Buying Legit Copy of XP Pro?

With my Lenovo Ideapad S10-3t, I'm pondering the downgrade of a Windows 7 machine to XP Pro. I have the Lenovo XP drivers, but my XP machines are running OEM XP, so I don't think that will solve my problem.

I'm overwhelmed by the sale choices on the 'net, and believe most of them to be fraudulent. At the same time, this downgrade is a lark and I don't want to invest a great deal of money.

Any ideas about where I should look?

Jake

>I'm overwhelmed by the sale choices on the 'net, and believe most of them to be fraudulent.

Why?

Most are legit on eBay. Problem with OEM versions are they will sometimes only install on a particular machine. But sometimes they will install on anything depending on how much the manufacturer as modded the standard XP install.

I see decent versions of XP Home Edition v2002 on eBay selling for around $25.

But I have a deal for you...PM sent...

I appreciate that you didn't ask for our opinion, but: just don't! lol

XP goes out of extended support in April, that means no security updates, zero day exploits and exponential incompatiblity. It will be the end of third-party software developers writing things to support it.

If you're rebelling because it's too slow then the system could need more RAM or a faster hard drive (SSD is always going to make a significant difference)
If it's for legacy compatiblity, Virtualise XP on there but keep the main OS supported
If it's because you don't buy into Microsoft's increasingly incoherent vision, Debian or Ubuntu will set you free

The danger of buying eBay XP is that you don't know what its activation history is. Media Centre Edition as mentioned above by Rich was OEM only and if it has been (re)activated recently (last couple of years) Microsoft will have the activation on file against an OEM license key. The online activator could simply turn around and refuse to allow it.

If you do get it from eBay, get a retial or retail upgrade version. At least that way the key can legitimately be re-used (but again if the owner has activated it in the last year or so you could have problems). That leaves shrink OEM or Retail - which Microsoft no longer print.

First time I've ever heard you plug Linux, Chris! Your points are all valid, of course--I'm mostly looking for a fast boot on a netbook for legacy devices. I really am underwhelmed by Win7, willing to give up multi-touch screen stuff to dumb it down to XP. Even virtual XP strikes me as slow. I doubt I'll be on-line much with this setup, but need a entry into AS 3.8, etc.

Thanks for the quick responses, folks,
Jake

Netbook? That explains the bad experience. This is a market that should never have existed. 4200 RPM hard drives and not enough RAM. It's no wonder the experience is bad. On that Virtual XP will be slow, expecially if it is Atom based, but chances are physical XP will be slow too. You simply cannot do much with that callibre of hard drive or Atom processors.

I've had Linux around the place since 1999 but I seldom use it in practice for much more than experimentation for work and doing GCC compiles.

I was going to say the same thing...

This netbook has a Intel Atom N470/1.83 GHz, 2GB RAM, and a 120gb ssd. Modest specs but it flies very nicely when booting and shutting down Semplice Linux. But Win7 is another matter, compounded obviously by AS issues.

Jake

Hey, I'm the lucky one that he still wants it. I just sold him an original XP Home Edition package that I paid $200 for.

I just made $100 off the deal! Lucky me!

Rich

Okay, I'm lying...I wouldn't take advantage of anyone for $100...

I did have an MSI Wind U100 with an Atom processor, and even with XP it seemed dog-butt slow....

Yeah, Win7 is a weekend of booting. Not as bad as C:Amie booting win98 on the J720 (remember that, kids?), but XP should be a surprising breath of fresh air.

Jake

I remember that, I still wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat... not really, but it was unpleasent in the oh I hear you like unending, searing pain sense of pleasent.