Fresh install

[Guest]

I have a Dell Computer that came with an OEM Windows XP Home Edition. A few
months ago, I obtained a job as a computer technician that gives technical
support for a certain program that needs Windows XP Pro to run it properly.
I bought the Windows XP Pro update, and installed it over my XP Home Edition.
Several techs told me that was not a good idea. Ever since I installed it,
my computer has been running slower; also,my windows I try to open,
especially most of the time my Internet Explorer's windows, don't open until
after I log off my ISP, and\or open Task Manager and\or reboot the computer.
I currently have Microsoft One Live Care and Norton Anti-Virus programs on my
computer, and have no spyware or viruses; it has to be this installation I
did. I want to reformat my computer, and install the Windows XP Pro update
directly into my computer, skipping installing the OEM copy of Windows XP
Home Edition. I was told there is a way to do this, i.e. all I need to do
is, during the process of installing Windows XP Pro update, is to get the
computer to read the license of the full OEM copy of my Windows XP Home
Edition that came with my computer. How do I do this? Thank you.

 

[Anando [MS-MVP]]

Hello Ben,

You can perform a clean install of Windows XP Professional using the upgrade
disks that you have. During the installation process, you might be prompted
to insert the CDs of the OEM version of Windows XP home that you have. This
is required by the setup program to determine if you qualify for the upgrade
or not. You can find more information in the following links:

Upgrading from Previous Versions of Windows
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/upgrading/matrix.mspx

Clean Install Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

--
Anando
Microsoft MVP- Windows Shell/User
Microsoft Certified Professional
http://www.microsoft.com/mvp
http://www.mvps.org

Folder customizations
http://www.anando.org/folder

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I have a Dell Computer that came with an OEM Windows XP Home Edition. A few
months ago, I obtained a job as a computer technician that gives technical
support for a certain program that needs Windows XP Pro to run it properly.

Are you sure? As a computer technician, you'd already know that the
WinXP Home and WinXP Pro versions are _identical_ when it comes to
performance, stability, and device driver and software application
compatibility. Is it a fact that the application really won't work on
WinXP Home, or is it that the application's manufacturer simply didn't
test it, and arbitrarily claimed incompatibility?

I bought the Windows XP Pro update, and installed it over my XP Home Edition.
Several techs told me that was not a good idea.

You probably shouldn't listen to those particular "techs" any more; at
least not concerning computers.

Granted, many uninformed people do recommend that one always
perform a clean installation, rather than upgrade over an earlier OS.
For the most part, I feel that these people, while usually
well-intended, are living in the past, and are basing their
recommendations on their experiences with older, obsolete operating
systems or hearsay. One would save a lot of time by upgrading a PC to
WinXP, rather than performing a clean installation, if there're no
hardware or software incompatibilities. Microsoft has greatly improved
(over earlier versions of Windows) WinXP's ability to smoothly upgrade
an earlier OS.

Certainly, there are times when an in-place upgrade is
contra-indicated:

1) When the underlying hardware isn't certified as being fully
compatible with the newer OS, and/or updated device drivers are not
available from the device's manufacturer. Of course, this condition also
causes problems with clean installations.

2) When the original OS is corrupt, damaged, and/or virus/malware
infested. I've also seen simple, straight-forward upgrades from WinXP
Home to WinXP Pro fail because the computer owner had let the system
become malware-infested. Upgrading over a problematic OS isn't normally
a wise course to establishing a stable installation.

3) When the new OS isn't designed to properly, correctly, and safely
perform an upgrade.

But to cavalierly dismiss *all* upgrades as unsafe and inadvisable
is patently absurd. A properly prepared and maintained PC can almost
always be successfully upgraded by a knowledgeable and competent
technician. I've lost count of the systems I've seen that have been
upgraded from Win95 to Win98 to Win2K to WinXP (usually with incremental
hardware upgrades over the same time period), without the need for a
clean installation, and that are still operating without any problems
attributable to upgrades.

Ever since I installed it,
my computer has been running slower; also,my windows I try to open,
especially most of the time my Internet Explorer's windows, don't open until
after I log off my ISP, and\or open Task Manager and\or reboot the computer.
I currently have Microsoft One Live Care and Norton Anti-Virus programs on my
computer,

.... hence the slow computer...

and have no spyware or viruses; it has to be this installation I
did.

Only if there were problems with the original installation from which
you upgraded.

I want to reformat my computer, and install the Windows XP Pro update
directly into my computer, skipping installing the OEM copy of Windows XP
Home Edition. I was told there is a way to do this, i.e. all I need to do
is, during the process of installing Windows XP Pro update, is to get the
computer to read the license of the full OEM copy of my Windows XP Home
Edition that came with my computer. How do I do this?

Again, as a computer technician, you'd know that it's quite possible to
perform a clean installation using the WinXP Upgrade CD, provided you
have the true installation CD for the earlier OS.

Simply boot from the WinXP Upgrade CD. You'll be offered the
opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part of the
installation process. The Upgrade CD checks to see if a qualifying OS
is installed, and, if it finds none, it asks you to insert the
installation media (CD) of that OS. Unfortunately, an OEM
"Recovery/Restore" CD will not work for this purpose; you must have a
true installation CD, complete with the "\Win98" folder and *.cab
files, or the "\i386" folder of WinNT/2K.


--

Bruce Chambers

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[Guest]

You really shoudln't have a slower computer just because you add some
Proffesional componets for XP.

I wreckon you actually do have a virus
Try these free software packages that will actually find what Norton didn't
(PS norton is slow as **** and can bog down an old system)

AVG
Adaware SE
SpyBot Search and Destroy
Hijack This (Not for novices but definetly a great tool once you understand
it)

They will probably find what Malware/Viruses are lurking on your computer.

Also do some reading on 'HOSTS File' and do that as a quick remedy to any
instantanious slow downs you maybe getting