Downgrading to XP Home

  • Thread starter Thread starter Howard Brazee
  • Start date Start date
Howard Brazee said:
I have a product which is not supported under Windows XP Pro. The
maker says XP Home and XP Pro are two different operating systems, and
he doesn't have enough market to produce it for anything but XP home
and Apple.
Click to expand...

I would be concerned about this. XPPro has more security features.
 
Bruce Chambers said:
Sounds like that maker is either dishonest, or completely unfamiliar
with computers. 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.
Click to expand...

Your whole statement is a oxymoron type.

are _identical_

but are intended to meet different
functionality, networking, security, and ease-of-use needs, in different
environments.

key words are _SECURITY and EASE-OF-USE.
 
Ask tech support what the procedure would be to fix the problem(s) in XP
Home. I would think that if the problem(s) occur in XP Pro. then these
problems could occur in XP Home too.
Click to expand...

I would think so too. But that's not how technical support works 95%
of the time.
 
Howard said:
It worked for years with XP Pro, but when I lost my computer and
reinstalled XP Pro and then this product, it did not work correctly.
Click to expand...



Then the program is clearly not XP Home vs. XP Professional, but that there
is something in the way you now have the Professional system configured that
is stopping it from working correctly. If you installed XP Home and had the
same configuration, you would almost certainly have the same program.

So I e-mailed tech support and was told XP Pro was an unsupported OS.
Click to expand...


As I tried to say before, they just aren't willing to support it. It's not
that it won't work under XP Professional, as you yourself state above. What
you've said about what they've told you doesn't give me any great confidence
in them. I think they're giving you a song and dance.
 
Frank said:
Your whole statement is a oxymoron type.
Click to expand...

For proper comprehension, it's important to read and understand all of
the words used. Give it a try, sometime, dictionary in hand, if necessary.


--

Bruce Chambers

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safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

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Then the program is clearly not XP Home vs. XP Professional, but that there
is something in the way you now have the Professional system configured that
is stopping it from working correctly. If you installed XP Home and had the
same configuration, you would almost certainly have the same program.




As I tried to say before, they just aren't willing to support it. It's not
that it won't work under XP Professional, as you yourself state above. What
you've said about what they've told you doesn't give me any great confidence
in them. I think they're giving you a song and dance.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly, Ken. <smile>
 
Bruce Chambers said:
For proper comprehension, it's important to read and understand all of
the words used. Give it a try, sometime, dictionary in hand, if necessary.
Click to expand...

I can very well read what you said in one sentence and then refuted it
in the next.
 
You two are getting way off topic. While XP Home and XP Pro are built on the
same foundation, there are differences. The 3rd party company says it
doesn't support its software on XP Pro, so that's that, pretty much. Unless
the OP can convince the 3rd party compnay to support him on XP Pro
regardless, then he really has not option but to run the thing on XP Home if
he wants support.
 
I've used it for years on my XP-Pro machine. But when I asked for
support, he said he only supported Mac and XP-Home. He says XP-Pro
is a completely different operating system and he doesn't have it at
his shop.
Click to expand...

XP-Pro isn't a totally different operating system. It just has a number
of added features enabled. Otherwise, the cores of both systems are
identical. In my opinion, I don't think the support person you talked to
knows what he's talking about.

Sam
 
Little said:
You two are getting way off topic. While XP Home and XP Pro are built on the
same foundation, there are differences. The 3rd party company says it
doesn't support its software on XP Pro, so that's that, pretty much. Unless
the OP can convince the 3rd party compnay to support him on XP Pro
regardless, then he really has not option but to run the thing on XP Home if
he wants support.
Click to expand...
It seems to be kind of a dumb company to support XP Home and not XP Pro.
 
Would you mind sharing what product that is?

WGA! :rolleyes:

Found on Google Groups:
Turning (back) XP Pro to XP Home and Validate Genuine
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Some, who upgraded their XP Home into an "illegal" Pro wish
to downgrade back to Home, because of the WGA annoyance.
But they don't want to loose the complete installation and
start all over again from scratch. THIS can be done!

You need two Upgrade-able Install XP CD's, a Pro and Home.
So, Corporate and Retail versions will do. Or maybe you
used a streamer or patcher and program's like Magic-Iso,
and manifactured your own "Retail" versions XP Pro/Home.

Install XP Home over XP Pro
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Just start an upgrade with the XP Pro CD, and immediately
replace the CD with that of XP Home. First you give the
KeyCode for the Pro and later that of the Home version.

Windows Genuine Advantage (validation)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
If the installation is ready. You need to Activate and
Validate with a Genuine Product Key for that Computer.
Downloading the KeyUpdateTool from Microsoft will fix this.
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/selfhelp/pkuinstructions.aspx
Tick the "understand line" and use the download button.

Sometimes first deleting the WGA map will be necessary:
%SystemRoot%\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data
Delete the map "Windows Genuine Advantage", and only that one.
If validation fails and you have a Genuine ProductCode,
than Call Microsoft free, and they will help you out.

Search (MS, P2P or TheNet) for: MGAdiag.exe
Download MGAdiag.exe and check your Genuine Status.
Click to expand...

It works! I tested it this evening.
A customer of mine has recently bought a second-hand PC with a
"Corporate" version of XP Pro installed and a genuine OEM
key for XP Home stuck to the side.
My plan was to "downgrade" them from non-legit XP Pro to
legit XP Home and save the hassle of WGA Notification and setting up
their 3 user accounts again etc...

Just run setup on the Pro CD and select Upgrade, enter your Pro key,
when presented with the option to download updates before upgrading
swap the Pro CD for Home and continue with setup. Later on you will
be asked to enter your key again, possibly with an invalid key error
box, just enter your Home key and setup will continue.
 
XP-Pro isn't a totally different operating system. It just has a number
of added features enabled. Otherwise, the cores of both systems are
identical. In my opinion, I don't think the support person you talked to
knows what he's talking about.
Click to expand...

Or it doesn't matter to him.
 
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