xp upgrade
 

i'm looking to build a new gaming comp in a month or so...i've decided that i want xp pro as my os...i want to take advantage of being a college student and get the xp pro upgrade version for really cheap at newegg.com but i don't have another os cd i can pop in when it asks for the previous os...i only have the xp home recovery disks...one that came with my dell laptop and the other from my dell desktop...would the recovery cds work or do i need to find a regular copy win 98, me, or 2k from a friend or something?

The recovery CD's won't work.

Go around to garage sales and pick up a copy of Windows 98 for $5. Or if you can borrow one from a friend for a day, that would work just as well. You just pop it in for a second, it sees it's a Windows disc, then it asks for the XP disc again. That's it.

If you don't mind me asking, what is the educational upgrade price at newegg?

I am not sure how common this is, but check your college library for Windows XP Pro. My college will check out a copy with an activation code and you are allowed to use it on your personal computer as long as you go to the college. If that doesn't work out also check to see if your college offers software sales at a reduced price. I purchased a full copy of MS office for $15 last year. I know they also sell widows operating systems for about the same price.