swapping XP Pro to another PC

[auzzie]

I have a genuine XP Pro OS on this pc. I have another PC which appears to have an illegal copy of XP on it. I have now bought a genuine "64bit" copy of XP but my son has informed me that it will not go on my other PC due to the fact it only supports "32bit".(this is all too techy for me). My question is. Can i put the copy of the XP installed on this PC on to my 2nd PC without it saying it is an illegal copy? I will then install the "64bit" XP onto this. Does this make sense. I don't want to have to pay for another copy of XP.

[198x]

I'm afraid you can't put it onto your 2nd PC due to the validation / key code already being used by your current PC.

However, if you connect both PC's together to form a local area network then you can put your registered copy of XP on the 2nd PC.

[auzzie]

thanx 198x. PC's Connected via router is this the same thing?

[vehelpfulguy]

Why did you buy a copy of 64 bit XP ?

Although the world will move to 64bit windows over the next few years at the moment it is early days and many companies do not provide drivers for 64bit windows so you may not get your sound card or graphics card to work.

Even if the PC you have has a 64bit Athlon CPU you can still run 32 bit windows on it.

[vehelpfulguy]

Just an explantion about 32bit and 64bit.

All computer data is held in things called bits (Binary Digits). The number of bits indicates how much memory a computer can work with.

Early computers and CPUs were fairly simple things (compared to todays computers) so computer data was 8bit technology.

So the CPU was an 8bit CPU, and the software was 8bit.

Gradually we moved to 16bit and early DOS and Windows (such as 95, 98 and ME) used 16bit CPUs and 16bit software.

Then we moved to 32bit and CPUs were 32bit and software such as Windows XP was 32 bit. This is where we are now.

Gradually we are moving to 64 bit and both Intel and AMD make 64bit computers.

To work with these Microsoft have made a 64bit version of Windows XP.

The next version of Windows called Vista, will also be 32bit or 64bit although Microsoft have said that some of their future server software will be 64bit only.

[auzzie]

thanks vehelpfulguy. I bought it cos i'd heard about it ! Not knowing anything about PC's i thought i was being clever. Obviously not, but we live and learn from folks like you. Many thanks i'm a little older (well a lot older) and wiser now.