Which XP to buy-- home or professional?

[hobie98]

I want to take the plunge to run XP on my Mac Pro 2.66 Dual Core with 1GB RAM. I plan to use Quicken, Garmin GPS software, maybe games, and miscellaneous non-intensive Windoze-only things for work.

I have not bought the OS yet. My question is, should I get Home or Pro edition? What are the main advantages of Pro over Home edition? Does the fact that "scalable processor support" is only with Pro mean that >1 processor is wasted on Home?

I plan to buy an OEM version. Any recs on good sources?

Thanks.

 

[Eraserhead]

Pro is probably best then as you have 2 processors in an MP, for recommendations of where do buy we need to know your country.

 

[hobie98]

Oops-- that being my first post and all, I hadn't put my location.

NYC, NY, USA!

 

[SMM]

XP Pro SP2 (do NOT buy the 64 bit version). I suggest you buy the retail version, but the choice is yours.

 

[hobie98]

XP Pro SP2 (do NOT buy the 64 bit version). I suggest you buy the retail version, but the choice is yours.

Sorry if this is covered elsewhere, but why? The reasons I have read about are hit-or-miss customer support and that installation is limited to 1 machine. Any other things I should be aware of?

 

[seniorstinky]

I usually make sure my business customers have pro... my home clients I don't worry so much. Security features (permissions, users, shares, etc.) are almost non-existent in home.

Another huge difference is Remote Desktop. Nothing like being able to RDP into your desktop from home (keep in mind that there are some security changes that need to be done to make this secure).

Lastly is multiprocessor support (already mentioned by others).

 

[seniorstinky]

Sorry if this is covered elsewhere, but why? The reasons I have read about are hit-or-miss customer support and that installation is limited to 1 machine. Any other things I should be aware of?

Ummm... because it's illegal to use an OEM version on a non-OEM machine?

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/findsoftware/f/oemsoftware.htm

 

[balamw]

Ummm... because it's illegal to use an OEM version on a non-OEM machine?

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/findsoftware/f/oemsoftware.htm

Microsoft blurs the line a bit by making it a "System Builder's License". Read the SBL and decide for yourself whether you are obeying its rules. http://oem.microsoft.com/downloads/Public/sblicense/2007_SB_Licenses/English.pdf

The way I interpret it is that XP OEM is fine for personal use, but don't expect to transfer the license or resell it when you sell the machine as you will be responsible for the support of that license. I should mention here that IANAL, so if you really worry about it, get a legal opinion somewhere else.

B

 

[seniorstinky]

Microsoft blurs the line a bit by making it a "System Builder's License". Read the SBL and decide for yourself whether you are obeying its rules. http://oem.microsoft.com/downloads/Public/sblicense/2007_SB_Licenses/English.pdf

The way I interpret it is that XP OEM is fine for personal use, but don't expect to transfer the license or resell it when you sell the machine as you will be responsible for the support of that license. I should mention here that IANAL, so if you really worry about it, get a legal opinion somewhere else.

B

It defines SBL in the license and I don't see any way an end-user would fit that definition.

 

[balamw]

It defines SBL in the license and I don't see any way an end-user would fit that definition.

Ah the difference a few letters can make. The previous version of this document (that was available last year) didn't have the bold text below.

“System builder” means an original equipment manufacturer, an assembler, refurbisher, or pre-installer of software on computer systems.

Yet, many PC end-users could still fall in the assembler/refurbisher categories (less likely for Mac users, but still....). What are you doing when you specify and buy a motherboard, case, HDD etc... and put them together that differs from what Dell does? (except volume). Even in the case of a Macbook with a new larger HDD to accommodate you new Boot Camp partition, the line is not clear black & white. [IMHO and IANAL].

The main point I was making is in the next sentence though.

”Distribution” and “distribute” means the point in time when a fully assembled computer system leaves the control of system builder.

Most of the additional restrictions of OEM vs. retail hinge on distribution of the license, not its use. So if the license is not distributed and stays within the control of the system builder they never apply. Hence why I suggested that it might be OK if you don't redistrubute.

B