upgrading from XP "Home" to Pro?

My pc came with XP Home edition and service pack 2, I own a copy of XP Pro but service pack 1 as I bought it like 4 years ago but it can be updated, what I'd like to know is what will happen to all of my existing files and folders/settings if I were to load that older version of XP Pro? Or, is this a good idea?

 

If you pop the Pro disc in, it may prompt you to upgrade. Even if it doesn't, booting off the CD should detect your installed version of Windows and allow you to upgrade. My experience, though, is that a minimal number of layered Windows installs is best. If you have the time, the optimal solution would be to install Pro from scratch (and then grab your updates and service pack 2, obviously). That isn't to say that upgrading won't work, just that I've never had a happy machine after layering up Windows installs.

 

What I would need to know then is if I were to install my older version of XP Pro from scratch, would this hamper my "existing" programs/files/settings in ANY way?

 

Well, you'd need to reinstall everything on the new XP install, which would require you restoring all of your settings (sadly, most apps still don't have a simple facility for exporting settings). Provided that you back your data up before wiping the machine, that should not be affected. I don't know of any application portability issues between the Home and Pro versions of XP.