XP Professional vs Media Center for college student

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Guest

I am buying a new laptop (Dell XPS M1210) for my daughter who is starting
college. I am totally confused on whether to put XP Professional or Media
Center on the laptop. Dell seems to reccommend Media Center for this
particular laptop but the Latitude PC's the school sells all come with
Professional. Help with this decision would be appreciated.
 
Go with XP Pro. Media Center is just Pro with a shiny interface and a souped
up Windows Media Player attached to it. Not worth the headaches it causes.
Besides, Media Center is best used with sound and video cards that accept
input as well as send output - a laptop will almost certainly not have it.

~Yb


Go with
 
ps2006 said:
I am buying a new laptop (Dell XPS M1210) for my daughter who is starting
college. I am totally confused on whether to put XP Professional or Media
Center on the laptop. Dell seems to reccommend Media Center for this
particular laptop but the Latitude PC's the school sells all come with
Professional. Help with this decision would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Get XP Pro, not the Media Center edition. The Media Center edition won't
be able to properly connect to the school's network domain - networking
features like this are why the school provides XP PRO.

HTH
-pk
 
XP Pro, Good Antivirus Software, Spyware detection software, Don't use
Windows built-in firewall, try Zone Alarm (free version).
Most new PCs usually do not come with backup software other than Windows
System Restore which is not good enough, look into a solution that easy and
convenient so you daughter will not hesitate to use it, after all if that
term paper is lost the day before it's due then all the hard work is for
naught.

Use strong passwords, don't leave the Administrator account wide open as the
default password is blank (none).

JS
 
ps2006 said:
I am buying a new laptop (Dell XPS M1210) for my daughter who is
starting college. I am totally confused on whether to put XP
Professional or Media Center on the laptop. Dell seems to reccommend
Media Center for this particular laptop but the Latitude PC's the
school sells all come with Professional. Help with this decision
would be appreciated.
Click to expand...


Media Center is XP Professional with extra media features, but *without* the
ability to join a domain. In many colleges, that abililty to join a domain
will be needed, and XP Professional will be required.

Ask the college whether she will need to join their domain. Assuming that
the answer is yes, get XP Professional. If the answer is no, it probably
makes little difference which she gets.
 
Your answer correct but Media Center is not just Pro with a shiny interface.
Media Center does not allow connecting to a domain, a must at most college
networks.
The best advice would be for the OP to contact the college and see what OS
is recommended.
 
The reason I say Pro is the networking capabilites .. and she might have to
join domains / directories / whatever at the college(s) she attends .. XP
Pro is ready to do that; Media Center is not.
 
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