According to The E-List News – A Windows Support E-Letter, Microsoft has dropped the price of extra licenses for Windows XP. If you already own a copy of Windows XP, you can buy up to three additional licenses directly from Microsoft for a 15% discount. That cuts the price of your second and subsequent copy of Windows XP Home Edition upgrade, for instance, from $99 to $84, and knocks the $299 retail price of a full version of Windows XP Professional down to about $254.
Some caveats: These discounts don’t apply to OEM copies of Windows XP, such as those that come with a new computer or other hardware. They also have to match your existing version exactly. So if you own an upgrade edition, your second license will also be for an upgrade edition. If you need a full edition, you won’t save any money.
Of course, if you’re comfortable installing Windows from scratch, you can get the best deal on Windows by buying the software with a new hard drive or other hardware. At Newegg.com, for instance, you can purchase a full OEM version of Windows for less than the price of a retail upgrade: $93 for Home Edition, $143 for Professional. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a new hard drive, this is it.
Ed Bott 