C
Cary Shultz
Good morning!
Just a couple of quick questions for this group:
If I purchase a laptop on which Windows XP Media Center is installed can I
"upgrade" to Windows XP Pro?
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I ask this question because here in Roanoke, VA you can not go to a major
retail chain store and find a laptop (shoot, or Desktop for that matter)
that comes with Windows XP Pro. Best Buy? Nope. Circuit City? Nope.
OfficeMax? Nope. OfficeDepot? Nope. Staples? Nope. Well, you can not
buy one off of the shelf. They can special order one for you. But what if
you need it right now?
Now, here comes the reason to my question: in each of the stores mentioned
above the very young sales staff members will eagerly tell you that you can
purchase the laptop with Windows XP Media Center and then "upgrade to
Windows XP Pro".
Now, for those of us in IT we know that it would be, technically speaking, a
downgrade to go from Windows XP Media Center to Windows XP Pro. And that it
is not possible to "upgrade". But how about the person who does not work in
IT? What about the business owner that has a small environment (domain) and
is going to hire someone who will need a laptop? Is he or she going to know
that you can not join Windows XP Media Center to a domain? Granted, if he
or she is buying something then he or she should educate himself/herself
first. But, really, how many people do that? Most just rely on the advice
of the salesperson (enough said).
I manage an environment where my contact purchased a laptop with Windows XP
Media Center because the overzealous VERY YOUNG sales person (who did not
even know what a domain is) told him that he could upgrade to Windows XP
Pro. Obviously, you can not join Windows XP Media Center to a domain. The
next day I went to the same store and spoke with the sales person who told
my contact this. He stuck to his guns. He swears you can do this! Anyway.
And then we went to several other stores. We were told the same thing
everywhere ("you can upgrade to Windows XP Pro").
-------------------------E N D O F R A N T------------------------------
Now, let's say that we have a laptop on which there is an OEM Version of
Windows 2000 Pro installed. Can we upgrade this to the OEM version of
Windows XP Pro?
Thanks,
Just a couple of quick questions for this group:
If I purchase a laptop on which Windows XP Media Center is installed can I
"upgrade" to Windows XP Pro?
----------------------------R A N T--------------------------
I ask this question because here in Roanoke, VA you can not go to a major
retail chain store and find a laptop (shoot, or Desktop for that matter)
that comes with Windows XP Pro. Best Buy? Nope. Circuit City? Nope.
OfficeMax? Nope. OfficeDepot? Nope. Staples? Nope. Well, you can not
buy one off of the shelf. They can special order one for you. But what if
you need it right now?
Now, here comes the reason to my question: in each of the stores mentioned
above the very young sales staff members will eagerly tell you that you can
purchase the laptop with Windows XP Media Center and then "upgrade to
Windows XP Pro".
Now, for those of us in IT we know that it would be, technically speaking, a
downgrade to go from Windows XP Media Center to Windows XP Pro. And that it
is not possible to "upgrade". But how about the person who does not work in
IT? What about the business owner that has a small environment (domain) and
is going to hire someone who will need a laptop? Is he or she going to know
that you can not join Windows XP Media Center to a domain? Granted, if he
or she is buying something then he or she should educate himself/herself
first. But, really, how many people do that? Most just rely on the advice
of the salesperson (enough said).
I manage an environment where my contact purchased a laptop with Windows XP
Media Center because the overzealous VERY YOUNG sales person (who did not
even know what a domain is) told him that he could upgrade to Windows XP
Pro. Obviously, you can not join Windows XP Media Center to a domain. The
next day I went to the same store and spoke with the sales person who told
my contact this. He stuck to his guns. He swears you can do this! Anyway.
And then we went to several other stores. We were told the same thing
everywhere ("you can upgrade to Windows XP Pro").
-------------------------E N D O F R A N T------------------------------
Now, let's say that we have a laptop on which there is an OEM Version of
Windows 2000 Pro installed. Can we upgrade this to the OEM version of
Windows XP Pro?
Thanks,