Upgrading from Windows 98 to XP

Hi - appreciate some help, a few fairly dumb questions:

Q1 Can you purchase the XP upgrade from an MS download site?

Q2 I Have an old lap top Windows 98 witn a CD-R drive but no ability to
download from Internet. However I can d/load on anothe desktop PC I have -
can I burn XP downloads on the desktop onto a CD and then run the CD in the
laptop, and so effect the upgrade?

Q3 What happens to the various programs and files currently sitting on the
W98 during the upgrade. Cant back up externally as no CD burner and USB port
is malfunctioning. Should you uninstall W98 when finished?

Thnaks for any help - Rich

Q1 No.

Q2 This will be handy when you purchase an XP CD. It will not be handy for
Windows Updates.

Q3 Generally speaking, you shouldn't lose anything during an upgrade, but
wisdom dictates that you backup whatever you do not wish to lose. You may
also need to backup some things in case you want to uninstall XP.

How to install or upgrade to Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316941/

How to prepare to upgrade Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition to
Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316639/

Back up your computer
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316...124120121120120

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:44A45B5A-4E7E-41D0-A4CA-093A5E26D071@microsoft.com,
Richrich <Richrich@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> Hi - appreciate some help, a few fairly dumb questions:
>
> Q1 Can you purchase the XP upgrade from an MS download site?
>
> Q2 I Have an old lap top Windows 98 witn a CD-R drive but no ability to
> download from Internet. However I can d/load on anothe desktop PC I have -
> can I burn XP downloads on the desktop onto a CD and then run the CD in
> the laptop, and so effect the upgrade?
>
> Q3 What happens to the various programs and files currently sitting on the
> W98 during the upgrade. Cant back up externally as no CD burner and USB
> port is malfunctioning. Should you uninstall W98 when finished?
>
> Thnaks for any help - Rich

In news:44A45B5A-4E7E-41D0-A4CA-093A5E26D071@microsoft.com,
Richrich <Richrich@discussions.microsoft.com> replied with a ;-)
> Hi - appreciate some help, a few fairly dumb questions:
>
> Q1 Can you purchase the XP upgrade from an MS download site?
>

No Microsoft does not allow Windows XP upgrade to be purchased by download.
You can only download Windows by subscribing to MSDN.

> Q2 I Have an old lap top Windows 98 witn a CD-R drive but no ability
> to download from Internet. However I can d/load on anothe desktop PC
> I have - can I burn XP downloads on the desktop onto a CD and then
> run the CD in the laptop, and so effect the upgrade?
>

You should first check the laptop manufacturers web site for XP drivers for
your particular make and model. Laptops tend to have proprietary hardware
and need specialized drivers. Unless drivers are available, upgrading to XP
would not be advised.

> Q3 What happens to the various programs and files currently sitting
> on the W98 during the upgrade. Cant back up externally as no CD
> burner and USB port is malfunctioning. Should you uninstall W98 when
> finished?
>

Backup and prep as if you were doing a clean install. Since you say you
can't do this at this time, you should not attempt the upgrade until you
can.
If you have a PCMCIA slot, you can get a USB card and a external CDRW or
hard drive. You should do this anyway if your data is at all important to
you.

> Thnaks for any help - Rich

Thnaks Wes

"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

> Q1 No.
>
> Q2 This will be handy when you purchase an XP CD. It will not be handy for
> Windows Updates.
>
> Q3 Generally speaking, you shouldn't lose anything during an upgrade, but
> wisdom dictates that you backup whatever you do not wish to lose. You may
> also need to backup some things in case you want to uninstall XP.
>
> How to install or upgrade to Windows XP
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316941/
>
> How to prepare to upgrade Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition to
> Windows XP
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316639/
>
> Back up your computer
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316...124120121120120
>
> --
> Hope this helps. Let us know.
>
> Wes
> MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
>
> In news:44A45B5A-4E7E-41D0-A4CA-093A5E26D071@microsoft.com,
> Richrich <Richrich@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:
> > Hi - appreciate some help, a few fairly dumb questions:
> >
> > Q1 Can you purchase the XP upgrade from an MS download site?
> >
> > Q2 I Have an old lap top Windows 98 witn a CD-R drive but no ability to
> > download from Internet. However I can d/load on anothe desktop PC I have -
> > can I burn XP downloads on the desktop onto a CD and then run the CD in
> > the laptop, and so effect the upgrade?
> >
> > Q3 What happens to the various programs and files currently sitting on the
> > W98 during the upgrade. Cant back up externally as no CD burner and USB
> > port is malfunctioning. Should you uninstall W98 when finished?
> >
> > Thnaks for any help - Rich
>
>

Thnaks Michael, good advice

"Michael Stevens" wrote:

> In news:44A45B5A-4E7E-41D0-A4CA-093A5E26D071@microsoft.com,
> Richrich <Richrich@discussions.microsoft.com> replied with a ;-)
> > Hi - appreciate some help, a few fairly dumb questions:
> >
> > Q1 Can you purchase the XP upgrade from an MS download site?
> >
>
> No Microsoft does not allow Windows XP upgrade to be purchased by download.
> You can only download Windows by subscribing to MSDN.
>
> > Q2 I Have an old lap top Windows 98 witn a CD-R drive but no ability
> > to download from Internet. However I can d/load on anothe desktop PC
> > I have - can I burn XP downloads on the desktop onto a CD and then
> > run the CD in the laptop, and so effect the upgrade?
> >
>
> You should first check the laptop manufacturers web site for XP drivers for
> your particular make and model. Laptops tend to have proprietary hardware
> and need specialized drivers. Unless drivers are available, upgrading to XP
> would not be advised.
>
> > Q3 What happens to the various programs and files currently sitting
> > on the W98 during the upgrade. Cant back up externally as no CD
> > burner and USB port is malfunctioning. Should you uninstall W98 when
> > finished?
> >
>
> Backup and prep as if you were doing a clean install. Since you say you
> can't do this at this time, you should not attempt the upgrade until you
> can.
> If you have a PCMCIA slot, you can get a USB card and a external CDRW or
> hard drive. You should do this anyway if your data is at all important to
> you.
>
> > Thnaks for any help - Rich
>
>
>