i have two pcs. one has windows xp and the other xp pro. the better pc only has the xp home. can i swap the HDD's over? can i install the pro over the normal xp legaly? and how do i swap the hdds over? last time i tried neither would boot up. they turned on, went into teh black loading screen and turned off and repeated the cycle. thanks
legality of swaping os/parts.
- Thread starter wupwup
- Start date
You can't just swap the hard drives as the OS hasn't been prepped for a drastic hardware change.
In regards to differences between Home and Pro, if you're just using it for a home/gaming machine not a lot. Home doesn't have encrypted file system, domain membership, remote desktop and other business features. A good rule of thumb is if you have to ask you probably won't miss them.
In regards to differences between Home and Pro, if you're just using it for a home/gaming machine not a lot. Home doesn't have encrypted file system, domain membership, remote desktop and other business features. A good rule of thumb is if you have to ask you probably won't miss them.
You'd need to install XP Pro on the computer that you want to use.
To do this, however, you need RETAIL versions of the both Operating Systems if you wish to use both computers. If you only want one computer, you'll need a retail version of XP Pro only.
To do this, however, you need RETAIL versions of the both Operating Systems if you wish to use both computers. If you only want one computer, you'll need a retail version of XP Pro only.
Soldato
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I've actually done this before with no obvious adverse effects, what you need to do is basically move these files:
C:\Windows\System32\Config\System
C:\Windows\System32\Config\Default
Over to the required hard-drive but the trick is that these files can't be touched while operating within the OS, you can use the recovery console though. These files were copied across from XP home to XP pro and everything seemed to work mostly fine, there were a few hiccups though.
I would never do this though unless I had to and the only reason I performed this bit of computing surgery was because the computer the hard-drive was being lifted from happened to contain the software the manager used to calculate our wages on and he had lost the cd. In the few weeks we were waiting for a copy to be delivered and a new computer to arrive I installed this hard-drive into his home computer.
C:\Windows\System32\Config\System
C:\Windows\System32\Config\Default
Over to the required hard-drive but the trick is that these files can't be touched while operating within the OS, you can use the recovery console though. These files were copied across from XP home to XP pro and everything seemed to work mostly fine, there were a few hiccups though.
I would never do this though unless I had to and the only reason I performed this bit of computing surgery was because the computer the hard-drive was being lifted from happened to contain the software the manager used to calculate our wages on and he had lost the cd. In the few weeks we were waiting for a copy to be delivered and a new computer to arrive I installed this hard-drive into his home computer.
im not bothered about info as in refomating anyways. i just thought it would be nice to have xppro on the slightly better pc. i have the disk and codes and e.c.t so i may just install over the top. but then i have two pcs one one licence. i guess i could scrap the oldest one.
