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mszo
03-25-2006, 05:08 PM
Is there actually any noticeable differences bewteen windows xp pro and home except for the price?

Also, when does vista come out and how much will XP prices drop?

DaveW
03-25-2006, 08:00 PM
I have Pro on my 3 desktops, and home on my laptop. To be completely honest, never noticed the difference. Expect XP prices to plumet about 3 to 6 months after the release of Vista. XP is pretty much hated by all, and most places will just stop stocking copies when Vista comes out, so expect a major stock clearance. Just like you can't buy anything prior to XP from most retailers now. Could be wrong tho-Vista could have a massive release price tag and might die on the starting line. Don't think a release price has been confirmed yet, but expect major inflation on the software's actuall value.

-Dave

mszo
03-25-2006, 08:28 PM
Thanks Dave. Why do you say that people hate XP?

public_eyesore
03-25-2006, 09:10 PM
the difference is that pro has encryption stuff and the ability to be used as a remote desktop, otherwise its the same

mszo
03-26-2006, 09:41 PM
What is the encryption stuff that you are talking about?

Also, I will probably be using pcAnywhere s/w as my remote desktop instead of the one that comes with windows. Will it work or do I need pro for pcAnywhere?

Thanks guys, really useful

OvRiDe
03-27-2006, 12:32 AM
PcAnywhere should work with either Pro or Home. Down side to using pcAnywhere with XP is that it replaces the MS Gina which pretty much disables fast user switching and the logon screen. It reverts it back to what it looked like in Win2k. We are running version 10 at work so I dont know if Symantic has changed that in more recent releases or not.

And it looks like they have pushed Vista back out till 2007.


XP is pretty much hated by all, and most places will just stop stocking copies when Vista comes out...

I actually like XP for the most part. From what I have read about Vista.. I think XP is here to stay for quite a while after Vista comes out. Many businesses are just now getting their systems onto XP from Win2K. I know the company I work for is still migrating from Win2k so we are still split between the 2. Until security issues, compatibility issues, and hardware issues, are stable and proven, XP and Win2K will be more accepted then Vista. I know as a Network Engineer/System Admin, I'm not ready to jump on that wagon :D. Plus the cost of upgrading 5000+ workstations is quite a chunk of change.

public_eyesore
03-27-2006, 11:10 AM
^^^yea, but with pro, you dont need pc anywhere. I think its kinda of the case where AOL doesnt make their own parental controls, but just use windows and charge people for it

and to the other coment. i havent check what is has in encryption because i would never use it anyways

mszo
03-27-2006, 04:26 PM
I don't like Windows Remote Desktop so I was looking for a better alternative. I would probably go with an older version of pcAnywhere like 11 maybe becuase, again, like always, I don't have enough money...grrr

Since Vista is getting pushed back I guess I'll spend a few hours online now looking for a legitimate store selling XP for cheaper then the microsoft price of like $300...*shiver*

Thanks for the help

Rankenphile
03-27-2006, 05:42 PM
Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102059) is selling HP Home SP2 OEM for $89 as a one-day sale. Good price, if you get it in time.

OvRiDe
03-28-2006, 12:19 AM
^^^yea, but with pro, you dont need pc anywhere.
Im with you all the way there.. Its nice to not have a bunch of extra stuff running when you don't have to.


I don't like Windows Remote Desktop so I was looking for a better alternative.

There is always VNC or TightVNC.. I have almost got everyone to switch from pcAnywhere to it at work. Got tired of the issues and playing the license game. It works well for most of our administration needs. Its opensource and there are some pretty neat utils out there that integrate with it nicely. Check out SSL Explorer for a SSL encrypted VPN with VNC and file browsing capabilities that is almost embarrisingly simple to install.. :D

Good luck with it..

mszo
03-28-2006, 07:57 AM
I went with Pro and got it for free. No, I didn't steal or downlaod it. My girlfriends dad had it installed on a computer he wasn't using so he contacted microsoft and told them he wants to transfer the OS to a new PC.

So I have my new PC up and runnin. Some pics tommorow.

I tried remote desktop right away...and wow...it's working perfectly now. Last I tried it...it was AWFUL!