Install XPpro over XPhome

[Dimitris]

Hello I have win XP home and after having some power problems Windows are
not working well. Anyway I always wanted to install Windows XPpro so now is
the chance. How should I proceed? Note that I do not have my XPhome disk
only the new XPpro one. If I install XP pro will it overwrite XPhome? Will
the drivers of my pc (soundcard, graphic card drivers etc) be found? I am
not sure I have all those drivers. Please tell me how to start and what to
be careful of.
Thank You
Dimitris

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

An upgrade to Windows XP Pro is a smooth transition will not affect your
current programs or files if you use the following procedure:

1. Purchase a conventional "Retail Upgrade Version" [boxed] of Windows XP Professional.
2. Uninstall your antivirus program.
3. Perform a backup of your important documents and files to a CD, DVD, or other backup media.
4. Disconnect all hardware peripheral devices, except the monitor, keyboard and mouse.
5. While running Windows XP Home, insert the Windows XP Pro CD in the drive and select
the default "Upgrade" setup option. [Do not select "New Installation"]
6. Visit the Windows Update site to download all the critical updates.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

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:

| Hello I have win XP home and after having some power problems Windows are
| not working well. Anyway I always wanted to install Windows XPpro so now is
| the chance. How should I proceed? Note that I do not have my XPhome disk
| only the new XPpro one. If I install XP pro will it overwrite XPhome? Will
| the drivers of my pc (soundcard, graphic card drivers etc) be found? I am
| not sure I have all those drivers. Please tell me how to start and what to
| be careful of.
| Thank You
| Dimitris

 

[Ken Blake]

Hello I have win XP home and after having some power problems Windows
are not working well. Anyway I always wanted to install Windows XPpro

Why? Are you aware that XP Professional and XP Home are exactly the same in
all respects, except that Professional has a few features (mostly related to
networking and security) missing from Home. For most (but not all) home
users, even those with a home network, these features aren't needed, would
never be used, and buying Professional instead of Home is a waste of money.
For details go to

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.asp

Also note that Professional allows ten concurrent network connections, and
Home only five.

so now is the chance.

If you're contemplating upgrading, rather than clean installing, when
Windows is not working well is the *worst* time to do it. An upgrade from
Home to Professional normally goes very well, but whe you're having existing
problerms, the risk of upgrading is much greater.

How should I proceed? Note that I do not have
my XPhome disk only the new XPpro one. If I install XP pro will it
overwrite XPhome?

First, is your XP Professional CD a retail version or an OEM one? If it's
OEM, it will not do an upgrade, and a clean installation, overwriting
everything on the drive, is your only choice.

If it's retail, either the Full or Upgrade version, you have the choice of
an upgrade or clean installation.

By definition, an "upgrade" (as opposed to a clean installation) means that
all data, programs, etc. are kept intact. However there are no guarantees
that an upgrade 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.

Will the drivers of my pc (soundcard, graphic card
drivers etc) be found? I am not sure I have all those drivers. Please
tell me how to start and what to be careful of.

Normally drivers are available on the Windows CD, but if your hardware is
new or unusual, you may need to have drivers available if you do a clean
installation.