Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (
More info?)
In news:FD4711AF-C6BB-47AF-A239-AE506516E1A9@microsoft.com,
tokolosh <tokolosh@discussions.microsoft.com> typed:
> I have a 2001 edition of XP Home Edition and would like to
> upgrade
> this to XP 2005 edition
There has been only a single version of Windows XP, whether Home
or Professional. There have been two service packs, and if you
haven't installed them, you should install SP2. But there's no
real upgrade necessary, and there's nothing to buy. SP2 is free.
> or XP Professional.
If you think that XP Professional is in some way *better* than XP
Home, that's not the case. 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.
> Can this be done without reformatting the hard and losing all
> currently installed software applications.
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 it 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.
And in all probability, there's no need for you to do any upgrade
at all.
--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
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