Upgrading XP Home to XP Pro (1 Viewer)

[Mark Frank]

I bought a new Dell Dimension that came pre-installed with XP Home. I own a legal CD-ROM of the full version of XP Professional and would like to upgrade.

Can I use the full XP Professional CD-ROM to perform an upgrade of an existing XP Home install or will it automatically do a "clean" install and wipe out all my pre-installed programs, drivers, etc.?

I know there are XP Home to XP Pro upgrade CDs, but I don't have one of those, just a full version CD.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Hanson]

Choose to upgrade. It will upgrade the OS without disturbing any programs.

Because it's the same OS with some NT networking stuff included (or more accurately that Home is the Pro version with stuff taken out), you shouldn't experience any problems with programs not working all of a sudden. I've done it before with company laptops.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Hanson,

Is there anywhere I can find specifically what has been truncated from Pro-- i have seen some technical pages, but nothing too simple on what HOME won't do.

-Vince

 

[Phil Kim]

Is there anywhere I can find specifically what has been truncated from Pro-- i have seen some technical pages, but nothing too simple on what HOME won't do.

XP Pro isn't necessarily better than XP Home. Most home users'll never use XP Pro-only features, and for them, XP Pro only adds complexity. One of the most obvious differences is that while the XP Home sports "consumer friendly" Mac OS X-like graphical login screen (with customizable user logo), the XP Pro does not. Furthermore, the default Start menu settings on XP Home are more appropriate for the home users.

At any rate, XP Pro adds the following key features:

• Windows Domain Membership: This is probably the most important feature. If you need to log into Windows Domain, you'll need XP Pro.
• Symmetric Processing (SMP): Support for more than one CPU (e.g., dual CPU system, including Pentium 4 3.0GHz+ HyperThread)
• Multiple User Types: XP Home has only administrator user type. XP Pro adds Backup Operators, Power User, etc.
• File Encryption: Builty-in Encryption File System
• Remote Desktop: Ability to access XP Pro computer over the Internet from another computer (similar to VNC or PC Anywhere)
• More advanced Internet Information Service (web server), Automated System Recovery; various advanced Internet services (e.g., SNMP)
• 64-bit Itanium Edition: Only the XP Pro is available for 64-bit Itanium processor

 

[Mark Frank]

It's the domain membership that I need in my particular case.

I'm off tomorrow for Good Friday, so I'll probably try the upgrade tomorrow.

 

[Jeff Peake]

One of the most obvious differences is that while the XP Home sports "consumer friendly" Mac OS X-like graphical login screen (with customizable user logo), the XP Pro does not.

I use XP Pro and it does support the graphical login screen.

If you go to Control Panel -> User Accounts -> Change the way users log on/off there is a checkbox to enable the graphical login.

 

[Shawn O]

I was told by a Dell csr that XP Pro has a built in firewall.Is it true?

Thanks,
Shawn

 

[Jeff Peake]

It does have a firewall.

I have never used it however. I think most users are behind hardware routers with firewalls so it may not be needed.

Looks easy to use though. You can add/remove ports that are allowed to be open. I dont think it quite as full featured as ZoneAlarm.

 

[Dalila]

Your main differences: This is what XP PRO gives you:

Security (biggie)
Encrypting File System - Windows XP Professional supports the Encrypting File System (EFS), which allows you encrypt individual files or folders for local security (File-level access control - Any user with Administrator privileges can limit access to certain network resources, such as servers, directories, and files, using access control lists.

Automated System Recovery -Love this)Hint ..if you look on the CD-ROM it's in the /valueadd folder).

Remote Desktop - All versions of Windows XP--including Home Edition--support Remote Assistance, However, only Pro supports the new Remote Desktop feature. Laptop people who need to remotely access their corporate desktop, and remote administration of clients on a network.

Multi-processor support - Windows XP Pro supports up to two microprocessors, while Home Edition supports only one.

Dynamic Disk Support - Windows XP Professional supports dynamic disks, but Home Edition does not.

Home Edition does not include the Logical Disk Manager.

Fax - Home Edition has no integrated fax functionality out of the box, (hint: it is an option if you look in the CD)

Internet Information Services/Personal Web Server - Home Edition does not include the IIS Web server 5.1 software found in Pro.

Group Policy Objects, which are also not available in Home Edition.

"C2" certification - Microsoft will attempt to have Windows XP Professional certified with the "C2" security designation, a largely irrelevant status, but one which will not be afforded to Home Edition.


Domain Membership - Home Edition cannot be used to logon to an Active Directory domain. Also, Domain Wizard is not in Home Edition.

IntelliMirror - IntelliMirror capabilities include user data management; centrally-managed software installation, repair, updating, and removal; user settings management; and Remote Installation Services (RIS), which allows administrators to remotely install the OS on client systems.

Roaming profiles - This feature allows users to logon to any computer in an Active Directory network and automatically receive their customized settings.

Multi-language support - Only Pro Has it.

Sysprep support - Windows XP Pro will support the System Preparation (Sysprep) utility, while Home Edition will not.


As for the firewall that it comes with... its not too hot. It does not stop outgoing info. So disabled it, and use a good firewall.

Also, I never do upgrades, it is always best to do a clean install of an OS. However, if your info is non recoverable, or you have no way to back it up... then okie dokie

Hope this helped.

 

[Mark Frank]

In case anyone is curious, I performed the upgrade on Friday and it went off without a hitch. I applied XP SP1 afterwards and everything looks great - none of my settings or files were affected at all.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Phil Kim]

Change the way users log on/off there is a checkbox to enable the graphical login.

It's my understanding that this option is removed once you join the domain. At least, I don't see such an option on my notebook.

 

[Lyle_JP]

It's my understanding that this option is removed once you join the domain. At least, I don't see such an option on my notebook.

Yes, the "Switch User" functionality and graphical logins are disabled (for obvious reasons) under Domain security. They are available under Workgroup security.

-Lyle J.P.

 

[Phil Kim]

Yes, the "Switch User" functionality and graphical logins are disabled (for obvious reasons) under Domain security. They are available under Workgroup security.

What obvious reasons? I understand why "Switch User" has to be dropped, but I don't see why graphical login interface can't have domain name as part of the GUI. Lazy Microsoft programmers, I guess. Click to see other many rough edges in XP.

 

[Lyle_JP]

Perhaps because it's not considered secure to be able to see a list of valid usernames in a domain environment. Also, I believe the Switch User functionality and the Graphical Login Screen are somehow connected.

-Lyle J.P.