Decisions Decisions...

[XBoy]

Well here's whats going on I just got a new WD400 40 gig 7200 rpm HDD, and have decided to single boot an M$ OS. The problem is that I don't know which one to put on *sigh* Maybe you folks can help me decide :D

[minibubba]

I say either win XP pro or Linux

[Darthtanion]

I go with the Windows XP Pro through Microsoft's Open Licensing Program. Gives me the OS I want but I don't have to activate it... EVER. Plus, it costs me less than half the retail price of the program but still gives me all the guarantees and support of the full blown retail package.

Works for me anyway. :D

[minibubba]

I go with the Windows XP Pro through Microsoft's Open Licensing Program. Gives me the OS I want but I don't have to activate it... EVER. Plus, it costs me less than half the retail price of the program but still gives me all the guarantees and support of the full blown retail package.

Works for me anyway. :D

how does that work??

[Darthtanion]

It is really pretty simple and long lasting as well. You start off by checking out Microsoft's Open License Homepage and then go from there. In my case, I had a local retailer who was authorized to sell the open license agreements. The initial purchase has to be a total of five licenses, but I just chose the OS and then four $8 database extention licenses. Even with this, it still cost me less than half retail!

From there, I have an agreement with Microsoft. If I need additional licenses for ANY Microsoft product in the future, I can buy it under my license and then just install it with my current code. Pretty simple process and it keeps me legitimate.

[minibubba]

thanks, that will be very usefull in the near future:thumb:

[asklepios]

i would definitely go for my all time fav...XP Pro...:cheers:

[XBoy]

Well the time has come! I am just about to back up my stuff, and put in the new HDD. I think I have chosen the one that I want most... It is Windows XP Media Center Edition. It is XP Pro w/ the MCE applet! *sigh* Maybe I should just go w/ regular XP... Although MCE does sound cool I don't even have a PVR card. I just figured it would be a neat thing. Arggghhhh It's between those two now XP Pro Corp./VLK, or XP MCE! Jeez this is a hard decision .... :afro:

[asklepios]

don't forget to tell us that whether it was right one too...:thumb:
best of luck for that install...:cheers:

[XBoy]

Right now I am posting this from XP Media Center Edition w/ SP1 installed :O). The install went great, and I can definetly notice a difference between the 5400 rpm HDD and this spanking new 7200 HDD! I had one problem, that scared me half to death though! When I installed XP MCE and then even after I performed a windows update, the system insisted that I had 512 RAM... The truth is I have 1 gig of PC2100 DDR! Oh **** I thought to myself. Then I proceded to rip open my case and find the thing that was causing this problem. I carefully tore out both of my 512 memory modules and examined them both. I swept the first with an electronic air duster to make sure it was clean, and I spotted a tiny dust piece so I blew on it, and it floated away. Then I examined the second, I carefully swept my eyes carefully across it to examine for scratches on the gold connectors, or dust in the memory banks. I flip the thing over and AHAH! A ****load of dust stuffed under the sticker that spanned aproximetly 2 inches. So then I went to battle with the dust, it was a fierce and rough one, though I survived. I booted up my beast, and set my BIOS to Optimal Settings with provides 'failsafe' memory timings, and the like... MCE boots up and I soon look at my General tab screen, BAM 1 Gig of RAM! I won the battle and I was a happy man :O) (Although I was about ready to put a nice 2 foot dent in the front of my solid aluminum case minutes earlier...) So the lesson for today boys and girls, is before chucking your computer out the window, make sure that you check every last centimeter of the hardware that is giving you problems :afro: (Luckily I found what went wrong, and corrected it :) )

[asklepios]

cheers pal for winning that battle.
everyone seems to winning the battles these days...first Mr. C and now you...:cheers:

[XBoy]

Well that's a good thing :). If I didn't like I said I was going to :shoot2: :shoot3: . Well maybe not ;) but I would have been pretty angry... Now just to get a remote control for this MCE! I am broke now though as I just got the new HDD. My parent's probably wouldn't pay for the cheap remote either as I just built my bro a new comp w/ my dad from some spare gateway parts, and a spanking new ECS K7S5A with a duron 1.2 gigahertz. (I'm teaching him it's kinda funny, but he's learning :O) I also put in a Geforce 4 mx 440 in my dad's comp, and then we put in a Athlon XP 1700+ :afro: It's really fun teaching people how to do things, but if someone is completly computer illiterate it kinda makes me wanna I am happy everything worked out good, but now I am broke :bounce:. I might be able to work at the local comp. shop w/ just me and this dude, but the dude has gotta make some more dough cause he just started out, and it's hard for him. Money's such a problem, they got mansions lets rob em' ;)

BUT I WANT AN MCE REMOTE ARRGGGHHHHH! *sigh*