My parents bought a computer some time ago then started having problems...seems it is not a leagal version of XP professional.They got it out of the paper. They are not great at the computer just email and stuff. I am ok at it somewhat. What are my options to help them.Can I install a new version of home or Pro overtop of this mess? I don't know how to "clean" the hard drive. Any advice would be greatly appriciated.Thanks !

Purchasing and installing a new version of XP will allow you to format the drive and Clean install a brand new XP.

You could also wait until February and purchase Vista assuming that your computer is compatible. Here is a scan to check that out if you are interested:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...r/default.mspx

Does it matter if it is XP home or XP professional ? Thanks

If you are purchasing a new retail version then the choice is yours'.

Upon installing this will wipe the hard drive so anything on it now will be gone and the current XP will be irrelevant.

You will probably find Home to be a little less expensive. The main difference is that the Pro version is set up for business networks and has a lot more security and networking features for system administrators.