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Free Upgrade From XP Home to XP Pro Lite

Posted by Zonk on from the think-these-things-through dept.

Novus writes "The Register reports that many of the features of Windows XP Pro, such as Remote Desktop and user management, can be enabled in Windows XP Home simply by changing two bytes in an installation data file. Another explanation can be found here."

22 of 540 comments (clear)

  1. Now it is proven by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    that Windows upgrades are cheaper than Linux

  2. Saturday Afternoon Flaimbait by suso · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's nothing, I heard that you can make Windows secure by changing 106,351,876 bytes before installing.

    Ta-dit-boom!

  3. Sweet! by Lisandro · · Score: 4, Funny

    I know a... um... friend of mine who tried it on his partents' system and it works just peachy!

    1. Re:Sweet! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's nothing. If you think partents are bad, you should see the full ents. They can take down an entire semi-industrialized army in a matter of minutes!

    2. Re:Sweet! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Run, forest!! RUN!!!

  4. wow those efficient MS coders by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Are you trying to tell me, MS coders are so amazing that it only took them 2 bytes of data to program all these features?

    -SJ53

    1. Re:wow those efficient MS coders by Cow+Jones · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, sounds impressive at first, but closer examination reveals that those 2 bytes are actually metric bytes with 10 bits each.
      Clever bastards.

      --

      Ah, arrogance and stupidity, all in the same package. How efficient of you. -- Londo Mollari
    2. Re:wow those efficient MS coders by TubeSteak · · Score: 4, Funny
      heh, and I bet there are only 10 people who'll get that joke.

      You and Me.

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
  5. Hmm... by iamdrscience · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is only a marginal improvement, I can already change "XP Home" to "XP Pro Lite" by changing only 4 bytes and adding 4 more to the end.

  6. No thanks.... by mangus_angus · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd rather just go mug someone on the street and then go buy a Legal Copy.

  7. Re:crippleware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    That's "differently-abled-ware", you insensitive clod!

  8. Back to the future... by csharp_wannabe · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now if I can only find the two bits that changes my XP machine back to 2000...

    --
    "C++ is to C as Lung Cancer is to Lung"
  9. Typical anti-MS logic by ClosedSource · · Score: 4, Funny

    Geek #1: Windows really sucks!
    Geek #2: I know what you mean. Only an MCSE would use Windows and you know how dumb they are.
    Geek #3: I just read on Slashdot that you could upgrade Windows XP home to professional by just changing a few bytes.
    Geeks #1 and #2: Sweet, how do you do it?

  10. Priceless by VStrider · · Score: 5, Funny

    Price difference? £20.
    Product difference? 2 bytes.

    The look on a WinXP Pro user's face? Priceless!

    Microsoft - how do you want to be robbed today?

    --
    VStrider.
  11. Who knows what hidden functionality there is? by Georules · · Score: 5, Funny

    How many bytes do I have to tweak to upgrade my XP Pro to Longhorn?

  12. Re:So... by seanvaandering · · Score: 2, Funny

    How about legality? Any lawyers reading this?

    Its Saturday - what do you think?? ;)

  13. A file type by any other name. . . by colinrichardday · · Score: 2, Funny

    I realize that *.hiv stands for hive, but I still believe that Microsoft could have come up with a better name. No wonder Windows is so susceptible to infection!

  14. Re:Why not just download XP Pro, its just as illeg by shellbeach · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just to be a pedantic ass, he's actually only changing two bits.

    So I guess that'd make it a two bit hack of a two-bit OS, huh? ... ;-)

  15. Re:Why not just download XP Pro, its just as illeg by Wordsmith · · Score: 2, Funny

    I would argue reproducing any of what the Olive Garden passes along as Italian food is a crime. I'd argue it's a crime when the Olive Garden does it.

    Hospitaliano indeed.

  16. Just one more thing to be done by fswsysop · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now someone just needs to find the source code, and recompile it but with "set_bugs=0". ;)

  17. Re:Why not just download XP Pro, its just as illeg by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 1, Funny

    As long as you don't violate the copyright (which you aren't, since the copy is transitory and for personal use only) or breaking any other laws, you can do what you like with the CD you own.

    So as long as you don't break any laws, you aren't breaking any laws. Brilliant.

  18. Re:Why not just download XP Pro, its just as illeg by chriso11 · · Score: 2, Funny

    But they didn't reverse engineer it. They simply threw some crap together and called it italian food. I agree with you about the food being a crime, just that it is a different crime (attack on good taste, perhaps?).

    --
    No, I don't trust in god. He'll have to pay up front, like everybody else.