Windows XP Pro Upgrade

Bah

I’m looking to get a *cheap* copy of Windows XP Home or Professional, the cheapest version I can find is XP Pro Student Edition Upgrade (here for £64.49, or €63.88 including my £20 gift voucher) , the only problem being that I don’t own another copy of windows to upgrade from – if I was to buy a cheap OEM copy of Windows 98, could I use the XP upgrade and wipe out all evidence of Windows 98 existing on the comp? It sounds good in theory, but if it isn’t a “clean install”, then I don’t think it’d be worth the hassle, given the trouble I’ve had with 98 in the past.
The next cheapest version I can find is an OEM copy of XP Home, for roughly €120.l
Any advice?

Sherifu

I have used an upgraded xp (from 98).
There are no traces of 98 apart from any accounts on 98 before upgrade.
When i did it i upgraded from a clean installed 98 too so ya should be home and dry.
Its probably your cheapest option

chump

hassle for reformats and the like though

Sherifu

I think you have the option to change to ntfs if you like when upgrading.
Won't make too much difference if its going from fresh 98 to upgraded xp.
To decide which format you want read
http://www.microsoft.com/WINDOWSXP/home/using/productdoc/en/choosing_between_NTFS_FAT_and_FAT32.asp

I started with fat32 but converted to ntfs on the command line.

Capt'n Midnight

Bah wrote:

I’m looking to get a *cheap* copy of Windows XP Home or Professional, the cheapest version I can find is XP Pro Student Edition Upgrade (here for £64.49, or €63.88 including my £20 gift voucher) , the only problem being that I don’t own another copy of windows to upgrade from – if I was to buy a cheap OEM copy of Windows 98, could I use the XP upgrade and wipe out all evidence of Windows 98 existing on the comp? It sounds good in theory, but if it isn’t a “clean install”, then I don’t think it’d be worth the hassle, given the trouble I’ve had with 98 in the past.
The next cheapest version I can find is an OEM copy of XP Home, for roughly €120.l
Any advice?

Microsoft license combinations are nightmare - that alone would drive you to open source.
If you are a full time student then you are entitled to the Student version, if not you aren't - check the license as some OEM upgrades may not free the license from the machine. If on the other hand you have a Brand Name machine, you could ring up the manufacturer and asked what shipped with it.
AFAIK if it came with windows and was not upgraded to a different version in a corporate licensing program then the original license is bound to it. Also if you check with the computer manufacutrer they should be able to tell you if there was a windows refund on it (has anyone ever got a windows refund) as that would also mean no license on the PC

Random

As far as I was aware you didn't have to have a previous version installed, you just needed a valid serial number from it to use during your upgrade OS install...

ontargetrepairs

why dont yea ask around for a copy of ea ch ?

astrofool

Well, sometimes the student copy comes as an empty box and you send away for the cd to install by sending proof of being a student with it (was the way I got JBuilder a few years ago).

I think XP just comes with the cd.

Also, DO NOT INSTALL WIN98 FIRST. XP will ask you for a cd with the upgrade from OS on it, so you put the win98 cd in when it asks you, it checks it qualifies, and then installs XP without ever having 98 on the system. 9x -> nt can be messy sometimes.

Bah

Thanks for the advice:

Well, sometimes the student copy comes as an empty box and you send away for the cd to install by sending proof of being a student with it (was the way I got JBuilder a few years ago).

I'm currently a full time student, so I *should* be elligible for a *legal* upgrade. Sending away is a pain, but if it's going to be half price, it's probably worth the wait.

why dont yea ask around for a copy of ea ch ?

I would, but nobody I know seems to own a copy - I've got a copy of XP home from my Dell, but I doubt it'd work since it’s more of a “backup” CD than anything else, which refuses to work in our old Packard Bell.

check the license as some OEM upgrades may not free the license from the machine. If on the other hand you have a Brand Name machine, you could ring up the manufacturer and asked what shipped with it.
AFAIK if it came with windows and was not upgraded to a different version in a corporate licensing program then the original license is bound to it. Also if you check with the computer manufacutrer they should be able to tell you if there was a windows refund on it (has anyone ever got a windows refund) as that would also mean no license on the PC

Ok, I’m getting a bit lost here – not too sure what you mean by being “bound to the machine”, since I was thinking about getting an OEM copy of 98 and then a student upgrade of XP – do you mean that the upgrade will be (legally) bound to the machine when I install it?

hassle for reformats and the like though

Maybe, but reformats tend to be lots of hassle anyway. Sticking in an extra CD (98) every time I need to reformat (as I understand it that’s all I have to do?) doesn’t sound like *too much* extra hassle?
Thanks again for any advice you can give.

Bah

Does anybody know if my Dell version of XP home would work with the Windows XP Pro Upgrade?
Astrofool mentioned about the CD being checked when you upgrade... think it'd work?

Sherifu

Bah wrote:

Does anybody know if my Dell version of XP home would work with the Windows XP Pro Upgrade?
Astrofool mentioned about the CD being checked when you upgrade... think it'd work?

I cant see why it wouldn't tho ive never had to attempt it.....
Should work fine.