XP Pro OEM and Full Version - will either one upgrade XP Home?

[Andrew Meador - ASCPA, MCSE, MCP+I, Network+, A+]

Will XP Pro OEM upgrade in install of Windows XP Home?
Will XP Pro Retail version upgrade in install of Windows XP Home?
If either of these are doable, is it a smooth upgrade? My
inclination is to think it would be since is is XP, but am I wrong?
Thanks in advance for your info.

 

[Alias]

Will XP Pro OEM upgrade in install of Windows XP Home?

No, as there is no such thing as a XP Pro OEM upgrade. A full OEM won't
upgrade anything.

Will XP Pro Retail version upgrade in install of Windows XP Home?
Yes.

If either of these are doable, is it a smooth upgrade? My
inclination is to think it would be since is is XP, but am I wrong?
Thanks in advance for your info.

Depends on your computer.

Alias

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[Ken Blake, MVP]

Will XP Pro OEM upgrade in install of Windows XP Home?

There is no OEM Upgrade. OEM versions do clean installations only.

Will XP Pro Retail version upgrade in install of Windows XP Home?

Yes.


If either of these are doable, is it a smooth upgrade?

It's the easiest and most-likely successful of all possible upgrades, since
the two are almost the same.

However there are no guarantees that it always works perfectly. However
unlikely, it's always possible that something might go wrong and you could
lose everything. For that reason it's prudent to be sure you have a backup
of anything you can't afford to lose before beginning.

Are you sure you want to do this? Are you aware that XP Home and
Professional are identical except that Professional includes a few features
(mostly related to security and networking) missing from Home? Most home
users don't need and would never use these extra features and will see no
benefits by upgrading.

For details go to

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

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp>

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.asp

Also note another point, not included in any of the above: Professional
allows ten concurrent network connections, and Home only five.

 

[Andrew Meador - ASCPA, MCSE, MCP+I, Network+, A+]

Thanks for the reply. I know there can be problems (like spyware) that
can gubber up an upgrade. That's why I'm asking about this topic, I've
made it a policy to do clean installs and not upgrades, however I think
it may be a good option for my client in this case. They have 7 systems
that need to be upgraded. This is necessary as I am bringing in a
Windows Small Business Server 2003. XP Home can't join a Windows server
domain. For 7 systems, the upgrade is worth considering. Plus the cost
- if I get OEM copies, it's a definite re-installation. If I do Full
version that gives me both options, it's $300 a piece. If we do Retail
Windows XP Pro Upgrade, it's $200 a piece - but will it work on all 7
systems? "To Upgrade, or Not to Upgrade. That is the question."

 

[Kerry Brown]

Thanks for the reply. I know there can be problems (like spyware) that
can gubber up an upgrade. That's why I'm asking about this topic, I've
made it a policy to do clean installs and not upgrades, however I
think it may be a good option for my client in this case. They have 7
systems that need to be upgraded. This is necessary as I am bringing
in a Windows Small Business Server 2003. XP Home can't join a Windows
server domain. For 7 systems, the upgrade is worth considering. Plus
the cost - if I get OEM copies, it's a definite re-installation. If I
do Full version that gives me both options, it's $300 a piece. If we
do Retail Windows XP Pro Upgrade, it's $200 a piece - but will it
work on all 7 systems? "To Upgrade, or Not to Upgrade. That is the
question."

Look into a volume license for them.

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/default.mspx

Kerry

 

[Jim Henley]

Ken Blake, MVP submitted this idea :

There is no OEM Upgrade. OEM versions do clean installations only.




It's the easiest and most-likely successful of all possible upgrades, since
the two are almost the same.

However there are no guarantees that it always works perfectly. However
unlikely, it's always possible that something might go wrong and you could
lose everything. For that reason it's prudent to be sure you have a backup of
anything you can't afford to lose before beginning.

Are you sure you want to do this? Are you aware that XP Home and Professional
are identical except that Professional includes a few features (mostly
related to security and networking) missing from Home? Most home users don't
need and would never use these extra features and will see no benefits by
upgrading.

For details go to

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

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp>

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.asp

Also note another point, not included in any of the above: Professional
allows ten concurrent network connections, and Home only five.

I would definitly do the upgrade. I have three clients using SBS and
all their client machines were upgraded to XP Pro (needed with SBS).
The only problems were with very old machines running Win98. Those had
to have a clean install.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thanks for the reply. I know there can be problems (like spyware) that
can gubber up an upgrade. That's why I'm asking about this topic, I've
made it a policy to do clean installs and not upgrades, however I
think it may be a good option for my client in this case. They have 7
systems that need to be upgraded. This is necessary as I am bringing
in a Windows Small Business Server 2003. XP Home can't join a Windows
server domain. For 7 systems, the upgrade is worth considering. Plus
the cost - if I get OEM copies, it's a definite re-installation. If I
do Full version that gives me both options, it's $300 a piece. If we
do Retail Windows XP Pro Upgrade, it's $200 a piece - but will it
work on all 7 systems? "To Upgrade, or Not to Upgrade. That is the
question."

First of all, note that, despite what many people think, an Upgrade version
*can* do a clean installation. The requirement to use an upgrade version is
to *own* a previous qualifying version's installation CD (with an OEM
restore CD, see below), not to have it installed. When setup doesn't find a
previous qualifying version installed, it will prompt you to insert its CD
as proof of ownership. Just insert the previous version's CD, and follow the
prompts. Everything proceeds quite normally and quite legitimately.

You can also do a clean installation if you have an OEM restore CD of a
previous qualifying version. It's more complicated, but it *can* be done.
First restore from the Restore CD. Then run the XP upgrade CD from within
that restored system, and change from Upgrade to New Install. When it asks
where, press Esc to delete the partition and start over.

So certainly don't buy a Full version if you qualify for the Upgrade. The
Full and Upgrade versions are identical: either can do a clean installation
or an upgrade; the only difference is that a clean installation with the
Upgrade version requires you to insert a previous qualifying version's CD.

Second, although many people will tell you that formatting and installing
cleanly is the best way to go, I disagree. Unlike with previous versions of
Windows, an upgrade to XP replaces almost everything, and usually works very
well. That's especially true when upgrading from Home to Professional.

My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's much easier
than a clean installation. You can always change your mind and reinstall
cleanly if problems develop.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Will XP Pro OEM upgrade in install of Windows XP Home?

No. An OEM CD cannot be used to perform an upgrade of an earlier OS,
as it was designed to be installed _only_ upon an empty hard drive. It
can still be used to perform a repair installation (a.k.a. an in-place
upgrade) of an existing WinXP installation.

Will XP Pro Retail version upgrade in install of Windows XP Home?

Yes, although it would be far less expensive to purchase a WinXP Pro
Upgrade license.

If either of these are doable, is it a smooth upgrade? My
inclination is to think it would be since is is XP, but am I wrong?
Thanks in advance for your info.

WinXP is designed to install and upgrade the existing operating
system while simultaneously preserving your applications and data, and
translating as many personalized settings as possible. The process is
designed to be, and normally is, quite painless. That said, things can
go wrong, in a small number of cases. If your data is at all important
to you, back it up before proceeding.

The upgrade from WinXP Home to WinXP Pro, in particular, almost
always goes smoothly, as both operating systems use the same kernel.


--

Bruce Chambers

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