windows update question authenticity....

Bad Ass

Bad Ass

Bad Ass

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Ok, I have just updated my pc. my laptop is fine and the updates worked ok, however since the latest authenticity update, I have recently discovered my bloody windows cd key is duff which i'm not happy about. My pc failed to boot, of which I have now managed to get going by going in safe mode and doing a system restore.

now my question is, you can get either for £190 from a shop xp pro, or direct from microsoft to upgrade to a genuine cd key £90, and they'll also send a xp pro disk incase i reformat which i think is great and cheap. however, I have seen this media centre jobbie. now tell me with media centre i know you can link the 360 to which is good (not too sure what it does mind :confused: ) but can you do all the stuff you can normally do on a pc i.e. play games word process, internet yadda yadda. also is it an add on or is it a stand alone OS. couldn't care less about the tv functionability on it as my AV system is already awesome and with I've just put in sky plus in so I also don't need the recording side, unless you can record movies from sky movies on to dvd via the pc and still retail picture quality (as much as you can through sky anyway) and the dolby digital side of things?

I want to get everything genuine asap :(

cheers,
Martyn
 
Media Centre can do everything Windows XP can do with enhanced functionality for home entertainment. Alternatively, you could also try the Windows Vista Beta 2 since it's free and totally legitimate for twelve months.

I'm not sure if you can actually buy Media Centre Edition on its own or if it's an add-on, but if you can run it as a stand-alone OS then it'll be fine.
 
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Center

Sounds like you don't really need Windows MCE, but its a real bargain compared to XP Pro.

Other option is to go for the £49.95 XP Home Edition OEM, if you do NOT need the following XP Professional features:
  • the ability to become part of a Windows Server domain — a group of computers that are remotely managed by one or more central servers (many businesses that use Windows have a Windows Server and a domain)
  • the use of a sophisticated access control scheme that allows specific permissions on files to be granted to specific users under normal circumstances.
  • the Remote Desktop server, which allows a PC be operated by another Windows XP user over a local area network or the Internet
  • offline Files and Folders, which allow the PC to automatically store a copy of files from another networked computer and work with them while disconnected from the network
  • the Encrypting File System, which encrypts files stored on the computer's hard drive so they cannot be read by another user, even with physical access to the storage medium
  • support for iSCSI protocol
  • centralized administration features, including Group Policies, Automatic Software Installation and Maintenance, Roaming User Profiles, and Remote Installation Service (RIS)
  • Symmetric multiprocessing, allowing the PC to divide work between multiple processors (CPUs)
    (Windows XP Home Edition does, however, support the Hyper-threading functionality present on some Intel microprocessors. Although it has been reported to work on some dual-core microprocessors available from both AMD and Intel, Microsoft has recommended upgrading to Professional Edition for improved stability and compatibility.)
 
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so this windows vista, what advantages would i have as I am thinking about getting the years free thing? also is it going to be very buggy? and if so will it have updates regularly?
 
No, no, no, no, no.....
Please don't even consider using Vista as your only OS.
It is a beta version of an OS, it is pre-release and is designed for testing purposes only.

If you've got any real sense it will not be installed on your main system.
If you must, then make sure it's in a dual-boot mode - never rely on a beta OS as your one and only OS on a machine.
Seriously - just don't do it, you'd be crazy to consider it.

WinXP Home is probably your cheapest option although the £90 key and disk is also a good deal from MS.
 
stoofa said:
WinXP Home is probably your cheapest option although the £90 key and disk is also a good deal from MS.
Click to expand...

Under the GAP deal you'll not pay £90 nor get a disk.

Its £62 for Home and you won't recieve media.

Burnsy
 
stoofa said:
No, no, no, no, no.....
Please don't even consider using Vista as your only OS.
It is a beta version of an OS, it is pre-release and is designed for testing purposes only.

If you've got any real sense it will not be installed on your main system.
If you must, then make sure it's in a dual-boot mode - never rely on a beta OS as your one and only OS on a machine.
Seriously - just don't do it, you'd be crazy to consider it.

WinXP Home is probably your cheapest option although the £90 key and disk is also a good deal from MS.
Click to expand...
I'm using Vista Beta 2 as my main OS now, on all my computers and my server. I was dual-booting for a while, but it's so surprisingly stable, and compatible with all my stuff, that I decided to go for it. ;)
 
burnsy2023 said:
Under the GAP deal you'll not pay £90 nor get a disk.

Its £62 for Home and you won't recieve media.

Burnsy
Click to expand...


then why does it say on the windows site, that it'd be £90 to turn my xp pro genuine and send me a copy of the disc in the post.......? :rolleyes:
 
Bad Ass said:
then why does it say on the windows site, that it'd be £90 to turn my xp pro genuine and send me a copy of the disc in the post.......? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Number one. I must have got confused, I swear I read that you had XP Home. In which case £90 I correct.

Number two. MS didn't orginally supply media, but on closer insepction it seems they do now. Duelly noted.

So in hindsight, I retract the original post as it seems it was full or crap. :p

Burnsy
 
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