Windows XP MCE questions

[TechnoPro]

I may be getting a new Dell laptop with MCE pre-installed on it. Should I get this machine, the first thing I will do is reformat and reisntall, then image the drive. While installing XP MCE, can I opt not to install the media center components? I don't mind the space it would take up; I just don't want any unneeded programs (or baloons, reminders, etc.) starting up when I boot the system. Or is the Media Center portion only activated when it's explicitly run? Thanks for any insight.

 

[wpshooter]

My niece just recently purchased a new dell laptop that came with the media center operating system. While I was configuring the machine for her I discovered that the McAfee security suite program that she purchased with the computer has a compatibility problem with the media center version operating system.

Unless, it is something that you really need (and that is generally always my advice for any software), I would suggest not using it. In a lot of cases LESS is BETTER.

Good luck.

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: TechnoPro
I may be getting a new Dell laptop with MCE pre-installed on it. Should I get this machine, the first thing I will do is reformat and reisntall, then image the drive. While installing XP MCE, can I opt not to install the media center components? I don't mind the space it would take up; I just don't want any unneeded programs (or baloons, reminders, etc.) starting up when I boot the system. Or is the Media Center portion only activated when it's explicitly run? Thanks for any insight.

MCE is just XP pro with and extra side to it..

you must install both CDs though..
but unless you press the green MC button on the task bar it runs just like regular XP pro...
I love it my MCE is my gaming machine and I have no issues with it.

the channel/movie guide rocks too up to date movie/TV info broken down by every imagninable sort.

very cool software..

 

[TechnoPro]

Originally posted by: CVSiN

Originally posted by: TechnoPro
I may be getting a new Dell laptop with MCE pre-installed on it. Should I get this machine, the first thing I will do is reformat and reisntall, then image the drive. While installing XP MCE, can I opt not to install the media center components? I don't mind the space it would take up; I just don't want any unneeded programs (or baloons, reminders, etc.) starting up when I boot the system. Or is the Media Center portion only activated when it's explicitly run? Thanks for any insight.

MCE is just XP pro with and extra side to it..

you must install both CDs though..
but unless you press the green MC button on the task bar it runs just like regular XP pro...
I love it my MCE is my gaming machine and I have no issues with it.

the channel/movie guide rocks too up to date movie/TV info broken down by every imagninable sort.

very cool software..

Just what I was hoping to hear, thanks.

I'm all about the infotainment at the right time, but when it's crunch time and I need to work, I cannot stand distractions.

 

[scottws]

Originally posted by: CVSiN
MCE is just XP pro with and extra side to it..

Not exactly. XP MCE doesn't do domains or cached credentials like XP Pro. But other than that, if there are any differences, I don't know about them.

 

[bsobel]

Not exactly. XP MCE doesn't do domains or cached credentials like XP Pro. But other than that, if there are any differences, I don't know about them.

Well, you can join a domain but you lose the extender functionality as it requries FUS and FUS and domains are mutually exclusive.

As for as cached credentials, they are there if your an upgrade from 2004 (or if say the upgrade key is set in the registry). They are disabled by default however.

Bill

 

[scottws]

Originally posted by: bsobel
As for as cached credentials, they are there if your an upgrade from 2004 (or if say the upgrade key is set in the registry). They are disabled by default however.

So you can re-enable cached credentials? I knew you could edit the registry to join a domain, but I didn't know about the cached credentials.

How do you do this? I have a user whose personal laptop is MCE, and she has tax software on there that requires a mapped network drive to the database on the server. I created the mapped drive, but of course it won't save her password. If I could re-enable the cached credentials on her laptop, it would make it much less of a nuisance for her.

 

[scottws]

I hate doing this, but in this case I'm really interested in the answer.

*bump*

 

[gsellis]

And for the record, MCE, Tablet, and XP Pro installs are controlled by the key. An installation (VLA source) will have all the necessary pieces, and by changing the license key, the installation will pick the route of the key given. So, installing "XP" and using the MCE key that your OEM provided will still result in a MCE installation, I suspect.