Install XPpro over XPhome

Dimitris wrote:

> Hello I have win XP home and after having some power problems Windows
> are not working well. Anyway I always wanted to install Windows XPpro


Why? Are you aware that XP Professional and XP Home are exactly the same in
all respects, except that Professional has a few features (mostly related to
networking and security) missing from Home. For most (but not all) home
users, even those with a home network, these features aren't needed, would
never be used, and buying Professional instead of Home is a waste of money.
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 that Professional allows ten concurrent network connections, and
Home only five.



> so now is the chance.

If you're contemplating upgrading, rather than clean installing, when
Windows is not working well is the *worst* time to do it. An upgrade from
Home to Professional normally goes very well, but whe you're having existing
problerms, the risk of upgrading is much greater.


> How should I proceed? Note that I do not have
> my XPhome disk only the new XPpro one. If I install XP pro will it
> overwrite XPhome?


First, is your XP Professional CD a retail version or an OEM one? If it's
OEM, it will not do an upgrade, and a clean installation, overwriting
everything on the drive, is your only choice.

If it's retail, either the Full or Upgrade version, you have the choice of
an upgrade or clean installation.

By definition, an "upgrade" (as opposed to a clean installation) means that
all data, programs, etc. are kept intact. However there are no guarantees
that an upgrade always works perfectly. However unlikely, it's always
possible that something might go wrong. For that reason it's prudent to be
sure you have a backup of anything you can't afford to lose before
beginning.


>Will the drivers of my pc (soundcard, graphic card
> drivers etc) be found? I am not sure I have all those drivers. Please
> tell me how to start and what to be careful of.


Normally drivers are available on the Windows CD, but if your hardware is
new or unusual, you may need to have drivers available if you do a clean
installation.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
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