Customer Reviews

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2B for System Builders [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

A lot of people have said "I don't know what's the difference between this and the full (retail) version." Allow me:

1- This is about half the $$.

2- If you get the full (more expensive version) and the PC (or its motherboard) dies, or you just want to replace (upgrade) it, you can move the (expensive) copy of XP to the new machine. You are NOT allowed to do that with this cheaper copy. It is "tied" to one PC (or one motherboard, depending).

3- This is XP Home. Compared to XP Pro, Home doesn't have the Encryption File System, Group Policies, Remote Desktop (server), Dynamic Disk support, Disk Manager, IIS (bad web server), Active Directory, Domain Login, Roaming Profiles, and only supports simplified (network) file security and not ACLs. The idea is that these are all things "corporate" users want and "Home" users don't need. The fact that you don't know what they are rather proves the point, doesn't it?

4- If you're using this in a "virtual" situation (like VMWare, or maybe in a Window on a Mac, but probably not with Boot Camp), the software may not be able to tell it's been moved, so item #2 may not apply to your situation. But I *think* it would be outside the terms of your license. But, really, who can tell? The "license agreement" is longer than a Russian novel, and mostly gibberish.

At least the Vista "agreement" (like you're actually agreeing to anything) says clearly that if you replace the motherboard, you have to buy another copy. Yes, it does.

I bought this as a means to cost-effectively to re-build my system. It installed without any problems. I chose the 'full format' instead of the 'quick format' at the very beginning. Be warned, this takes about an 1.5 hours! The HD is a WD 320 GB 7200 RPM EIDE with 8 MB cache. I wonder if the 'quick install' would have gone quicker? Anyway, after that format, the OS was ready to go in less than 30 minutes. There were a lot of updates (75 or so). And you will manually have to update to IE 7 and WMP 11.0 if that is of interest to you. Oh and don't forget to install the drivers for the MB. I could not get updates until I installed the drivers for the ethernet. I have not tried the Vista update and may hold off for a bit. The form was in the package for the upgrade. For my other machines, XP has been better than their previous OS versions I have used. I don't know what the differences are for the retail version versus this OEM version. This is the full install with a key for authentication. The only difference is the money you will save with this OEM. And I don'y see the major differences between Home and Pro editions. For me Home and Pro seems the same. Early on, I heard Pro was better (or more stable) than Home. I don't think it matters anymore. I docked it one star for the potential security problems and the authentication stuff. All in all, I am pleased with the purchase. And I am a satisfied Amazon customer (and their affiliate Tigerdirect).

I bought this Windows XP version to take advantage of my MacBook's duo core feature that allows me to use Windows. I don't use the feature that often, only for a couple of programs that are not available for Mac. I didn't want to spend a lot of money buying the full version, so this fit the bill perfectly.

I also bought this for a new iMac and it runs better in it than any versioon of windows has on PC I've owned. This is my first Mac by the way. Installed easily and had no problems. OEM version worked just as well as the regular version. Not quite sure the difference really but the price.

I purchased this to install on a mac running parallels. Works wonderfully. Flawlessly.

I bought this product to use on a partition on my iMac. I use it to run some software that's not available for Macintosh. So far so good; it runs without any particular problems and the software I use with it seems to run OK too. As are most things from Microsoft it's clunkier to use than the Macintosh side of the hard drive, e.g files are harder to find, but it does the job. If you have to use Windows but don't need a lot of extra functions, this is the cheapest way to do it.

I bought this product do run on my macintosh to run pc formatted games. Works great. Just like if I had a pc.

Bought to install with Fusion on a mac, and it worked just perfectly! Since I just wanted to run XP for a few things, like Netflix instant viewing- which works great!! - I didn't want to spend a ton of money on XP and this turned out to be the perfect solution.

Shipping from Tigerdirect was SUPER FAST (2 day even though I picked ground) and it installed perfectly. So glad not to be in Vista :)

also - I was really struggling with whether to buy XP Pro instead, which is what I had always had on my pc computers, but Fusion takes over internet connection and other networking issues, so I was glad I saved the $50 by buying home ed. and I hardly notice any difference.

I just needed a low budget version of XP that would work on my iMac running OS 10.5 (Leopard). This was shipped on time, all as promised, and for the best price I could find ($89). Staples wanted $179 for the same item, and NewEgg wanted just over $100. If all you need is XP for your Mac, I know this works, and it's relatively inexpensive.

Don't get confused by the licensing mumbo jumbo that comes on the package. It is the full version ready to be installed. Don't forget to plan out your disk partitioning strategy before you start. So far, I have not noticed a dime's worth of difference from the Pro version. It is working great.

However, the Vista coupon shipped with my package expired on March 15, 2007. Additionally, the coupon only applied to new systems purchased between October 26, 2006 and March 15, 2007, so don't let the Vista thing induce you.