MCE Questions - Security and Remote Connectivity

[dean.carrefour]

I have a couple of PC's at external locations that we are trying to get ready
to get onto our VPN. We need to have Remote Destop Connectivity. All of the
other machines have been upgraded to XP Pro from home, but there are a couple
that have MCE installed on them and they won't upgrade to XP Pro, we keep
getting an 'invalid cd key' and it appears that maybe XP Pro isn't a valid
upgrade path?

I have heard that MCE is Pro with some extra media stuff, so do we need to
actually upgrade it to Pro? Does MCE have the same security and remote
connectivity features that Pro has?

 

[Jaime]

Yes, MCE is XP Pro with the extra Media Center bits added and a couple of
items disabled, so you can't do an upgrade, since it isn't really being
"upgraded".

By default, MCE 2005 has Domain Login and cached credentials disabled, this
is do to MCE's use of Fast User Switching for the Extenders.

If you need these features back, you have some options:

- There is a registry hack to re-enable the domain features.
- Reinstall MCE clean and you can add a domain during initial setup.
- Install a clean copy of XP Pro
- Upgrade to Vista Business/Ultimate

As far as the registry hack option goes, search thegreenbutton.com for the
exact steps, I don't have them handy (or maybe someone will post them).

 

[S.Sengupta]

You can't upgrade from XP Pro to XP MCE-rather you have to perform a
Clean installation inorder to have MCE.

or,as suggested you can upgrade to Vista Business or Ultimate:-
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradepaths.mspx

regarding domain hack thing in MCE:-
http://extended64.com/blogs/rafael/pages/404.aspx

regards,
S.Sengupta[MS-MVP]

 

[dean.carrefour]

I'm trying to go the other way, from MCE to XP Pro, but looks like with the
hack I won't have to. Only problem is performing that 20 step procedure with
reboots, command-line and registry editing remotely. I can't do it all
myself, someone there will have to perform at least some of the steps...and
that makes me nervous.

Thanks guys.