Buy XP-Home but Change to XP-Professional?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mickee
  • Start date Start date
M

Mickee

Hello!

To cut it cheap, I am planning to buy a new dell notebook with Windows
XP-Home and once it is here, I will format and install XP-Professional. Is
this Ok? Is it a good idea or will I run into hardware compatibility issues?
I have done this on Desktops when replacing Win98 with WinNT/2000 but never
with a Notebook.

Any suggestions?
 
You should have no compatibility issues, however you might have
licensing issues. Windows XP Professional licenses are not
interchangeable with Windows XP Home. XP Pro costs around $89 bucks
more actually. Also your CD key with XP Home will not work With XP Pro.
Also, if you have a XP Pro Key, and it's been used on another machine,
you're out of luck.

--Dan
 
i guess you are right, on my Desktop PC twice i tried to upgrade from
HOME to PRO and both failed, doesn't worked. Maube i am newbie but
i did upgrade from 98 to ME without any problems.
Any recomendations?

==============
Posted through www.HowToFixComputers.com/bb - free access to hardware troubleshooting newsgroups.
 
Well, you get the upgrade. I think it costs $99 bucks or so. I may be
mistaken, but I pretty sure that's how much it costs.

--Dan
 
Mickee, a problem that you also could find also could be lack of hardware
drivers. You will get recovery cd-s bat not the drivers.

Boba Vancouver
 
: Well, you get the upgrade. I think it costs $99 bucks or so. I may be
: mistaken, but I pretty sure that's how much it costs.
:
: --Dan
:
: baronime wrote:
:
: > i guess you are right, on my Desktop PC twice i tried to upgrade from
: > HOME to PRO and both failed, doesn't worked. Maube i am newbie but
: > i did upgrade from 98 to ME without any problems.
: > Any recomendations?
: >
: > ==============
: > Posted through www.HowToFixComputers.com/bb - free access to hardware
troubleshooting newsgroups.

The upgrade, I think is the same price from XPHome as
from ME or 95. A mistake I think.
 
Hello!

To cut it cheap, I am planning to buy a new dell notebook with Windows
XP-Home and once it is here, I will format and install
XP-Professional. Is this Ok? Is it a good idea or will I run into
hardware compatibility issues? I have done this on Desktops when
replacing Win98 with WinNT/2000 but never with a Notebook.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

If you have legitimate licenses you'll have no problems. Without a legit
XP Pro license it may be very difficult. XP's activation (anti-piracy)
requirements make this so. Also, I'll second the drivers issue. Laptops
are MUCH MUCH more sensitive to drivers. You have to get the right
driver for the peripheral AND laptop make/model. If you have a way to
restore the original drivers or can download them from the manufacturers
website you should be ok. Be sure you have all the drivers handy before
you attempt the upgrade. Preferably on floppy or the HD. (If they're on
the HD don't wipe it during the upgrade.) Don't count on your DVD, CD or
external drives working until you get their drivers re-loaded. XP should
get the HD and floppy working with its own drivers. Keep in mind that
any driver you don't restore or replace will leave the corresponding
hardware non-functional.
 
A friend of mine bougtht a SONY A-Series one with XP Home (not
available with XP Prof. this model) and a Licensed XP Prof. SONY
provides the Drivers on the Preinstalled Harddisk. But even with the
Drivers in hand it was not easy, because some drivers have no own
installation program.
Are you familiar with installation of Hardware drivers?

It is possible, but be aware that you will have no ready made Recovery
disk afterwards (which recovers your computers in half an hour). What
is the price difference anyway?
 
Mickee said:
Hello!

To cut it cheap, I am planning to buy a new dell notebook with Windows
XP-Home and once it is here, I will format and install XP-Professional. Is
this Ok? Is it a good idea or will I run into hardware compatibility issues?
I have done this on Desktops when replacing Win98 with WinNT/2000 but never
with a Notebook.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Go to Dell support and download the XP drivers first...and FYI, Dell DOES
supply the drivers on CD. The web site can also tell you if you can upgrade
your notebook.


www.dell.com
 
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