XP License - an unusual question

  • Thread starter Thread starter Terry Haeber
  • Start date Start date
T

Terry Haeber

Based upon all I've read in the various MS Newsgroups, I think this is an
unusual question, and may seem rather long-winded to most of you, but I do
want to explain exactly what I am trying to accomplish.
I have a quite decent computer, keep it clean of viruses etc., compact,
defrag, clear TIF's, don't archive email in default folders, etc. - the
majority of which I have learned from reading these NG's. Being rather anal,
and as I have both Acronis True Image and Nero 7 Ultra I back up on both, as
well as separately in addition My Docs., Bookmarks, and OE (with OEBackup).
To date I've not had to reinstall, clean install, repair install my OS - XP
Home-, but I would like to know if I am capable of doing so if required. I
have a fairly extensive hard copy binder with instructions for the above as
well as a lot more - again as a result of reading these NG's.
What I want to do is aquire a second computer along with a retail version of
XP Home - mine is OEM - and a retail XP Pro upgrade, use it minimally so
that I can try to reinstall, etc. for practice. Further, I would use it for
changing sound and audio cards, installing a DVD burner as I have only CD at
present, etc. in order to gain familiarity with the insides.
My actual question is: if I am to do so, and (I would expect) screw up with
reinstallation, etc. will I be able to continually reinstall both the XP
Home and XP Pro upgrade - on the SAME computer, of course.
This may seem, to a lot of you, a rather expensive means of learning, but I
do want to learn this hands on but without jeopardizing my present system.
We all either had or have to learn at some point, but I really wish to do so
safely.

Thank you for your assistance and direction.

Terry
 
(e-mail address removed),
Terry Haeber said:
Based upon all I've read in the various MS Newsgroups, I
think this is an unusual question, and may seem rather
long-winded to most of you, but I do want to explain exactly
what I am trying to accomplish. I have a quite decent
computer, keep it clean of viruses
etc., compact, defrag, clear TIF's, don't archive email in
default folders, etc. - the majority of which I have learned
from reading these NG's. Being rather anal, and as I have
both Acronis True Image and Nero 7 Ultra I back up on both,
as well as separately in addition My Docs., Bookmarks, and
OE (with OEBackup). To date I've not had to reinstall, clean
install, repair install my OS - XP Home-, but I would like
to know if I am capable of doing so if required. I have a
fairly extensive hard copy binder with instructions for the
above as well as a lot more - again as a result of reading
these NG's. What I want to do is aquire a second computer
along with a
retail version of XP Home - mine is OEM - and a retail XP
Pro upgrade, use it minimally so that I can try to
reinstall, etc. for practice. Further, I would use it for
changing sound and audio cards, installing a DVD burner as I
have only CD at present, etc. in order to gain familiarity
with the insides. My actual question is: if I am to do so,
and (I would
expect) screw up with reinstallation, etc. will I be able to
continually reinstall both the XP Home and XP Pro upgrade -
on the SAME computer, of course. This may seem, to a lot of
you, a rather expensive means of
learning, but I do want to learn this hands on but without
jeopardizing my present system. We all either had or have to
learn at some point, but I really wish to do so safely.

Thank you for your assistance and direction.

Terry
Click to expand...

It's your money but I wouldn't even consider buying the full
retail version of XP Home along with the XP Pro Upgrade just to
practice installations. For a little more than what you're
planning on spending for software, you could buy a brand new
Dell PC with a DVD burner.

Do yourself a favor, buy a computer with the OEM version of XP
Home installed. Then, shop around for the XP Pro upgrade. You
may find some of your local retail outlets offering it at a
substantial discount. Down here, CompUSA has it on sale this
week for $99.99 after rebates. With Windows Vista on the
horizon, I think you'll find many stores looking to unload
their inventory of XP upgrades.

Good luck

Nepatsfan
 
Nepatsfan said:
(e-mail address removed),


It's your money but I wouldn't even consider buying the full retail
version of XP Home along with the XP Pro Upgrade just to practice
installations. For a little more than what you're planning on spending
for software, you could buy a brand new Dell PC with a DVD burner.

Do yourself a favor, buy a computer with the OEM version of XP Home
installed. Then, shop around for the XP Pro upgrade. You may find some
of your local retail outlets offering it at a substantial discount.
Down here, CompUSA has it on sale this week for $99.99 after rebates.
With Windows Vista on the horizon, I think you'll find many stores
looking to unload their inventory of XP upgrades.

Good luck

Nepatsfan
Click to expand...

One of the cheaper (and best) ways to "practice" your installs/
recovery method is to buy another hard drive. Make a backup.
Pretend your drive failed and put the new drive in, take your
existing drive out so it is save and see if you
can get it back as expected. If not, nothing is lost since the
old drive has not been modified - work on the routine until you
can make it work as expected (there are a number of trap doors
to fall in doing a restore of a partition -- restoring the partition,
but
not setting the MBR up correctly is one - simple fix, but will not
boot until you get it right).

mikey
 
Nepatsfan said:
(e-mail address removed),


It's your money but I wouldn't even consider buying the full retail
version of XP Home along with the XP Pro Upgrade just to practice
installations. For a little more than what you're planning on spending for
software, you could buy a brand new Dell PC with a DVD burner.

Do yourself a favor, buy a computer with the OEM version of XP Home
installed. Then, shop around for the XP Pro upgrade. You may find some of
your local retail outlets offering it at a substantial discount. Down
here, CompUSA has it on sale this week for $99.99 after rebates. With
Windows Vista on the horizon, I think you'll find many stores looking to
unload their inventory of XP upgrades.

Good luck

Nepatsfan
Click to expand...
Thank you, Harry Ohrn for your short but conscise answer to my question.
And thank you, nepatsfan for your suggestion. It makes a lot of sense, and
would also "kill many birds with one stone", at least for what I am trying
to accomplish. And, all told, at a lesser cost.

Terry
 
Terry Haeber said:
Thank you, Harry Ohrn for your short but conscise answer to my question.
And thank you, nepatsfan for your suggestion. It makes a lot of sense, and
would also "kill many birds with one stone", at least for what I am trying
to accomplish. And, all told, at a lesser cost.

Terry
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike. Another excellent consideration. By the way, your post had not
shown up when I answered the two previous.

Terry
 
(e-mail address removed),
Terry Haeber said:
Thank you, Harry Ohrn for your short but conscise answer to
my question. And thank you, nepatsfan for your suggestion.
It makes a lot of sense, and would also "kill many birds
with one stone", at least for what I am trying to
accomplish. And, all told, at a lesser cost.
Terry
Click to expand...

You're welcome.

Nepatsfan
 
Back
Top