Reformatting XP?

[fingerprints]

This may be a dumb question but I'm getting a new rig with XP Home Edition installed on it. I know about this crazy new license thing MS has with XP where it scans your setup and hardware and gives you a certain key to use. I like to reformat every so often to keep things fresh. My question is if you reformat XP how does it work? Is it like 98 and you have no problems and just reinstall everything or does it want to make you pay for a new license code every time? Also does it do this when you replace your video card and sound card from the ones it scanned when you installed it? Can someone give me a quick run down on this XP key code thing and if XP is a mjor pain or not. Thanks.

 

[uab101]

actually I have read that XP gives out keys according to the type of the operating system you purchased(ie oem, multiuser,...etc) it only scans your hard drive to make sure that it can correctly configure it to run the first time it starts. Other than that I have changed out everything in my computer except for the hard drive, and have encountered no problems when it comes to XP. Actually, most of my swaps were hot swaps which I thought was pretty cool. You might want to purchase a key that will let you use it over and over again. Microsoft wants to keep it to where if you use it once then that key is dead. But you can rewrite the key type, and use another one. I will if you like respond again with how to do that. Other than that have fun with XP.

 

[fingerprints]

Ok cool, thanks much for that. All the computers I'm looking to get come bundled with XP Home Edition. Now the question is whether it is worth it to go out and pay more and put XP Pro on it or just leave it as is? How much more does XP Pro really have?