XP Home should be MORE than fine for them - in fact, probably better - it has fewer kinks. XP Home will "expire" no sooner than XP Pro. The "expire" only means that MS will no longer offer technical support - how much technical support are you getting from M$ NOW??
There are a few (IMO very few) patches that NEED to be installed over SP2 (but I use hardware and software firewalls, DEP and good anti-virus & spywareblaster, and I don't do stupid things like download "free" smiley faces, fonts etc or visit porn sites & such. The most important to me are: XP-KB912919x86-ENU.exe (M$ intentionally allowed code to be executed within metafiles) - OR just run Steve Gibson's "mousetrap" -, Windows Imaging Component, and (if you can still get this hotfix - M$ sends you a password that is good for a few days to download it in a zip file and unzip it (and SAVE it!) Q329183_WXP_SP2_x86_ENU.exe (or Q329183 in 90273_ENU-i386_zip.exe). If M$ has withdrawn it, trying to push SP3, I can send it to you, if you like. This latter hotfix corrects the following BUG:
When you try to rename a folder on an NTFS file system partition in Microsoft Windows XP, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:
"Cannot rename foldername: Access is denied.
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use."
Any patches, updates, hotfixes you decide to install, SAVE them on their disk or a DVD so they will have them later in case M$ decides to be a prick about pushing SP3 on users (besides pushing EVERY prior M$ "update" (even those you have specifically rejected), SP3 pretty much just loads some VISTA spyware onto SP2).
Good luck. Things should not be this complicated!! I hope to be on Linux in a couple of years. Oh, I would definitely run Steve Gibson's tweaks, such as UnPlugNPray, ShootTheMessenger, MouseTrap, SocketToMe/SocketLock, DCOMbobulator (supposed to be fixed by M$, but you can run this just to check it). You can run Gibson's LeakTest and ShieldsUp for internet vulnerability profiling. All this is free and excellent! http://www.grc.com/default.htm and Select the "Freeware" button in the silver bar across the top.
There are, of course, piles of dangerous and unnecessary M$ "services" that should be disabled. Gibson's tweaks get a few of the worst of them, but not all by any means.
Whether or not to save $ with OEM or spring for RETAIL (about double the cost) would depend on whether they will ever want to put that OS on a different computer. They might also have a problem if they have to replace much hardware (mobo, drives, processor, videocard, etc.) and want to reinstall it, because the activation of OEM is tied to a "hash" of all the hardware. MS might have no problem giving them more activations by phone for an OEM, but you never know and I just did not want to be at M$'s "tender mercies." Put a separate NIC card in (very cheap) whether they need it or not because it counts as a large (weighted) percentage of the hardware hash number (and can even be moved to another PC). Good Luck.
AnnaSummers
----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Lendrim
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2008 10:50 PM
Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] XP Operating system portability
Maybe I don't need XP Pro because this is for a couple whose computing consists of casual browsing and some email. They'll never do a network or other high-tech stuff. One concern I have is: Will XP Home "expire" any sooner than XP Pro?
>From: "g.Computer9f" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] XP Operating system portability
>
>Yikes! Do you really need the Pro version?? You can get a RETAIL version of XP Home for not much more.
>
>Look at RoyalDiscount.com (xp home sp2 oem $97) (this is where I bought mine - I bought sp1, then returned it for sp2 and they were great - I trust this vendor)
>
>Do a google search on Windows XP Home SP2 (or Pro, if that's what you want)
>
>I will say that prices on XP SP2 seem to be going UP! I'm glad I bought mine when I did.
>
>AnnaSummers
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Richard Glazier
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Sent: Friday, May 30, 2008 10:01 AM
>Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] XP Operating system portability
>
>
>If you don't let it activate you can move it to a different machine
>as much as you want.
>Once an OEM version is activated it is married to the hardware
>and "basically" dies with the hardware.
>
> Rick Glazier
The NOSPIN Group has added a new feature on our website,
web based bulletinboard for questions and answers:
Visit our sister website at http://nospin.com
|
