XP Home Networking

[Bob H]

I'm about to buy a laptop with XP Home Edition. The
manufacturer does not support the Pro version. I'm told
that if I visit one of our offices and connect to the
network to use the printers, it will work once then I'll
be locked out because the home version on my laptop
allows for only 5 computers on the network and there are
12 on the office system. Does this sound correct?

 

[Steve Winograd [MVP]]

I'm about to buy a laptop with XP Home Edition. The
manufacturer does not support the Pro version. I'm told
that if I visit one of our offices and connect to the
network to use the printers, it will work once then I'll
be locked out because the home version on my laptop
allows for only 5 computers on the network and there are
12 on the office system. Does this sound correct?

No. that's not correct.

There's a common misconception about a limit to the number of
computers on a Windows XP network. Apparently, Microsoft's
documentation isn't as clear as it should be. I've even seen a
computer manufacturer's web site pass along incorrect information in
this area.

There's no limit to the number of computers that can network with
Windows XP Home Edition and Professional.

There's a different limit that seems to cause this confusion. Home
Edition allows a maximum of 5 other computers to connect to its shared
resources simultaneously. Professional allows a maximum of 10 other
computers to connect to its shared resources simultaneously.
Computers that aren't actively connected to a computer's shared
resources don't count against the limit. When a computer disconnects
from a shared resource, it no longer counts against the limit. See
this site for more information:

Inbound Connections Limit in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314882

What laptop manufacturer doesn't offer XP Professional?

If the office network uses a domain instead of a workgroup, you'll be
much better off getting a laptop with XP Professional. XP Home
Edition can't log onto a domain.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

 

[Bob H]

Thanks Steve,

The new emachine laptop models 6805 and 6809 only come
with XP Home. I called their tech support and they
confirmed that I could have driver problems with the
graphics card as well as other issue's. The gentleman
said that they do not support the XP Pro version. This
will probably cause me not to buy this unit. It's a shame
because it's got great features for the money.

Thanks,
Bob

 

[Steve Winograd [MVP]]

The new emachine laptop models 6805 and 6809 only come
with XP Home. I called their tech support and they
confirmed that I could have driver problems with the
graphics card as well as other issue's. The gentleman
said that they do not support the XP Pro version. This
will probably cause me not to buy this unit. It's a shame
because it's got great features for the money.

Thanks,
Bob

You're welcome, Bob.

There are no differences in drivers between XP Home and Pro. All
software that works on XP Home also works on XP Pro.

I can believe that eMachines doesn't support XP Pro, but I don't think
it's for the reasons that they told you.

You could buy the computer and run an XP Pro upgrade on it. After
that, they might not give you help with software problems, but they
should still give you help with hardware problems. If that path
sounds interesting, I'd recommend confirming what I told you with
them, and getting it in writing.

On the other hand, it might be better to buy from a company that has
better product offerings and support.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

 

[XPUSER]

You're welcome, Bob.

There are no differences in drivers between XP Home and Pro. All
software that works on XP Home also works on XP Pro.

I can believe that eMachines doesn't support XP Pro, but I don't think
it's for the reasons that they told you.

You could buy the computer and run an XP Pro upgrade on it. After
that, they might not give you help with software problems, but they
should still give you help with hardware problems. If that path
sounds interesting, I'd recommend confirming what I told you with
them, and getting it in writing.

On the other hand, it might be better to buy from a company that has
better product offerings and support.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

=========================================

My opinion:

If you want XP Pro, get a system with XP Pro pre-installed,
or build your own computer and do a clean install of XP Pro.

Why get a computer with XP Home and then have to
upgrade it to XP Pro and then have warranty disputes
with the OEM? It makes no sense to me.

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