Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition – Retail Key (1 PC)

Windows XP Home Edition is the consumer version of the system released in 2001, which remained in service for more than a decade. This Retail licence covers 1 PC. Today it is aimed at a very specific technical audience.

Important information before purchase

Support for Windows XP ended in 2014. Microsoft no longer publishes any security updates for this system, and has not done so for over ten years. A workstation running XP connected to the Internet is vulnerable to a very large number of known and uncorrected flaws: do not use it as a main system connected to the network. Modern browsers can no longer be installed on it anyway.

The uses for which this licence still makes sense

• Period hardware — computers, acquisition cards or peripherals whose drivers only exist for XP.
• Isolated virtual machines — recreating an offline XP environment to run an old program.
• Old software and games — titles and applications incompatible with modern systems, even in compatibility mode.
• Archive recovery — opening old files in the software that produced them.

What the Home Edition includes

• Luna interface — the desktop and Start menu characteristic of Windows XP.
• Remote Desktop outgoing only — the workstation can connect to another, without receiving a connection.
• System Restore and application compatibility.
• Without domain join, without EFS or multiprocessor management — these features were reserved for the Pro edition.

Activation

The activation key reaches you by email within 24 hours maximum. It is entered during installation. On a system of this generation, activation most often goes through Microsoft's telephone service: Windows displays an installation ID, the voice server returns a confirmation ID. Allow for this step and a telephone.

System requirements

• 300 MHz minimum processor
• 128 MB of RAM (256 MB recommended)
• 1.5 GB of available disk space
• Super VGA graphics card and display (800 x 600)

Buy a Windows XP licence in Switzerland

CHKEY is a Swiss company based in Lausanne. Prices in Swiss francs, invoice, support in English by email and live chat. Your key is sent by email within 24h after receipt of payment.