I am actually quasi-serious about upgrading because (a) I believe I could use some of the features in Pro, and (b) at $100, I don't exactly consider it to be a reasonably-priced upgrade. Nevertheless, I am curious about the process because I've read conflicting reports. Does the upgrade to Pro involve some sort of actual installation or is it just a simple matter of paying for the upgrade and then activating the key (which simply "unlocks" the features in Pro)? Thanks!
Thank you, stapp. The following, stated at the link you posted, pretty much provided all of the information I needed to know: "...will install the bits needed to take your install from Home to Pro; the process does not do a complete re-install either, so your files and settings are safe."