Hey guys,


Is there a way I can install both winXp Home and WinXp Pro
on the same system, so that I can switch between
these 2 operating system whenever I want ?

If YES then could you guys please tell me in details,
what to do and what not to do.
What software’s do I require to do such tasks ?

Thanks
:)

BIG question is WHY? The advantage of running Pro is the NTFS filesystem, vs. just plain ol' FAT on Home, so if you install them both for gosh only knows what reason, Home wouldn't necessarily be able to read all your files.

XP Home is 'crippleware' IMNSHO. There are several other features missing. If you have Pro, for gosh sakes use it and throw Home in the trash if you can't get a dollar for it on ebay.

If you insist on proceeding, just follow the instructions for dual-boot installations or search for that on Microsoft's site.

To upgrade Home to Pro, I'd reformat the HD in NTFS anyway and do a clean install. Oversimplified.

Originally posted by BigBison

To upgrade Home to Pro, I'd reformat the HD in NTFS anyway

And how can i do that ?

There are virtually no differences between XP Home & XP Professional - not quite sure where you got the idea on filesystems - they both run NTFS.

The average home user will actually find no use for XP Professional's extra features at all.
He/she will not be attempting to log into a domain at home, at best they will be using workgroups which WinXP Home can both log into and participate in.

The extra file encryption features included in WinXP Pro are useful but again only if you know they are there and actually want to use them.
I personally do encrypt files under WinXP Pro, however I also rememebr to backup my personal keys and store them in the safe at work.
Far too many people with Professional who like to play have played with encryption only to find themselves totally locked out of their own files for good after a partition re-format.

I'm not sure where you've got this impression of XP Home being "Crippleware".
I know for a fact that if I was buying an OS for Home use now I would not be splashing out the extra cash on the Professional version.
There is quite a difference in the cost of the two OS's and the extra features don't really come into play unless you actually require them - if you need to log into a domain at home then of course you've got no choice.

The real reason a lot of people "big up" Professional and trash Home at the same time is because of how they got their "copy" of the OS.
The P2P networks, warez sites, Usenet and other locations for scum and thieves tend to carry the Professional version and not the Home version.
When people thieve Professional they seem to naturally assume it is so much beter than the Home version because nobody bothered to "hackz and crackz" that one.

If you look at the following link:

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

You'll see exactly the differences between the two - go on, name me two missing features from Home that even semi-advanced users would miss.

Sorry this isn't a reply to the original poster, however I just wanted to get the point over about XP Home.
I don't work for MS, of the four machines I have at home 2 are running Professional and 1 is running Home.
However to descripe XP Home as "Crippleware" is just extremely misleading to anybody currently looking to purchase the XP OS.
They can save a lot of money by going for Home voer Professional and they only lose a few features most people simply wouldn't use.

Thanks for clearing up my misinformation by posting that link. I could've sworn they left NTFS out, it's what I was told, but apparently not a fact. That was my basis for 'crippleware'.

Although I still can't figure out why one would want to dual-boot the two.

Originally posted by BigBison
Thanks for clearing up my misinformation by posting that link. I could've sworn they left NTFS out, it's what I was told, but apparently not a fact. That was my basis for 'crippleware'.

Although I still can't figure out why one would want to dual-boot the two.

No, I fully agree on that point :)
Either Home is enough - in which case just forget about Pro.
If you need the extra Pro features then install it completely over the top and do away with Home entirely.

If you're testing application compatability - what works in one will work in ther other as they are the same OS, they share the same code, just some things are disabled in Home.