What is the closest released version to XP Pro?
Hello , new here.... a question if I may.
What is the closest released version to XP Pro?
I have a valid XP Pro but no way to activate it, yes have tried as it required but it says invalid phone and internet.
So looking for the closest version so I can do testing and not keep resetting the version OEM I have,
Not looking to circumvent the XP I have looking for a similar alternative that also may work with the drivers
I have that workled on XP Pro.
Thank you, been lurking an reading for some time, thought Id join up
SW
Comments
I don't understand your question. You must have the exact release type (home or pro) of the exact license type (retail or OEM). For OEMs, you sometimes have to have the OEM-specific install media.
The service pack level, should not matter - you should always install service pack 3. You may also slipstream updates, drivers, or additional tools with a tool called NLite. Those will not change the key you need.
If the key was one attached to the side of a computer, then it is an OEM key.
I have been told telephone activation should work fine, at least for now. It should give you a number to call.
There have been mixed reports about Internet activation. It is likely dependent on installing/slipstreaming internet updates first.
Hello, I have a purchased OEM CD and the key that was attached to the package I bought, its a fully legal purchase I did along time ago, however calling the number doesn't work and gives invalid key. So I was looking for open released versions that are legal to own that may be close to what was eventually released as XP Pro. I hope that clarifies what I was asking? I see allot of items on this site and not sure what was close?
It doesn't work like that.
The only thing Winworld has are some crufty pre-release betas. Pre-releases/betas/alphas/release candidates are incomplete builds produced during the development of a program. They are not supported, incomplete, and buggy. They are not useful at all for production use. They can not receive updates or accept service packs. They also use completely different keys and can't really be "activated".
**None of these pre-releases will help you. **
I think you got ripped off when you made your purchase. If you have had this CD since XP was new, then someone may have illegally used your key and it was invalidated.
If you still have a receipt and it was from a legitimate vendor then you should be able to call the vendor and/or Microsoft and complain.
Unfortunately, I have no way to know exactly when Microsoft will stop activating XP. I sort of expect they will stop when their Point Of Sale version is officially End Of Lifed next year. All I know is some reports in the last few months said it still worked.
Hi there, not sure why its invalid, as it was purchased sealed at a reputable place. I know work around but prefer to not do that for obvious reason. Its all good I will keep checking around the site here great reading all this stuff. I am old school and reading all this stuff brings back those great days of Dos. TY
Resolved the issue with XP, found that the latest version prior to XP had failed files. To note online did not work a 2nd call to support worked. Seems using there smartphone fails using a landline works no idea why its different.
If you're just doing testing, why not try Windows 2000 SP4? Compatibility-wise it's very close to XP, and there are even kernel extensions to make it compatible with XP-only software.