designed to be, and normally is, quite painless. That said, things can
go wrong, in a small number of cases. If your data is at all important
to you, back it up before proceeding.

The upgrade from WinXP Home to WinXP Pro, in particular, almost
always goes smoothly, as both operating systems use the same kernel.

The WinXP Home and WinXP Pro editions 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/home/howtobuy/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/windowsxp_home_pro.asp


--

Bruce Chambers

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