Windows XP Pro

[gizmoandback]

I have a copy of Windows XP pro that a friend gave to me its not the bought
kind but it is a copy of his original that he had. He nolonger runs XP he
upgraded to Vista. I have tried to upgrade my laptop with it everything was
going fine until it auto updated from windows update. Then it told me it was
not a geniune microsoft product but yet it is a copy of the original. I was
there when it was made. The key is the one from the package that it came in.
So what could be wrong. Is there something on the original disk that was not
copied or something I did. Like i siad everything was going fine till it
updated. I have since went back to home edition but was wanting to upgrade to
pro because i like the way it handles files and back ups.
I use my laptop for writing and keep alot of papers that I have written on
it for fast access but have a external that keeps my backup for me. How do i
get this to work?

 

[peter]

He upgraded to Vista by means of his XP Pro License......which killed the XP
Pro License.
You had been using an Illegal "copy" of his Licensed version and MS finally
caught it when he upgraded.
peter

 

[Andrew E.]

How did you simply "go back" to xp home since the two are not compatable
with upgrading from one to another...Either way,since the original xp OS was
registered to him & his pc,registration with the product key would not
work...

 

[Bob I]

Home uses the same NTbackup as Pro, you need to install it.
HOW TO: Install Backup from the CD-ROM in Windows XP Home Edition
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302894/en-us

 

[gizmoandback]

I had my own copy of XP Home that came with my laptop and reinstall the home
version back on after reformatting the hard drive. I keep very little info on
my laptop hdd so i was not woriried about having to do alot of changes.

 

[gizmoandback]

Yes he went out and got it at walmart and upgraded that way. So what you are
telling me is that even with him using the Vista key that the xp pro key is
useless.
Is there anyway to make my copy legal with out going to a store and buying a
boxed copy for myself?

 

[Daave]

Yes he went out and got it at walmart and upgraded that way. So what
you are
telling me is that even with him using the Vista key that the xp pro
key is
useless.

It's useless to you as long as your friend is still using it. Had he
purchased a Full version of Vista, then you'd be able to use his old
Full version of XP (if that's what it is). But since he purchased the
less expensive Upgrade version of Vista, then his XP license is still
tied to his PC.

Is there anyway to make my copy legal with out going to a store and
buying a
boxed copy for myself?

It's possible to purchase just a license, but I'm pretty sure it's about
the same price as purchasing the disc.

What is the reason you feel you need to upgrade from Home to Pro? For
the majority of regular PC users, Pro is not necessary.

I know you said in another post that you "like the way it handles files
and back ups." Home has the same exact backup program (NTBackup). If you
have your XP Home installation CD, then you can install it from your
disc. See:

"HOW TO: Install Backup from the CD-ROM in Windows XP Home Edition":
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302894

If you don't have this disc, go to:

http://www.onecomputerguy.com/software_download.htm

Scroll down to "Windows XP Backup" (the name of the file is
ntbackup.msi).

What else do you like about Pro? What do you mean by the phrase "I like
the way it handles files"?

XP Pro just has a few more features than XP Home (e.g., the ability to
join a domain, having up to ten simultaneous network connections as
opposed to five, and file encryption/IIS -- to name a few). Something
tells me you probably don't need any of them.

Here's a good comparison of Home and Pro features:

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp