ME Upgrade/Download

[Mega]

Currently I have ME, but I want to upgrade my PC to XP, because basically ME is ish. It's a free PC though, so hey.

Should I go to ebay and buy a copy?

...or should I download it from an FTP?

Also what are some things I will need to know, besides backing up my data?

[TallCool1]

Currently I have ME, but I want to upgrade my PC to XP, because basically ME is ish. It's a free PC though, so hey. Should I go to ebay and buy a copy... or should I download it from an FTP?

There are no "legal" downloads for XP, hence no FTP for you to get it from. eBay is ok -- you can get the OEM version of XP Pro for about $130.

I'm writing an article, called XP Out-of--the-box (it's not done yet) which will talk about securing XP before you get on-line to download the patches--here's a couple of tips to tide you over:

Do a "clean" install, not an upgrade. Especially with Me, there are likely to be conflicts between Me and XP.

I have seen machines hit by the Blaster worm and Messenger spam even before the patches were downloaded. Once you get XP installed, and before you get on the Internet, start by running Shoot the Messenger, DCOMbobulator, and UnPlug n' Pray from Gibson Research (about mid-page). You can download these to a floppy ahead of time. This will close the door on some of the vunerabilities used by malware

This article (PDF file, right-click to download) discusses the issues involved, but realize that much of what it does manually is done automatically by the above tools, hence the need for my article--to simplify matters and bring up other useful issues..

[Mega]

Thanks. I ended up getting a legal copy of XP HE for $75 and installing that. It had a $25 instant rebate at Office Max.

I read up about XP Pro. I wasn't sure the $60 was enough of a difference in what I use it for.

[i686-linux]

What do you use it for? Is your computer a part of a network, or is it a stand-alone machine?