Does XP Home suport Dual cores? Or only PRO? Oh and if you want got a new opty 165.

Then why is it some people recomend pro?

im not positive, but i think only xp pro (and similar os' like wusy is running) are actually designed to make use of dual core/dual processors... just remember reading a forum post someone made awhile back, about lots of unexplained problems he was experiencing on his families computer, crashing and such, and tried lots of different things, but to no avail... a few people stated it was simply because xp home isnt designed to make use of dual cores/cpus properly... and that switching up to xp pro would fix that... again, im not positive, but i said the same thing to another poster recently, who had a similar question, and he said that the xp pro switch definetly seems valid after he had searched

edit: okay... yeah... i looked on google for a sec, and found a link on microsofts site, about the same thing

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=896256

SYMPTOMS
Computers that are equipped with multiple processors that support processor power management features, such as Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) processor performance states, require Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Additional updates are available to optimize performance and behavior on computers that are running Windows XP SP2. Without these updates, computers that are equipped with these power management-capable, mobile, dual-core processors may experience decreased performance or unexpected behavior.

Note This problem also applies to x64-based versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003.

i guess windows xp by itself wasnt originally designed for dual cores... and that after sp2, those issues are fixed

Windows XP Pro has some networking and security features that Home does not have (Like, among other things, the ability to easily change the administrator password from blank, or the ability to be added to a domain).

XP Pro does not have some of the cool screensavers and themes that Home has however.

Talking about that Server 2003 comes with pratically nothing!
I either had to enable them through service(e.g. theme) or port them from XP or some other software. The end result with the stability&speed of Server is very rewarding though.
The hardest part was getting support for Bluetooth.
I've had no stability problems with XP, and it's legal (as in I have a legal licenced copy) and cheeper.

But, to each their own. Server 2K3 is pretty nice. Runs well on my dual P3 600 system.