investor27,

No, you do not have to do a clean installation. You can upgrade over your existing operating system. However, if the experience of numerous users is any guide, there is a strong possibility that you will subsequently have to do a clean installation to make your computer operate properly. This is why most users here strongly recommend a clean install.

I would certainly not upgrade from XP Home to XP Professional unless you have more of a substantial reason than recommendations in this forum or by Dell. Check out the features in XP Pro that are not in XP Home and make your own decision as to whether you need the additional features. A useful document to assist in this decision is here.

Message Edited by Denny Denham on 02-18-2004 09:53 PM

Hi Denny!  Thanks for the suggestions.  People were saying that XP Pro will help laptop computers run faster and more efficiently than XP, and it manage power better as well.  Plus wi-fi features are supposed to be more compatible.  My i8600 is brand new, so I don't know if XP Pro will benefit me.  Can anyone else comment on this?  Thanks, Denny.

I would find that unlikely except in an enterprise situation(corporate Active servers with clients).  XP Pro offers.. well, hear it from the experts:

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

Message Edited by noobody on 02-19-2004 07:55 PM

Among others, the following features of Windows XP Professional are not included in Windows XP Home Edition:

Encrypting File System protects sensitive data in files that are stored on disk using the NTFS file system.  The NTFS file system improves security by allowing you to encrypt files and folders, and restrict access to files.  Group Policy simplifies the administration of groups of users or computers.  Windows XP Professional also makes it easier to manage EFS through Group Policy and command line utilities.

If you encrypt a file with EFS, only you can open the file and work with it. This is especially useful on your laptop because even if someone finds it or steals it, they cannot access the files on your hard drive.  With EFS, you can choose to encrypt files and folders. Then, even if someone gains access to the file, for example by stealing your laptop or a disk on which you copied the file, they can't decrypt the file and see your information.

You can restrict who has access to data on your computer ... using access control lists in Windows XP on a drive formatted to use NTFS. The access control features allow you to restrict access to a specific user, a computer, or a group of users.  You set permissions to define the type of access granted to a user or group. When you set up permissions, you specify the level of access for groups and users.  To change permissions on a file or folder, you must be the owner of that file or folder, or you must have permission to make such changes.  For best results, assign permissions to groups rather than to users, this saves you from maintaining access control for each user; assign Full control, if appropriate, rather than individual permissions. Use Deny to exclude a subset of a group which has Allowed permissions, or to exclude one special permission when you have already granted full control to a user or group.

Fast Resume from Hibernation or Standby - Save battery power when you're working on the road. With Windows XP your laptop can enter Standby or Hibernate faster, and it can start working again faster after resuming from Standby or Hibernation.

The NTFS file system also offers better compression for storage, and support for larger partitions and file sizes.

Windows XP Comparison Guide
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/choosing2.asp>

Choose the File System That Suits Your Needs
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/overviews/filesystem.asp>

Which Edition Is Right for You?
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp>

Use Access Control to Restrict Who Can Use Files
<http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/pro/using/howto/security/accesscontrol.asp>