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which OS to use?

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by penguinsrule

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I currently am using XP Home edition, and I've been having all kinds of performance problems. I went through all the normal troubleshooting steps with the assistance of people on this forum and I'm still back where I started. One of the suggestions was for me to use XP Pro edition. I just want to make sure that XP Pro is the best version of Windows for me to use before I pluck down my $199. Is the NT 2003 version better? I want an OS that does a good job of managing memory, and is better performing.

Thanks for your ideas
Rick

13 replies

by p.j.hutchison

What spec PC do you have? Windows 2003 is NOT for desktop use but for servers, and costs 5x as much as XP.

For better performance you need at least a 500MHZ CPU, 256MB of memory (512MB ideally) and plenty of disk space (10GB or more).

by cliff680

XP SP2 is a fairly stable operating system. I'm using it and I haven't had any problems.

by willcomp

As far as stability is concerned, there are no real differences between XP Home and XP Pro. The underlying kernels are identical.

I would suggest a clean re-install of XP rather than spending money for another OS. If you decide to re-install, post back and we'll provide info you need.

First ensure that you are not "hardware limited" meaning that you have sufficient CPU, memory, and hard disk resources as mentioned in previous response.

Dalton

by statykserver

Here is a little tip while you are determining which os to use. Try dual booting windows and linux until you figure out which one you like the most. I did this for a while and then ended up dualbooting windows and mandrake anyway after all. (I still needed some help before I made the complete leap)

Good Luck

by thechas

Check out this Microsoft page to compare the differences between XP Home and Pro:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx

You might also want to check out XP Media Edition if you use your PC for entertainment.

Basically, unless you are networking your PC, there is very little benefit to installing XP Pro on a home PC.

For business use, XP Pro is a must for both networking and security.

Chas

by altonaga

I wouldn't normally recommend a version of Windows, but Pro worked better for me with performance and other stuff.

I use it and love it

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