I own FSX but all my flying is still done in FS9 and XP Home.I am now in the process of getting a new PC and have decided against Vista and I will have XP as OS for the new rig. Now I need advice about the main difference between XP home and Professional, purely from a FS9 point of view. Is there an advantage performancewise? The new machine will have Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.5 Ghz processor.

In my experience there is none. Pro's networking and security features and Home's 'lack' thereof are of no consequence from a purely fs9 viewpoint. It still comes down to machine specs, not OS.regards,Mark

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.aspJim

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/how.../choosing2.mspxIf you need to connect to a domain or use remote desktop, then you need Pro. Also, it seems home doesn't support NTFS? Is that correct? I know there are some sceneries out there that recommend NTFS for performance reasons, but I'm not sure how much difference it makes.

HelloHome supports NTFSHome is just XP Pro with some networking and User admin bits missing, I have both and XP home is all you need in a home network environment.

many thanks, guys, I can now save a few quid and order my new rig with XP

Bear in mind that XP Home doesn't have multiple-processor support. This doesn't directly influence FS9, but it might be of value if you have background processes running (and Windows always does).

HelloNo support for discreet multiple processors IE in seperate sockets.But XP home does support multi-core processors such as Intel Core2-duo and Core2-Quad.http://www.freewebs.com/reading1871/30.jpg

Roland, Pardon me is your system being built by one of the major online computer makers? 'Cause I'm curious where are builders of desktops that will allow a choice of XP?M-Tech does laptops (as opposed to desktops)and allow (even encourages) XP Pro instead of Vista. For instance I just bought their FL-90 15" portable and it gets >20 f.p.s. in all FS9 stock microsoft airports, scenery, Meigs, Seattle, L.A. etc. This is with ALL sliders maxed to the right, heavy stormy weather running, maximum AI traffic ON, etc.Intel Core2 duo 2.4 GhzNvidia 8600M GT with 512 MB display.7200 RPM 160GB HD2 Gig Kingston RAMWin XP Rro$1800.00 including tax. shipping etc.However M-Tech also makes higher end laptops with quad cpu's, SLI dual Nvidia cards, raid HD's, etc., but they're pricey. They also will paint the outside of the laptop case with any graphic design or picture you email to them. Cheers, Fielder

Smart choice to go with XP over Vista. I have Vista on my new laptop and I HATE IT!:-grr What a piece of crap.

>Roland, Pardon me is your system being built by one of the>major online computer makers? 'Cause I'm curious where are>builders of desktops that will allow a choice of XP?>Yes indeed, but I am based in Switzerland. The company's name is Megashop and you can configure almost anything you want which is a big help if you want to build a PC for a specific use.Roland

Point taken. I still have multi-processor machines running here, so that difference had gotten buried in my subconscious somewhere. Thanks for reminding me.

Read a report yesterday somewhere on the net about SP3 Beta making XP run faster than Vista. Anyone have a comment on that? Have you tried SP3?

>Read a report yesterday somewhere on the net about SP3 Beta>making XP run faster than Vista. Anyone have a comment on>that? Have you tried SP3?very interesting. Is SP3 for XP freely available?

HelloXP is already faster than Vista, maybe by the time Vista gets to SP3it will catch up to XP http://www.freewebs.com/reading1871/30.jpg