xp pricing

[Guest]

Can anyone tell me the best place to buy a copy of xp home edition? How much
will it cost me and can you get a copy fairly cheap? thanks Deb

 

[R. McCarty]

Depends on your installation requirements. If you are planning to do
an upgrade over a earlier version of Windows then you'll need a
Retail XP Home Upgrade. If you plan to install fresh/clean then you
can use what's called a generic OEM copy.

Prices for XP do not vary that much. You can expect to pay ~$100.
On-line sites such as Tiger Direct/Newegg are a little cheaper, but
you must pay shipping charges ( and taxes for some states ).

Some people use eBay and other sites, but I don't recommend those
for software purchases.

Sometimes a small, independent PC shop will sell XP OEM. It
should come in a sealed envelop with a COA ( Certificate of
Authenticity).

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Depends on your installation requirements. If you are planning to do
an upgrade over a earlier version of Windows then you'll need a
Retail XP Home Upgrade. If you plan to install fresh/clean then you
can use what's called a generic OEM copy.

Although you *can* use a generic OEM version, I strongly recommend
against it. The OEM version comes with several disadvantages, the most
severe of which is that once installed, it can never legally be moved
to another computer, even if the original computer dies.

For that reason I recommend against OEM versions, and instead suggest
the Retail Upgrade version, which usually costs only slightly more
than the OEM version. And contrary to what many people think, the
Upgrade version *can* do a clean installation, as long as you have a
CD of a previous qualifying version to show it when prompted as proof
of ownership. Most people have such a CD, but worst case, if you
don't, you can buy a used copy of Windows 98 very inexpensively.