OEM or retail

I saw that the OEM version of XP Pro costs $139 at DiretDeal.com instead of $299 for the retail version. Would I be missing out on anything if I bought the OEM version instead? Do you still have to activate the OEM version?

TIA.

 

I would go for the OEM version as long as it has a COA (certification of authenticity) sticker and a Product Key. You do miss out on support and documentation. Buy a FULL version not an upgrade.

You have to activate within 30 days but don't rush into it until you have made it stable.

 

Wouldn't I have to open up the box and look at the CD to see if it had a product key? I don't think most stores allow that.

 

My thoughts on the sublect.

I myself would not bother with the $299 full version.

I would settle for the $99 RETAIL Upgrade.

The only diference is that the upgrade requires a previous version of Windows.

I would also would not think about an OEM version. There would be no way of knowing what un-needed other stuff was on it. I think it would be just like buying an OEM machine. Taylored to the seller.

BillyBob

 

Thanks but I have no intention of upgrading 98 to XP. Everywhere I read, it says a full install is the way to go. Putting XP on over 98 causes problems.

 

No, just don't buy it from a dodgy auction site or from a stranger in the street. Also, don't buy the academic version.

I bought a full OEM version including SP1 from a reputable source on EBay for £54 ($86 approximately).

One last thing, don't forget to apply the Microsoft Blaster patch before going on the web.

Oh, and one other last thing - it's GREAT!

 

I still have the Blaster patch. I can put it on a diskette. Er WinXP does support diskettes, right?

 

Sorry shadowhawk but that is not completely true. And I am getting bit tired of that stuff being said.

It may depend on which version of 98.

IT DOES depend on the condition of the existing system being upgraded.

It DOES depend somewhat on the existing hardware. But a bit of planning and upgrading of hardware ( which I did ) first helps there.

If upgrading to fix problems DON'T

If no problems GO FOR IT There is NOTHING to lose.

If upgrading from ME then that does become questionable.

I but XP Pro Upgrade over top of Win98 SE and ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS But I had had no problems with SE for over a year previously.

XP Pro Upgrade will go in clean .It just requires proof of a previous version just like all other Windows version upgrades.

I have one machine that started with Win95 and is now Win98SE. It has YET to be formated and have a clean install.

This machine right now started with 98 FE, It now has XP PRO and has not had a clean install.

The one main thing that does need to be ( or at least should be )done. And that it to set the Video back to the standard VGA setup before starting the upgrade.

Bottom line. XP Pro can be put over top of 98 and have it work just fine. You just have to prepare for it.

BillyBob

 

All my hardware is only about 2 years old and so far all of it has XP drivers available on the makers' sites.

Upgrading to get away from the 64 kb resources limitation that hinders all 9x users and so I'll be able to get the latest programs because 98 won't be supported much longer.

The only problem I can think of native to this machine is it freezes up when Windows Media Player tries to access streaming media, so I just don't use that. All my other problems were caused by spyware/adware or the program I installed being faulty, ala Mozilla 1.4.

Any other problems I had were generally fixed by limiting the amount of **** I allowed to run at startup and by keeping the hard disk defragged. You'd be amazed at how many problems a fragmented HD can cause!

 

That is not really a problem. That is just part of 98 we had to deal with. But I NEVER had any resource problems anyway. AFTER I learned to control what was loaded at startup and control which program I ran together and/or in which order.

I had that problem in XP also for a bit. But I found an upgrade for one and dumped the other ( ancient DOS program ) and that fixed that.

100% full agreement about 98 support and new stuff. That us the BIGGEST reason I upgraded when I did. Because I knew I would have to sooner or later anyway.

That might be a questionable problem. Freeze ups are PROBLEMS. But you could unload Media palyer first. But that problem could be Media Player itself. Resource conflict. Or even Video or Directx. Several possible causes there. But that is still not really a Windows OS problem. More than likely software or driver problem.

That goes for XP also. No change there. Not as bad maybe but it is there. ( program conflicts anyway )

Catch Y'all later. Being asked to take someone shopping.

BillyBob

 

OK so based on what I wrote, do you think my PC is a good candidate for an upgrade to XP Pro instead of a wipe/install?

Also I found a Via AGP miniport driver for WinXP. I already installed the one for 98 for my mainboard. If I upgrade XP over 98, do I need to put in the miniport driver for XP or can I just keep the 98 one?

 

Shadowhawk

I would go with a clean install because troubleshooting is much easier. (and clean installs seldom require troubleshooting in the first place) I would NOT buy an OEM version because there is a lot of "junk" on there. I think you will be pleased with XP, and I think going straight to Pro is a wise move, too. The differences between Home and Pro are:

(this is a cut and paste, and I did not note the author so I can't give them credit, but all info is true)

Remote Desktop "“ you don't get Remote Desktop with Windows XP Home
Domain Membership "“ you won't ever be able to join a Windows domain with XP Home
Encrypting File System (EFS)– you don't get EFS with Windows XP Home
File level access control "“ file level NTFS permissions can't be set in Home
Multiprocessor support "“ Windows XP Home supports only a single processor
Internet Information Services "“ You can make Windows XP Pro a Web or FTP server, not Windows XP Home
ASR "“ the Automated System Recovery feature is included in Pro, in addition to System Restore (which is also included in Home)
Dynamic disk support "“ you can't make spanned or striped volumes in Windows XP Home Edition, as you can in Pro
The Network Monitor "“ this handy tool for capturing data packets that are sent to or from your computer isn't included in Home

Me again: I have noticed that when people go to XP, their biggest difficulty is still trying to do things the OLD way. Take the time to get familiar with all the features, and you will do a lot less clicking and get a lot more done. When I work on older systems now, I find them to be awkward, because I have been using XP for 2 years now at home (Pro) and at work(Home).


Johanna

 

Shadowhawk ...

As much as I enjoy BillyBob's rants, he appears to be in a minority when it comes to folks who have installed XP over 98 and haven't had problems. And, as he's so fond of saying, every system, and every user, is different.

I concur with Johanna ... save yourself the potential headaches of an upgrade, and do a clean installation with the less expensive retail UPGRADE version. Note that you will NOT be doing an upgrade ... it's just that, at some point, you must insert your 98 installation CD as proof of a prior 98 installation.

The hardest thing to get used to in XP is the "luna" GUI, but that's easily changed to the Windows classic (Win9x) look, if you prefer it, as many of us do.

Let us know how you make out, and don't be afraid to ask for help.

 

But if I want to do a clean install, don't I need the full version, rather than the upgrade?

 

A common misconception, and all it does is put more cash in Billy G's pockets. The upgrade version will provide a complete clean installation, BUT you must have your Win98 CD available to verify that you qualify for the upgrade. Sounds crazy, but that's M$ for you.

 

Ooooooooo, well I do have my Win98 CD sitting on my table. I guess anyone who lost it would be SOL, huh?

 

Aw, c'mon Jim, Luna is pretty! Nice shades of blue, easy on the eyes... I just love it- use it for all my skins! AND it makes you remember you are NOT doing things the OLD way! LOL

Shadowhawk, an upgrade will wipe out what's there, more or less and put XP on it. The two systems are very different, and most of "Old Windows" gets discarded. I have had more problems with upgrades than a new XP cd, but YMMV. I would also suggest doing the NTFS instead of FAT32 for XP. I forgot to mention that earlier.

Johanna

 

Yeah I was planning on going the NTFS route. OK, if I got the upgrade CD and used it for a clean install, would I boot up with the CD in the drive or would I start it from within Windows?

 

OK, just doublechecking.