upgrading from XP Home to XP Pro question.

[David M]

I have an older HP Pavillion 550n in the house on a three computer network that I would like to upgrade from XP Home to XP Pro. The reason is I need it to be easier to transfer files between computers and I read that it is easier if all three computers are running XP Pro...correct? I already have the upgrade, so money, at this point, is not a factor

Can this be done safely without losing all my files on the HP? If so, how is it done? What commands should I be looking for when I boot from the XP Pro CD to upgrade? I realize that to reformat would wipe out everything. The last thing I need to do is to lose all those files.

Thanks

[glc]

You don't need Pro on all machines. If your Pro machines all have simple file sharing enabled, that makes the networking procedure identical to Home. The only enhancement Pro has is if you disable simple file sharing and use traditional NT-style user security.

Bottom line? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[David M]

Thanks glc...much appreciated.