Pre-installed Windows XP and Windows Setup Components

[Peabody]

I'm about to buy a new computer to replace my current Win98SE
machine, and need to decide about pre-installed versus "real" XP.

In 98SE, under Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, there's a
tab called Windows Setup which shows all of the Windows components
and shows which are installed at the moment. I can install,
uninstall, and reinstall to my heart's content, but sometimes it
asks me to mount the Windows CD-ROM to install something.

With pre-installed XP, and only a restore CD, is that tab there at
all? If I need to install a new component, where does it come from?
Am I limited in the components I can install? In other words, do I
have all of XP, or just the subset the manufacturer chose?

 

[Jim]

I'm about to buy a new computer to replace my current Win98SE
machine, and need to decide about pre-installed versus "real" XP.

In 98SE, under Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, there's a
tab called Windows Setup which shows all of the Windows components
and shows which are installed at the moment. I can install,
uninstall, and reinstall to my heart's content, but sometimes it
asks me to mount the Windows CD-ROM to install something.

With pre-installed XP, and only a restore CD, is that tab there at
all? If I need to install a new component, where does it come from?
Am I limited in the components I can install? In other words, do I
have all of XP, or just the subset the manufacturer chose?

There are two versions of XP (Pro and Home) which differ by the programs
that get installed. To go from Pro to Home requires buying an upgrade to
Pro.

There are also two versions of each (OEM and Full) which differ by the price
and amount of support from Microsoft. OEM licenses are cheaper, but you
must obtain all support through the vendor of the product. Otherwise, the
versions are identical.

What you call a pre-installed XP is really the OEM version. It may or may
not come with a CD for use in repair. If it doesn't, there is supposed to
be a repair partition on the disk which replaces the CD.
As it happens, my system is a Dell, and it came with a CD which a person can
use for repair of the operating system.

Jim

 

[FrankV]

Careful with the restore cd. I also have a Dell but it came with the
original XP. I now have SP2 and the restore will not work anymore.

Frank