WTB: Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005

[JBuzzard]

Looking for non-registered copy of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 at a reasonable price for a home theater project.

[Stargate199]

Look here at Newegg This is what you want. XP MCE 2005 is available in OEM only.

[faberryman]

You might want ti think about getting Vista Home Premium. It has an updated/intergrated version of MCE in it.

[JBuzzard]

Yes, I've been going back and forth on the MCE vs. Vista Home Premium (VHP?) - I'm sure I'll try Vista at some point but didn't really want to start in the living room. All of the content protection and DRM stuff added to Vista for high-def content is also not too appealing. If this were 6 months from now and the driver support for tuners, video, etc. were better sorted out I think Visa would be (will be) my first choice. First choice for a HTPC that is - at this point I'd pick a Mac over Vista for just about anything else - I just wish Apple would sell us OS X for use on other hardware like ThinkPads.

And thanks for the pointer to NewEgg - I buy a lot from them and the OEM price of $110 is very good - was just hoping to find a cheaper unused copy up here as I've had good luck with what I bought here in the past. I may have found a Dell OEM one but not sure it can be used on non-Dell hardware (will have to try it I guess)

BTW on NewEgg the OEM price for VHP is $120 and Vista Ultimate is only $200.

One question to anyone who might know: Under XP MCE can you control file share access at the level of individual users like you can in XP Pro or are you limited to just a choice of r/w or r/o access control like you get with XP Home? Thanks.

[Stargate199]

I don't know for sure, but I think that Windows XP MCE is just XP pro with the MCE program and a new skin. Never used it in my life to know this, but is what I have heard. If that is the case, then you will have the same network capabilities as Windows XP Pro.