This is a work in progress. If anyone would care to make any suggestions, please post.
Thanks,
Mook.
Windows XP FAQ: Features: Minimum Requirements:
PC with 233MHz processor clock speed required; Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
64MB
RAM minimum supported (may limit performance and some features)
1.5GB of available hard disk space
Super VGA (800 × 600) resolution video adapter and monitor
CD-
ROM or DVD drive
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
Recommended Minimum Configuration (unclemojo)
PC with 500MHz clockspeed Intel Pentium III/Celeron family, AMD Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
128MB
Ram SDRAM PC133
4.0 GB of available hard disk space
The following OSes can be upgraded to WinXP Home.
Windows 98/Windows 98 SE
Windows Me
The following OSes can be upgraded to WinXP Pro.
Windows 98/Windows 98 SE
Windows Me
Windows NT 4.0 (SP6 and later)
Windows 2000 Professional
Windows XP Home Edition
Win XP Pro incorporates all the features of WinXP Home with the following additions:
Greater security, including the ability to encrypt your files and folders, using NTFS file system, which allows you encrypt individual files or folders for local security.
Access control. User(s) with Administrator privileges can limit access to resources, including files and directories.
Remote Desktop. Remotely access your Windows XP Professional PC, from another Windows PC, so you can work with all of your data and applications while away from your PC.
Offline Files and Folders. You have access to files & folders on a network share when disconnected from the server.
Multi-processor support. Windows XP Professional supports up to two microprocessors (Home Edition only supports a single processor).
Backup and Automated System Recovery (ASR). Another Professional only feature is the ability to "ASR-enable" your backups. An ASR-restore can be triggered from Setup, which allows you to return your system to its previous state. ASR is useful when hardware (for example a hard disk) needs to be replaced.
Domain membership. Windows XP Professional can be used to logon to a Windows Server domain.
Group Policy. This simplifies the administration of groups of users or computers, and is not supported on Home Edition since Home Edition cannot be used to logon to a Windows Server domain.
Roaming User Profiles. Let you access all your documents and settings no matter where you log on.
Remote Installation Service (RIS). Windows XP Professional includes support for remote operating system installations where desktops can be installed across the network.
Software Installation and Maintenance. Windows XP Professional supports automatic install, configure, repair, or remove of software applications.
Multi-lingual User Interface (MUI). Let you change the user interface language to get localized dialog boxes, menus, help files, dictionaries, and proofing tools etc. all in a single install.
Internet Information Services. Windows XP Professional includes the IIS Web server 5.1 software.
Source:
http://www.windows-help.net/WindowsXP/home-vs-pro.html Clean Install Using Upgrade CD?
One of the most frequently asked questions is whether it is possible to do a clean install using an upgrade version. The answer is yes. At some point during setup, Windows XP will ask you to insert your qualifying media, to ensure that you are eligible for the upgrade. The media must be a retail Windows 98, 98 Second Edition, Millennium Edition, NT 4.0, or 2000 CD-
ROM, be it an Upgrade or Full version. You cannot, however, use a rescue CD that you got from a PC maker.