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Question

re xp home and xp pro

Dec 20, 2013 6:49AM PST

My son took my pc away saying he was going to upgrade. He came back from G nows where with an XP Home installed.
I am having problems with IE8 so uninstalled and reinstalled but now the pc is saying files have to be installed from the XP Home CD which I do not have. I don't know if Home ver. is registered with Microsoft and I want to put in XP Pro, but I don't want Micros to shut down my PC if they think I have a product registered to someone else on my computer.
I do have a CD for XP Pro with my Product Key.
Don't know who did this if it is who I think did this for my son as a favor, yet I paid, he has since passed away.
What do I do????

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Why not install your good XP Pro?
Dec 20, 2013 6:55AM PST

Since you will install your own XP Pro and it's own product key, why the worry about the XP Home?
Bob

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XP Pro
Dec 20, 2013 7:01AM PST

If I do that what happens to all the data and other programs installed? Do I have to install each one
over again?

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They are gone.
Dec 20, 2013 7:18AM PST

Sorry but I didn't read that was an issue. Files are always our responsibility to keep backups. I do encounter folk that have no backups which is thankfully getting more and more rare with all the good free online backup systems today.
Bob

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XP Pro
Dec 20, 2013 10:43AM PST

Thanks for reminding me, slipped my mind. Will backup what I want to keep on my flashdrive. Then will
put everything back. I'm sure I have backups on the PC will just have to check. Thx for the help
Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to you.

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And one more place.
Dec 20, 2013 1:37PM PST

A single copy is a copy. To get to backup we need a second copy and please, please, please do not use any proprietary backup system. The forums have too many "How do I restore from XP Backup?"
Bob

PS. Nod to Dropbox, etc.