No Microsoft OS Deals!

I'm trying to clean up and organize my Windows operating system licenses, I can't find my Windows 2000 CD, and I can't get a replacement copy, as Windows 200 has been discontinued! You can read more about the technical aspects of Microsoft Windows license types at Docunext, this post is about the finance part of Windows OS's.

Therefore, I'm reviewing the upgrade paths and costs of the differenct versions available. First off, I want my copies of Windows to be legitimate - I'm in the software industry and don't want to poach my own industry, and besides, pirating software is illegal, whether or not you get caught.

While there are sometimes a deal or two with Microsoft OS's, you pretty much have to pay full price. Therefore, I want to make sure I make the best choice.

For my goal of having Windows 2000 and/or Windows XP running on my Macbook via Parallels, I have a few options:

So first I'll deal with XP Professional:

* OEM license - $131 from Newegg.com

* Full / Retail license - $279

* Retail Upgrade - $184 from newegg.com

* OEM Upgrade - ???

XP Home:

* Microsoft XP Home OEM license - $89

* Microsoft XP Home Retail - $189

* Retail Microsoft XP Home Upgrade - $99

In my searches I found this site: 9software.com which seems a little fishy, but 9software.com has good ratings.

And again on the fishy side, Microsoft alleged piracy in 2005.

The question now is whether to get home or professional? The home oem edition is pretty affordable at $89. So that's what I'm going with, a Windows XP Home OEM license from a reputable vendor like Newegg.com. Cool.