Can I upgrade from 98 without a 98 disk?

[JS]

I want to upgrade to XP home from 98SE. I have an HP system that did not
include a Win98 disk. I have a valid 98 OEM license. The product key
sticker is still on the side of the pc case. My question is: Will the
upgrade process require inserting a 98 install cd or will the CD product
key be sufficient? I want to wipe the old OS completely and start with a
fresh install of XP.

Many Thanks

 

[Mike Brannigan [MSFT]]

I want to upgrade to XP home from 98SE. I have an HP system that did not
include a Win98 disk. I have a valid 98 OEM license. The product key
sticker is still on the side of the pc case. My question is: Will the
upgrade process require inserting a 98 install cd or will the CD product
key be sufficient? I want to wipe the old OS completely and start with a
fresh install of XP.

JS,

No, if you wish to do a clean install you will need to be able to present
the media during the setup.
Your current option is an inplace upgrade.

--

Regards,

Mike
--
Mike Brannigan [Microsoft]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights

Please note I cannot respond to e-mailed questions, please use these
newsgroups

 

[NoNoBadDog!]

If you wish to wipe your drive, then the answer is...

it depends on the type of Windows XP disk you bought. There are three
kinds...

1. OEM
2. Upgrade
3. Full

If you have anything but the FULL version, you cannot wipe your drive. The
reason is is that during the installation process, after your disc is
wiped/partitioned/formatted, the upgrade will ask for proof of a prior
version of windows, and you would need a Win98 CD to verify prior OS.

The OEM is also, I believe, clean install only, and requires a prior OS to
install. I may be wrong on this part, as I have never used an OEM disc.
With OEM, you will also get no support from Microsoft. The support will
come from the vendor who sold you the OEM disc, so you must consider their
level of expertise when choosing this option.

Your best bet is to buy a FULL retail version. This will allow you to wipe
your drive and do a clean install without proof of a prior OS.

The 25 digit code that came with your computer is OEM. That code will not
work with any other version of windows, even as proof of ownership of a
prior version. When installation looks for proof of prior version, it will
look on the boot drive first. If it does not find a copy of Windows, the
installation routine will pause and ask you for proof of a prior version.
This is where you would temporarily swap the CD's. Setup will verify the
previous version, then prompt you to put the WinXP CD back in and finish
installation.

Even if you had the Restore disk set that came with your computer, it would
not qualify, generally speaking, as an upgrade path. Each OEM version of
windows on Restore Set CDs is different.

In short...best scenario is to buy the FULL version of Windows XP. I would
recommend downloading the network install of SP2, and slipstreaming it into
the installation CD. This will save you at lest a couple of hours on
installation (assuming you have broadband). There is a really neat little
utility called Autostreamer that makes slipstreaming painless. Here are a
couple of good links;

Explanation of Slipstreaming using Autostreamer:

http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=188337

Autostreamer:

http://mhtools.knoware.nl/raptor/autostreamer/AutoStreamer.zip

Bobby

 

[Donald McDaniel]

If you wish to wipe your drive, then the answer is...

it depends on the type of Windows XP disk you bought. There are three
kinds...

1. OEM
2. Upgrade
3. Full

If you have anything but the FULL version, you cannot wipe your drive. The
reason is is that during the installation process, after your disc is
wiped/partitioned/formatted, the upgrade will ask for proof of a prior
version of windows, and you would need a Win98 CD to verify prior OS.

This statement is totally incorrect. An upgrade disk will allow you
to do either an upgrade, or a clean install, IF you have a previous
Windows 9x/ME/NT4/2k disk.

The OEM is also, I believe, clean install only, and requires a prior OS to
install. I may be wrong on this part, as I have never used an OEM disc.
With OEM, you will also get no support from Microsoft. The support will
come from the vendor who sold you the OEM disc, so you must consider their
level of expertise when choosing this option.

This is partially true: While an OEM disk can only be used to perform
a clean install, a previous version of Windows is not required..

Your best bet is to buy a FULL retail version. This will allow you to wipe
your drive and do a clean install without proof of a prior OS.

His almost only bet is to purchase a full Retail version.
However, I suggest that he can purchase a "FULL OEM" copy of XP Pro
for less than $130, and an older Windows 95 CD (contrary to many
posts, a Windows 95 CD may be used as proof of a previous version of
Windows) for less than $30.
The CD product key of Windows 98 cannot be used as proof as a previous
version of Windows. There MUST be either an existing installation of
Windows 9x/ME/NT/2k on the HD, or one of their installation CDs must
be inserted to provide proof of an existing version.

Donald L McDaniel
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