Upgrading from XP Home to XP Pro

[Guest]

I need a cheap desktop for the office. They all come with XP Home. When
seaching Bizrate.com for a good price on an XP Pro upgrade, I noticed one
said "not compatible with 64 bit systems" Was this just an old version of XP
Pro upgrade? Or do I need to avoid buying a 64 bit desktop?
Thank you.

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Shannon

64 bit desktops run on 64 bit machines ONLY..

 

[Star Fleet Admiral Q]

If you want "a cheap desktop" for the office, and it comes with XP Home,
then the XP Pro 32-bit is just fine. There is a XP Pro 64-bit, but it runs
on 64-bit hardware, which wouldn't be "a cheap desktop" by normal standards.
Now, the XP Pro Upgrade you buy, could be older than the XP Home that's on
the "cheap desktop" - in other words the "cheap desktop" if bought new, will
most likely have XP Home SP2, where the XP Pro Upgrade you buy, may be SP2,
but odds it could be SP1 or no service pack at all - but don't fret,
downloading SP2 from Microsoft (240MB) and a small utility (AutoStreamer)
and as long as you have a CD burner, you can make a slipstreamed version of
XP Pro Upgrade with SP2 - which will do an upgrade of XP Home SP2.

--

Star Fleet Admiral Q @ your Service!

http://www.google.com
Google is your "Friend"

 

[Guest]

So, is it possible for me -- I just bought a DELL Latitude D610 with XP Home
already installed on it -- to change to our XP Pro SP1? The XP Pro is what
we have at the office, but I didn't want to pay for a new version with the
new laptop as we already have the volume license. When I try to install the
XP Pro, I'm told that I cannot because the Pro is an older version than the
Home.

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Witam

The reason for the message is that XP Home as installed is at SP2 level, and
the XP Pro CD is only SP1..

Go to this website for info on repair installs and 'slipstreaming' SP2 into
the contents of an XP SP1 CD..

 

[Guest]

Thank you!
I also see a nifty E-Machines computer that has "Window XP Media Center
Edition"
The teenager working at the store told me that "Media Center" is really XP
Pro with some added bonuses. Is this true?
Would Media Center cooperate with the regular XP Pro laptops already in the
network?

 

[Nepatsfan]

The teenager is misinformed. XP Media Center Edition lacks the
ability to join a domain. A PC running Media Center is meant to
be the center piece of a home entertainment system.

Take a look at these articles for more info:

You cannot join your computer to a domain in Windows XP Media
Center Edition 2005
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;887212

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/evaluation/faq.mspx

Nepatsfan

 

[Guest]

Oh Dear. Last question.
Can that MCE computer access the internet via a wireless router on a simple
home network?

 

[Nepatsfan]

I hope I didn't add to your confusion. The point I was trying
to make in my earlier response was that Windows XP Media
Center Edition is not, as the teenager at the store told you,
"XP Pro with some added bonuses". If your office has a computer
running Windows Server 2000 or 2003 in place acting as a domain
controller, an XP MCE computer would not be able to join the
domain. If your office network is setup as a workgroup then
it's another story.

It's a simple matter to add an XP MCE computer to the typical
home network. That's because most home networks are setup as a
workgroup, not a domain. There is no server acting as a Domain
Controller.

As long as it has a wireless network card, it should have no
problem accessing the internet through a wireless router. All
you need to do is run the Network Connection Wizard and Windows
will take care of the rest. Also, it will get along fine with
other computers running any version of Windows, not just XP
Pro.

As for your original question, getting a "cheap desktop" with
XP Home and then upgrading it to XP Pro isn't, in my humble
opinion, the way to go. Dell, Compaq, HP and Gateway all offer
build-to-order models that come with XP Pro already installed.
Since you didn't supply any details on your office environment
I can't give you concrete examples but you can probably get a
machine running Windows XP Pro with a good processor, 512 MB of
Ram, a combo DVD/CD-RW and a flat panel display for between
$800 and $1000. Knock $150 to $200 off the price if you can
live with a CRT Monitor.

Good luck

Nepatsfan