where to pick up a copy of XP

[XRdirtHead]

I saw on E*ay some deals for OEM Windows XP Home edition for short money. I am running win98 se now and was thinking of upgrading but wasn't sure if I should just pick up the copy from a local B&M....

 

[eofeapr]

how much ?? but by the same token , would'nt you prefer XP PRO ??? If your gonna get XP get Pro it's more secure than Home
But be carefull with the OEMs, if in doubt get a full version...

joe

10-17-2003 welp,,, there you go freind !!! 20 answers for you ,,, now how about you just go get LINUX !!!

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: eofeapr
but by the same token , would'nt you prefer XP PRO ??? If your gonna get XP get Pro it's more secure than Home

Pure FUD. If you want to pay $50 extra to feel professional, then be my guest. But if you're not using XP in a business setting, i.e. on a domain, there's not much reason to get Pro over Home. Certainly not security.

But be carefull with the OEMs, if in doubt get a full version...

Ridiculous. You seem to like spending extra money to get some kind of shiny, happy glow. Buying retail gets you a pretty box and crappy phone support. That's it.

 

[vegetation]

If you're still running win98 then you probably have some old hardware attached to it. I wouldn't run xp on such a machine.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: cleverhandle

Originally posted by: eofeapr
but by the same token , would'nt you prefer XP PRO ??? If your gonna get XP get Pro it's more secure than Home

Pure FUD. If you want to pay $50 extra to feel professional, then be my guest. But if you're not using XP in a business setting, i.e. on a domain, there's not much reason to get Pro over Home. Certainly not security.

But be carefull with the OEMs, if in doubt get a full version...

Ridiculous. You seem to like spending extra money to get some kind of shiny, happy glow. Buying retail gets you a pretty box and crappy phone support. That's it.

Exactly, OEM is the full version minus the box,manual (its on the disc) and support (anantech forums. I always buy OEM. Probably wouldn't do it on ebay though.

As to Pro unless you are going to be doing some massive networking its not worth it. The extra security in the pro file system is nice for mission critical security but for the average user it is worthless. The only other reason you would want it is if you were runing 2 hyperthreading processors in which case it would be needed.

Sorry eofeapr, Looks like you were duped by the Best Buy sales staff.

 

[drag]

yep.

Just like old MS operating systems "upgrades". They were just full installs that the config program looked for some older OS on a disk somewhere (if that).

It's like a version of multilevel marketing. They know that their are lots of people that would not be willing to buy a new liscences simply because the price, so they sell upgrades and OEM versions at a cheaper price to get people that wouldn't buy it otherwise. MS wants to keep people dependant on their product.

Why else do you think they put so much time and effort into making copyright protection into XP and then after a little bit release a "coporate edition" that people can use for free. Why didn't they just add a liscence service to a w2k server, like every other software manufacturer in existance, instead of releasing a unprotected version?

Another example is MS Office. How much market penatration would they have if everybody had to pay 400 bucks for it? Not a whole lot.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: drag


Another example is MS Office. How much market penatration would they have if everybody had to pay 400 bucks for it? Not a whole lot.

no kidding, cant really get anyone to try openoffice

even being free, i suggested it to someone who wanted MS office on their mac...no no, theyre used to MS Office, the price is worth paying (all $400 of it) because theyre used to it now...

ugh

 

[KaGee]

Originally posted by: vegetation
If you're still running win98 then you probably have some old hardware attached to it. I wouldn't run xp on such a machine.

Hmmm..... then by your comment, my Dell laptop isn't really running XPPro, I only think it is.

Win 98 machines are not excluded simply because they run Win 98. To be sure, simply do a compatability test which you can do with the XP cd or on the XP website. If there are incompatabilities, you will find out.

 

[XRdirtHead]

I'm sure my machine is up to the task
XP 2800
Asus A7N8X Deluxe
512mb Crucial Ram

but I've been comfortable with Win98 for a long time and thats why I haven't upgraded yet. The OEM on E*ay look like all I should need to get upgraded to XP. I do have seven computers on my home network but am not sure if I need the PRO version. I've been happy with 98 SE so far.

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: xSauronx

Originally posted by: drag


Another example is MS Office. How much market penatration would they have if everybody had to pay 400 bucks for it? Not a whole lot.

no kidding, cant really get anyone to try openoffice

even being free, i suggested it to someone who wanted MS office on their mac...no no, theyre used to MS Office, the price is worth paying (all $400 of it) because theyre used to it now...

ugh

That's funny. Hell I thought it would be funny to change the spash screen and colors/icons around and charge 50 bucks to install it on somebodies machine and call it: "Microsoft Office 2004" and see how long it takes for them to figure out what was going on.

Probably a couple of weeks at the least, if ever. 😛

 

[rbV5]

Buying retail gets you a pretty box and crappy phone support. That's it.

Thats not exactly true now is it? It also gives an OS that can move to a new rig, transfered to a new owner and used in an upgrade path. OEM XP is tied to the CPU, and can't be used as the base for an upgrade OS. Big difference in my book.

 

[rmrf]

Originally posted by: rbV5

Buying retail gets you a pretty box and crappy phone support. That's it.

Thats not exactly true now is it? It also gives an OS that can move to a new rig, transfered to a new owner and used in an upgrade path. OEM XP is tied to the CPU, and can't be used as the base for an upgrade OS. Big difference in my book.

Actually, Dell sends complete copies of xp with any machine that you buy from them. If you install it on another Dell machine, it will not have you activate it. If you install it on hardware other than Dell's, you will need to activate it after the install. Other than that, I have installed on machines and it seems to be golden.

 

[fredtam]

OEM Xp is not tied to the CPU. It works the same way as xp retail. All xp versions (except corp) require activation. Once activated a fingerprint of your system is uploaded to a database. This "fingerprint" contains a list of ten components. If four or more of these components are chaged within a 120day period reactivation is required. This means no matter which version you use if you put it on another pc you will have to call and get a new key. I have done this with the OEM version. Since activation is different from registration XP does not know who the owner is so it can easily be transferred to a new owner provided it is on the PC you are selling.
Why would you want to upgrade. It is best to do a clean install with XP.

 

[CQuinn]

"Generic" OEM XP is not tied to a CPU/System.

Some branded OEM releases are tied to only install on a specific system/configuration.

So be careful with knowing where that copy of XP came from, and whether/how it was bundled
with a system.

 

[eofeapr]

THANK YOU !!

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: eofeapr
THANK YOU !!

What exactly are you yelling about?
The dell cd is not an OEM product. It is a reinsallation cd speciifically for Dell PC's. It says plainly on the cd "Reinstallation CD". The question was about the OEM version of XP not the Dell reinstallation CD. They are two different products. Don't get confused because the CD comes from an "OEM" pc maker. The only other thing you said was that XP Pro was more secure which is debatable. I can get into either one (Not due to a lack of security features but the owners failure to use them properly). The secure file system on XP pro can be more of a hassle trying to recover your own files which is far more likely than a hacker trying to get into them.

So to recap here you go.

1. OEM is the full version of XP
2. Dell CDs are reinstallation CDs and not an OEM product. (You cannot buy a Dell reinstallation
CD)
3. XP Pro is overkill for most users.

XRdirtHead OEM is fine. Just make sure it is the OEM version and it is sealed and the seller says that the product has not been activated.
As far as upgrading to PRO.

1. If you have two HT processors.
2. If you need remote access.
3. If you need advanced networking features.
4. If you need an encrypted file system.

If any of these are true you may want to consider it.

Pic of oem xp & dell reinstallation cd.

 

[KaGee]

OEM is what MS sells to system builders for installation on a new pc. Normally not available to us peon's unless we also purchase a new mobo or sometimesa new HD. This stuff ends up on Ebay when someone gets caught in a need for cash. Nothing wrong with OEM, usually it's the same as retail.

 

[eofeapr]

RUDE BUNCH A OLD FA _ _ _ !!

Better advice is great but you guys act like I told him to go slit his wrist...
I don't need to know if he's running a network in the HOME vs Pro argument,,, I said PRO because I figure IF (the big word in life)
you go pro from the start there's no need to change anything in the event of a need to set up a NET...

How old can his Hware be ?? that a driver fix won't let Pro run it ?? is'nt XP just 2K all dolled up ??

As far as the happy glow for paying extra, I install OEMs when I build for someone,, BUT I'm buying from reputable dealer 125.00 US dollars,, pretty brand new box and the happy glow. 125.00 is not alot of money to pay for tha assurance.

MAYBE you shold just share your own thoughts with his request in mind instead of trying to poke holes and quotes at everyone else to make a point ...
MAYBE if you can state your case,( which is good advice I'm not saying it is not!! ), and just focus on what you're contribution is worth and how to say it,,, other contributers would probably learn something ...

 

[fredtam]

Ummm you recommended pro and the only reason you gave for it was that it was more secure.
The question was about XP home. If you were going to recommend pro a couple question about his needs would be appropriate. A lot of people don't know the difference between pro and home so when you make a statement like " If your gonna get XP get Pro it's more secure than Home" people may assume you know what your talking about and waste the extra money thinking that there is something wrong with home. Maybe you should have linked him to info on encrypted file systems.

You said "But be carefull with the OEMs, if in doubt get a full version". Why? You gave no supporting information. So had you been the only one to post he would probably assume there was something wrong with the OEM version.

You yelled "THANK YOU !!" after a post that did not support anything that you had said. Well I guess it could loosely support your "be careful" arguement if you meant be careful you don't get a reinstallation cd but who knows because you didn't say why he should be careful.

MAYBE you should learn to elaborate a little.

 

[eofeapr]

Point taken,, Point understood, I should have justified my recomendaitons....
Right is right !!

 

[wetcat007]

WinXP Pro FULL at newegg for under $150