Installing XP Home OEM

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RN in Boca

I have ME now. I want to install XP home w/SP2. Do I need the 'FULL' version
or can I use the OEM 'upgrade' version? Thanks.
 
You can use a retail upgrade version of Windows XP. OEM versions of
Windows can only do clean installs.
 
The OEM version requires a clean install, if you want to upgrade, purchase
the retail upgrade version.
 
I have ME now. I want to install XP home w/SP2. Do I need the 'FULL' version
or can I use the OEM 'upgrade' version? Thanks.
Click to expand...


First, note that there is no such thing as an OEM Upgrade versions.
OEM versions do clean installations only.

Do you want to do a clean installation or an upgrade. You can use
either the Full or Upgrade (much cheaper) retail version to do either
a clean installation or upgrade.

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.
 
RN said:
I have ME now. I want to install XP home w/SP2. Do I need the 'FULL' version
or can I use the OEM 'upgrade' version? Thanks.
Click to expand...


There's no such thing as an "OEM upgrade" version, but you could use a
retail Upgrade license.

Before starting, however, have you verified that all of your PC's
hardware components are capable of supporting WinXP? This information
will be found at the PC's manufacturer's web site, and on Microsoft's
Windows Catalog: (http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx)

You should also take a few minutes to ensure that there are
WinXP-specific device drivers available for all of the machine's
internal components. There may not be, if the PC was specifically
designed for Win98/Me. Also bear in mind that PCs designed for, sold
and run fine with Win9x/Me very often do not meet WinXP's much more
stringent hardware quality requirements. This is particularly true of
many early models in Compaq's consumer-class Presario product line or
HP's consumer-class Pavilion product line. WinXP, like WinNT and Win2K
before it, is quite sensitive to borderline defective or substandard
hardware (particularly motherboards, RAM and hard drives) that will
still support Win9x.

HOW TO Prepare to Upgrade Win98 or WinMe
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q316639

Upgrading to Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
 
RN in Boca said:
I have ME now. I want to install XP home w/SP2. Do I need the 'FULL'
version
or can I use the OEM 'upgrade' version? Thanks.
Click to expand...

OEM versions are *not* upgrades and can only be used when there is no
previous operating system (excepting Repair installs of that XP Home OEM).

If you still have the ME CD, *keep it* and find a "retail-Upgrade" version
of XP. This will be cheaper than the full version, and if you have to
install fresh sometime, you will not have to install ME first; you'll be
asked for a qualifying CD, you put in teh ME CD, then the XP CD and setup
continues.

Before you start any of this, though, find and run the XP Upgrade Advisor
(this is on many XP CDs, too). This will tell you, among other things,
what software has to be uninstalled BEFORE you upgrade. Not all ME
software works on XP.

Finally. An ME system is likely to be older and underpowered for XP. As it
happens, you can find excellent used systems *with* a valid legal XP license
for around $200, no monitor, kb or mouse. I've bought a number of these -
around 3gHz Pentium 4 systems with at least 512 meg ram (some had 2 gig).

So you might want to examine your options before you purchase just an XP
license.

HTH
-pk
 
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