There are several variations of Windows XP available on the market. When you go to purchase Windows from a brick and mortar store, chances are your choices will be limited to Full version of Windows XP Home or Professional. However, if you’re shopping at an online retailer or have another alternative source, such as a university bookstore you may be able to purchase an upgrade license or even an OEM version if you’re also purchasing hardware. The good news it that the upgrade and OEM versions are nearly identical to the full versions which typically average around $50 more. The upgrade editions of Windows XP Home and Professional are nearly identical to the full retail versions. In the past, upgrade versions of Windows required you to provide an install disc from the older version which you are upgrading from, but that is not the case with Windows XP. However, to be in compliance with Microsoft’s licensing, you must still own a prior copy of Windows. The only difference with the OEM and full versions are that the OEM licenses are issued by Microsoft and require that the copy of Windows XP be purchased with some sort of hardware. So now that you are well informed of all the options, you can head out and upgrade to Windows XP if you haven’t already.

The one aspect of computers that has stuck with me since I first starting tinkering around with them is networking. I’ve been exposed to so many networking technologies that I can no longer name them all when asked. From hubs to routers; copper to fibre; clear text to encryption; I could go on and on and on. No matter the technology, though, there are a few indispensable tools that are crucial to testing and gathering information about the health of the network. I’m going to introduce a couple of the basics today.
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