Installing Pro on Top of Home?

[Ken Hall]

I've been given a computer with a problem/corrupted? version of XP
Home on it. I would like to use my XP Pro installation disk to try to
recover the existing system. I've done this install over method to
restore a computer of mine with Pro on it, but I don't know what will
happen if I try to put Pro over Home.

-- Ken

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I've been given a computer with a problem/corrupted? version of XP
Home on it. I would like to use my XP Pro installation disk to try to
recover the existing system. I've done this install over method to
restore a computer of mine with Pro on it, but I don't know what will
happen if I try to put Pro over Home.

The upgrade from XP Professional is the easiest and most-likely successful
of all possible upgrades. However the one situation in which it is likely to
be *unsuccessful* is when the XP Home installation has problems. I wouldn't
do it.

Moreover if your copy of XP Professional is already installed on a different
computer, it is unavailable to be used on a second one.

One more point: If I acquired a used computer, the first thing I would do
with it would be to reinstall the operating system cleanly. You have no idea
how the computer has been maintained, what has been installed incorrectly,
what is missing, what viruses and spyware there may be, etc. I wouldn't want
to live with somebody else's mistakes and problems, possibility of kiddie
porn, etc., and I wouldn't recommend that anyone else do either.

 

[Ken Hall]

The upgrade from XP Professional is the easiest and most-likely successful
of all possible upgrades. However the one situation in which it is likely to
be *unsuccessful* is when the XP Home installation has problems. I wouldn't
do it.

Thanks

-- Ken

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thanks

You're welcome. Glad to help.

 

[Rock]

I've been given a computer with a problem/corrupted? version of XP
Home on it. I would like to use my XP Pro installation disk to try to
recover the existing system. I've done this install over method to
restore a computer of mine with Pro on it, but I don't know what will
happen if I try to put Pro over Home.

What do you mean by try to recover the existing system. If you mean doing a
repair install you can't do that. The CD has to be the same type. You can
upgrade Home to Pro using a retail full or upgrade version, but then that
might not help. For an upgrade to go well the underlying system should be
running well with no problems. Otherwise the problems can migrate to the
new installation. All these issues are separate from the licensing issue.