Microsoft Windows XP Professional UPGRADE with SP2 | 
 enlarge | From: Microsoft Software
Category: Software
List Price: $199.99
Buy New: $148.50
You Save: $51.49 (26%)
New (33) Used (7) from $109.99
Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 80
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows 2000, Windows Nt 4, Windows Me, Windows Xp Home Edition, Windows 98
Color: 1-user
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Upgrade with SP2
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: No
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 12 x 3 x 10
nv:Software Type: Operating Systems
MPN: e85-02666
Model: E85-02666
UPC: 805529831285
EAN: 0805529831285
ASIN: B00022PTT8
Release Date: September 28, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Automatically keep your PC up-to-date with the latest security enhancements including the Windows Security Center, Windows Firewall | | • | Windows XP Professional provides rich, wireless network support, helping you simply and easily connect to wireless networks whether in your home, office, or out on the road | | • | Quickly set up and connect all the computers, printers, devices, and an Internet connection in your home with the all new Network Setup Wizard | | • | Encrypting File System provides an additional level of file protection from hackers and data theft by transparently encrypting files with a randomly generated key | | • | Clean, simple design of Windows XP Professional puts the features you use most often at your fingertips, helping you find them quickly |
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Amazon Product Description
With Windows XP Professional Edition with Service Pack 2, you get safer browsing and communication, powerful security tools, and improved experiences. Windows XP is the operating system release that unifies the Microsoft range, with all the desktop versions now built on the NT/2000 code base rather than the shakier foundation of Windows 95, 98, and Me. That makes XP a great upgrade for users of the now-obsolete 9x and Me line, but for those already on Windows 2000 Professional it is a closer call. Despite the similar name, there is no special synergy between Windows XP and Office XP, which works fine on Windows 2000. | 
The Security Center lets you check the status of your essential security settings. | XP certainly looks different, with rounded window corners, larger and more detailed icons, and a clean-look desktop that on first installation shows only the taskbar and Recycle Bin. XP is also more customizable than earlier versions of Windows, and includes visual themes that let you change the whole appearance of Windows in an instant. That is the window-dressing, but underneath are some significant improvements. One of the most interesting is Remote Desktop. A standard XP feature, this uses technology from Microsoft Terminal Server to enable users to access their computer over any connection; for example, by dialing into the office from home. This is not just file access--this technology lets you run applications remotely as if you were sitting at your desk at work. This is mature technology, stable and carefully thought out. So, for example, you can print from a remote word processor to a local printer. A variation on the theme is Remote Assistance, where the user can allow a remote helper to view their desktop, or optionally gain control of the keyboard and mouse, in order to troubleshoot a problem. The feature can also be disabled to ease security concerns. |
| Laptop users benefit from enhanced power management, with options to extend battery life by reducing CPU speed and display brightness. IrDA support has been fixed so that, unlike Windows 2000, Windows XP can easily use modems in mobile telephones via infrared. A new screen font, ClearType, improves legibility for laptop or other flat screens, and there is built-in support for wireless networking using the popular 802.11 standard. A great feature of XP, also found in Windows 2000, is the ability to synchronize network files with offline copies. Previously, these files could not be stored securely, but now they can be encrypted. | 
The Information Bar in Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2 notifies you when it blocks ActiveX control or active content and then lets you decide what to do.
| For Web browsing, XP comes with Internet Explorer 6.0. The enhancements in IE 6.0 are mainly of interest to Web developers, and in any case Microsoft makes IE freely available to all Windows users. Although Java is not installed by default, it is not difficult to download a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Windows Messenger, originally a chat client, has evolved into a collaboration tool that allows for video conferencing and application sharing. 
Service Pack 2 allows users to instruct Internet Explorer how to handle downloads from a specific publisher | The most significant new feature for Internet users is the built-in firewall. A firewall protects against one of the most disturbing security risks, in which other users unknown to you might connect to your computer while it is online, reading private files or causing other damage. XP's built-in firewall is a simple affair, but it does prevent most types of unauthorized connection. Windows XP has strong multimedia features. The new Media Player lets you copy music from CD to hard disk, create your own playlist, and write your own music CDs if you have a CD writer. Although there is loss of quality as a result of compression, the process is easy and convenient. Media Player 8.0 can play back DVD video, but only if a hardware or software DVD decoder is already installed. You can also play MP3 audio files and MPEG videos, but sadly, not the popular RealMedia formats. In the end, Media Player does nothing that you cannot also do with free alternatives, but it is slick and nicely integrated. | The XP user interface is not a radical departure from earlier versions of Windows, but there are a number of small changes that together add up to a significant improvement. The Start menu now automatically features the most frequently used programs at the top of the list, and you can add and remove shortcuts by right-clicking the icon and selecting Pin or Unpin from the pop-up menu. Windows online help is integrated into a Help and Support Center that works like an internal Web site, with searchable help, tutorials, and walk-throughs. Windows XP Professional includes all the features of Windows XP Home, and adds support for dual processors, encryptable file systems, offline folders, the Remote Desktop as described above, and extra administration features that come into play when connected to a Windows server domain. XP is demanding on hardware, and it would be a mistake to install it on less than Microsoft's recommended minimum requirements. There is also activation to consider, a mildly annoying anti-piracy measure that requires you to obtain a code from Microsoft for full installation, and in the future if you reinstall or make major system changes. Windows XP Service Pack 2 Features | Internet Explorer Pop-up Blocker | Makes browsing the Internet more enjoyable by enabling you to reduce unwanted ads and content. | | Internet Explorer download monitoring | Warns you about potentially harmful downloads and gives you the option to block files that could be malicious. | | Internet Explorer Information Bar | Provides better information about events that are happening as you browse the Web, so it’s easier to know what’s going on and address potential security issues. | | Windows Security Center | Allows you to easily view your security status and manage key security settings in one convenient place. | | Windows Firewall update | Automatically turned on by default, this improved firewall helps protect Windows XP from viruses, worms, and other security threats that can spread over the Internet. | | Improved wireless support | Dramatically improves and simplifies the process of discovering and connecting to wireless networks. | | Bluetooth technologies | Enables you to easily connect to the latest Bluetooth-enabled hardware devices such as keyboards, cell phones, and PDAs. | | Windows Media Player 9 Series | Makes it easy to enjoy music, video, and broadband content with enhanced security. |
Product Description
Upgrade only; previous version of XP required Get the most out of your operating system, and avoid the bugs that can slow down your computer's performance. This upgrade combined with the newest Service pack delivers the enhancements you need for a faster, more capable PC. Security Center offers a central control system for your Windows XP security -- work with the firewalls, auto updates and antivirus tools Great news for people sick of pop-up ads - The built-in pop-up blocker controls them, with a new submenu and status bar icons The new Add-Ons manager gives you instant access to all the Browser Helper Objects and extensions, enabling and disabling them easily The firewall now has its own control panel, for customizing firewall setting to suit any connection Enhancements to the Windows Update service make installing new updates easy -- you can even choose which ones to install, if any Wireless Networking - Multiple wireless connections to choose from
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
Microsoft...what can I say June 27, 2008
Woodwind (NC, USA)
This was rather complicated to install and I just don't have to much good to say about microsoft. I'm sure glad I don't have to buy a new license everytime I play my music CD's on a different CD player!!!!
Amazingly overpriced for a captive audience June 13, 2008
Alan Bensetler (Boston, MA USA)
At the same time that Microsoft is discontinuing sales for Windows XP, they continue to charge $199 to upgrade XP Home to XP Pro. There is not much additional functionality provided except for the networking support required to allow a computer to join a Domain. Hence companies of any size that require this must pay an artifically-inflated price because they have no option. It is also somewhat buggy in that the upgrade can disable some functions as documented by Microsoft Knowledgebase entries.
 Exactly what I wanted... June 6, 2008
PC Queen (Indiana, USA)
This was exactly what I wanted and delivery was very prompt. I will order from them again.
 Another Crash for Microsoft! April 18, 2008
Dr. T (Cambridge, MA)
I ordered this upgrade product after careful review and preparation, I do have a PhD from MIT in EECS, and actually am back doing research at MIT after a few years, so I assumed that this would work and that I had a modicum of intelligence to deal with a Microsoft product. Bad idea. I loaded this on my laptop, a good trusty Dell, and it removed my old WIN2K and then when it was halfway thru loading XP it crashed, "FATAL ERROR".
Now I had a dead laptop. Off to Microsoft Customer Service in Bombay, they were patient and we found that there was a corrupted file on the disk. They told me I would have to mail in the disks and order a complete and new XP load for which I would have to pay an additional fee, for now upgrades would not function. I then told them how I would file a lawsuit in two days in the Newark Federal Court in a Class Action against Microsoft, they then after checking with the Supervisor agreed to give me a new key to load an old copy of XP. Five hours later I am back to the beginning and then ten hours later I have most of my files back up again. I did lose a few because I had used the keys before and they required a new purchase, Adobe was the number one issue there.
Thus my advice to anyone even thinking of this, DO NOT EVER CHANGE! Microsoft quality control appears in my opinion to be quite deficient. Bombay can become very helpful but Redmond is not. I measure lost hours of humanity and its creativity dealing with Microsoft issues in Megagates, a Megagate is one second of human creativity lost trying to deal with a Microsoft glitch, multiply that times the number of users and one can see the great lost to humanity wasted on these poorly engineered products. Imagine if Civil Engineers designed bridges the way Microsoft does its software!
However if you want to upgrade, here is a bit of advice:
1. Do a clean sweep, buy the total system not the upgrade.
2. This is critical, before doing anything, check all programs which have authentication keys and properly unload them to be certain you can reload after you reformat the disk. For example, Adobe 8 will wipe itself out and if you have loaded your two copies, you will have to buy a new one again. Same for Quick Books and many others. If you fail this step it will be very costly!
3. Always back up everything. Always back up the registry, even if you are dumping it.
4. Watch out for the BIOS changes, for that is the way an OEM Activation Code is checked, and you do not want to play with that!
5. If you are also going to add hardware remember that every time you turn the machine on or daily, whichever comes first, Microsoft is checking your configuration. If you change too many things in an upgrade, they will disconnect your OS! So before you do the sweep, and with your Internet connection off, that means no internal cards etc, make the change, then clean the files, and do a fresh load. It will only take a day of your life or so.
6. Write everything you see down! Write everything you do down. Stay close to a phone, there may still be a Microsoft gremlin somewhere!
Good Luck, Yes XP is better, and no I still do not like Vista. It is like being forced to watch someone else's 35 mm slides from their first vacation to Hawaii.
Xp Pro is a big improvement over win2000 October 21, 2006
Ray F. Mihulka III (Omaha, Ne.)
I agree, Windows could improve thier products but I'm not going to jump on the Linux bandwagon just yet. You can get this product Academic for 84.00 on the web. I own several copies for my home computers. If you network and use wireless this is the program to use. I use both Unix and Windows at work and the Unix is far more stable. Compatibility issues are what kills Unix/Linux for now and Linux is not user friendly. In the future Apple and Linux will have some of the same issues as Windows to deal with as they become more popular. Windows dominates for a reason. Also, when you upgrade select full install and not the upgrade. You will need a full version copy of Windows 98, Windows Me, or Windows 2000 to accomplish this. Registering your software with Microsoft is virtually painless, even if you need a new key. You can load Windows five times before your key expires. At that point you can call them for a new one.
I'd buy this product again and Amazon is a great company to deal with- FIVE STARS to them!!!
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