What is the ACTUAL cost of Genuine Windows XP Home Edition?

Question

I know that it costs about 100$. But is that all I have to spend to receive the Microsoft security updates? My technician says that in addition to this about 200-300$ more has to be spent to completely 'tune up' the computer and also says that I will get nothing if I just get the genuine XP Home. Is it really true? I just want to receive Microsoft's security updates and don't require any other 'tune up's. Please help with a detailed and enormous answer! I am losing my patience!

Answer 1

That's his price to do the labor. Microsoft does not charge for updates.

Let's say that I just reinstalled Windows XP into a computer that was built in 2002... I would then connect the computer to a high speed internet connection and begin to get Windows Updates. I would initiate the first set of downloads to update the basics. The computer would be restarted, and I would get the first batch of security updates. Again, I would restart and get more. For some versions of Windows XP, there would be a total of about 65 updates, that would be initiated in as many as 5 different reboots. It could take as long as 5 hours. If you are in a hurry, the technician would sit by your computer continuously and watch it happen, and consume the 5 hours, and charge accordingly.

But you can get the Windows Updates yourself. This is not a highly technical task... Just click on the Windows Update button. Select the CUSTOM, so you can select the updates that you want. If you use dial-up, you can pick just ONE each day. (uncheck the others).

If you do it yourself, you can save a boatload of money. But you must do some computer maintenance every day. Let's consider this maintenance schedule:

Monday - Run Disk Cleanup - Go to the Start menu, pick Programs, go to the Accessories section, then System Tools, and click on Disk Cleanup. Select all items when it finishes looking at various types of files and click OK.

Tuesday - Run Defrag - This is also found in the System Tools section. Just click on the DEFRAGMENT button.

Wednesday - Update and check the status of your Anti-virus program. Run a full scan if it has not been done automatically in the last week. This will take an hour or so.

Thursday - Update your Anti-spyware solution and run a scan. You should have an anti-spyware solution on your computer. I recommend that you go to http://www.download.com and get AD-AWARE and SpyBot Search & Destory. Install, run, update and scan your computer with both programs.

Friday - Run the Check Disk program. Open My Computer, then Right Click on your C Drive and pick PROPERTIES. Click on Tools, and click on the CHECK NOW button. Check both checkboxes and click OK. Then click OK, so it runs when you restart your computer.

Do this maintenance and learn some computer saftey tips to Keep Your Computer Alive. Join some discussion groups and learn what works for others. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/KeepYourComputerAlive/

Answer 2

For my desktop at home, I've only paid $99 for my XP CD and that's it.

For my friend's Toshiba laptop - I perform updates about once a week or so. I admit that once the machine was taken out of the box and connected - two or three reboots were needed in order to install all the updates. Once all that was completed - everything else is straightforward.

I would not pay Best Buy Geek Squad or any technician $200 to perform Windows updates and other "trivial" items. If more people knew how to perform the simple tasks - perhaps technicians could earn their keep in fixing the more difficult issues like restoring systems from one HD to another, for example.

Answer 3

The technican is quoting the price of tuning up your computer. Get the XP Home and install it on your computer and then when it asks you to register with Microsoft do it. Once you have done that then you will be able to get all the updates.

AVG is only an Anti-Virus program. The Microsoft updates patch holes in Windows XP which AVG cannot do.

Be sure to back up any data you want to keep. You will lose all your data when you install the new XP.

Answer 4

forget the security updates....avg does it well and its free with updates...the rest of the "tuneup" is probably just pad. adaware is also good to get rid of spybots and junk...total cost of adaware se and avg free....i dont work for them and dont make money off them...im a computer tech and find them useful...and as for the charge...if you have a windows restore or program disc you can reinstall it yourself for less than the two hundred,.