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Windows XP question

J

jjzcp

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Sep 14, 2005
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on the bald a$$ prarie
Hello, it's been awhile scince last on this forum, and i thought it was about time i bug you guys for some advice. Hmm, how should i put this? Well... one of my friends decided to download windows XP in an .iso file off of limewire, and well he was wondering that scince this particular version of windows didn't have a activation time limit, could the person who had this file before him of tampered with it. My "friend" already installed the Windows XP on two of his computer and they both work fine infact he is posting er i mean i am posting with one right now.


Just scince he is not familular with XP he was curious.
 
The best solution would be to buy an original - you never know what has been tampered with in an online download. Could be key-loggers galore!

For the sake of the $50 or so an original OEM copy would cost, it's not worth the risk. Plus you'll be able to download Windows Updates without having to download a new LegitCheck.dll every couple of weeks, plus you'll be able to download all the free "extras" like Windows Defender :)
 
Doesn't matter how many times you ask me this - I still
wouldn't take the risk of downloading some copy of WinXP - get
the one with the Certificate.

A friend of mine had their computer stuff up on account of
some hot copy of XP being used - not worth it mate - we're not
talking about something which can easily be uninstalled - it's
something which controls your computer system for petes sake!

CP/M User.
 
As a Microsoft Partner and OEM system builder, I can tell you first hand that having a downloaded copy of XP does way more harm than good. People tend to blow the wistle to MS in hopes of a reward. You get a letter thanking you and praise for being such a good person. Thats it. I'd be safe and get a copy from a store. You wouldn't believe the stuff we find inside of those downloaded copies when people bring them to us when it stops working or does something suspicious. Keyloggers, backdoors, remote control programs, spyware, they are far from secure.

NOTE:
No I don't taddle to MS, we don't exactly get along. I have seen other people do it. By first hand experence I mean people bringing it to me to try to "fix" it. Fix as in remove WPA (Windows Product Activation)
 
How is it, will an OEM version installed on a brand new computer (of course!) have the same rights of downloading service packs as a full version? I remember reading some discussion elsewhere this winter claiming difference in policy.
 
There should be no difference at all. The differences are OEM System Builder Disks do not have Activation in them. OEM Disks have activation. OEM is what comes with you computer, OEM System Builder disks are what manufacturers have. Then there's Retail which has activation and all that good stuff.

-VK
 
dongfeng said:
For the sake of the $50 or so an original OEM copy would cost, it's not worth the risk.
Click to expand...

Last time I checked, OEM XP Home was around $80, and XP Pro around $125. These prices are a lot for most people as they don't see what Windows does. The average user sees the OS as part of the computer, and only thinks of buying software which runs on top of it.

If your friend just does basic computing with it, why not give linux, or freeBSD a try?
 
atari2600a said:
I think it's Home ed. that's $125, not Pro.
Click to expand...

Believe me atari, I know my prices, at least online prices. If you went to a retail store, home edition could be close to $125 especially if it is the retail box version.
 
What is the difference between the Home version & the Pro?

I've just got the home edition on my system & it seems to be
just as good as the ones at School (which are using Pro I
think). I just assumed the Pro was equivalent of Windows NT -
more networking support within Windows - but of course I don't
need that!

CP/M User.
 
My desktop is Pro, my laptop Home :) Control panels are the same, can't find any difference in the wizards either.

From what I can tell, the only differences are the ones tgunner mentions - networking (in a coporate environment, domains and so forth) and second CPU. Home doesn't have IIS built in either.
 
Are you sure? I could swear that the Control Panel...Controls look different, maybe there's a selection somewhere when you install Pro or Home, or maybe somewhere in the Windows Explorer properties. Either way, I know I've seen the white Contol Panel w/ the normal Icons in XP somewhere...

I'm using Media Center Edition on my laptop right now, so I can't be sure...
 
Last edited:
atari2600a said:
Are you sure? I could swear that the Control Panel...Controls look different, maybe there's a selection somewhere when you install Pro or Home, or maybe somewhere in the Windows Explorer properties. Either way, I know I've seen the white Contol Panel w/ the normal Icons in XP somewhere...

I'm using Media Center Edition on my laptop right now, so I can't be sure...
Click to expand...

Do you mean category view vs classic view? It's a feature you can turn on and off in either version.
 
You know guys, there are plenty of places to discuss Win XP and the differences between home and professional. And you might get a definitive answer as well.
 
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