Me to XP Pro: NTFS v FAT32, SP1/SP2, Network

[Jane Crystal]

My situation is complicated, and I felt it better to start a new post rather
than to attach this into someone else's. Before any one says I have not done
research, I have spent days and hours on the knowledge base and newsgroups.

I'm terrified to upgrade to Windows XP because of all the things I've read
that can go wrong with it, but an upgrade is the next logical step. I'm
getting frustrated with Windows Me crashing all the time. Supposedly, XP is
more secure and more stable. Since I'm not an expert, I hope some of you
that are can advise me and help me find the answers I couldn't find on my
own. Sometimes it's hard picking the right key words for searches.

I'm planning to upgrade from Me to XP Pro. Regarding your advice in another
thread that NTFS should be chosen as the file system, I have a few
questions about that.

1. There are 2 hard drives on my computer. One has the operating system,
Drive C, the other has all my files, Drive D. First, will XP setup offer me
the choice between NTFS or FAT32? I'm hoping yes.

2. If I select NTFS during XP setup, that will format Drive C to NTFS, but
Drive D will still be FAT32. Won't that cause a problem? Will I be able to
"see" and work with the files on the D drive even though they are FAT32?
What about when I try to save changes to them. Will it save as FAT32 or
NTFS?

3. This computer is connected via ethernet to 3 other computers, all of
which use legacy operating systems: Windows 95a, Windows 98SE, Windows Me.
If I use NTFS, those other computers might not be able to "see" my computer
or read its data. I heard that a Windows 9x/Me computer cannot read NTFS
data. Windows XP Home, I was told, could not support a network to a Windows
95 computer -- only Windows XP Pro can.

4. The ethernet network uses 3 protocols: TCP/IP, NetBEUI, and IPX/SPX. I
was told that Windows XP does not support the NetBEUI protocol. Does that
mean my network will not work when I upgrade to XP?

5. I also have a USB DSL 2Wire Home Portal modem attached. In a sense, that
is like a second network. The ISP is SBC Yahoo! DSL. Some of you in this
forum have stated that SP2 is incompatible with that. Is the incompatibility
due to the firewall, or something else? If it's the firewall, then I could
just either deactivate the 2 wire firewall or the XP firewall. That way only
one firewall would be active.

6. Given the above, should I format to FAT32 when I upgrade to XP? I think
yes. Once it is installed, I should have the option to convert BOTH drive C
and D to NTFS at a later date -- AFTER both hard drives have been backed up.
Right now, I have no back ups. In case XP does not work out, I do NOT want
to convert my D drive to NTFS -- because there is no backup. I don't care
about backing up C. It can always be reformatted and repartitioned. D drive
cannot. D has all the important stuff on it.

7. A new hard drive the size I'll need will cost at least $100. I intend to
buy one eventually, but right now it's more important to replace the
motherboard, memory and processor (and other hardware, so my machine is XP
compatible). The next expense after that will either be XP Pro or the extra
hard drive(s). Which do you think is more important to do first, the hard
drives or XP?

8. Given the above, should I try to purchase an upgrade version of XP Pro or
a Full Version? Why?

9. Should I get an OEM or Retail Version? Why?

10. How high a service pack, if any, can I use, due to the network
configuration and the fact that SBC Yahoo! DSL is incompatible with SP2. Can
I at least use SP1a, or not? Do you have to have NTFS to use SP2?

Thanks for your patience. If I think of any more questions that are related
to this, I'll follow up with them here in this thread.

 

[Jane Crystal]

Forgot to include my system specs:

CURRENT:

Windows Me
MSI (MicroStar) MS-6337-LE5 mainboard
Intel 815EP Chipset
384 MB 168pin SDRAM (not DDR)
AGP 2x/4x Nvidia Vanta LT TNT2 M64 8MB RAM
Onboard Sound AC97
USB 2.0/FireWire PCI Card
USB 1.1 Scanner
USB 2.0 DSL Modem 2Wire Home Portal
56k V90 Data Fax Voice Modem
Netgear FA310TX 10/100 PCI Ethernet Card
Drive C: Maxtor 40GB (Windows & apps only)
Drive D: Maxtor 120GB (data only)
Drive E: LG CDROM 40x
Drive F: Samsung SM-152B CDRW-DVDROM
Drive G: USB 1.1 SmartMedia Writer
Drive H: USB 1.1 Flash Drive 128MB
Drive I: USB 2.0 Ext. Hard Drive 10G (not big enough to back up either C or
D.)
200w Power Supply
Two free PCI slots (5 total/3 used)

AFTER COMPUTER SHOP UPGRADE:

Windows Me (XP Pro will come later)
Either Abit VA-10 or Abit SG-72 mainboard (depending on which processor I
choose)
Either AMD Athlon XP 2800 or Pentium 4 2.4GHz CPU (can't decide which is
better)
256+ DDR333 RAM
Onboard Video (8x AGP slot is available, so I can later get a Nvidia GeForce
FX5200, or I can use my existing 4x Nvidia card)
Onboard Sound (AC-97 16-bit)
Onboard LAN (frees one PCI slot)USB 1.1 Scanner (plan to upgrade this later,
have newer drivers for XP)
USB 2.0/FireWire Card
USB 2.0 DSL Modem 2Wire Home Portal
56k V90 Data Fax Voice Modem (a newer one)
Drive C: Maxtor 40GB (Windows & apps only)
Drive D: Maxtor 120GB (data only)
Drive E: LG CDROM 40x
Drive F: Samsung SM-152B CDRW-DVDROM
Drive G: USB 1.1 SmartMedia Writer
Drive H: USB 1.1 Flash Drive 128MB
Drive I: USB 2.0 Ext. Hard Drive 10G (not big enough to back up either C or
D.)
600w Power Supply
One free PCI slot (3 total/2 used)

 

[Jane Crystal]

It's a shame you can't edit the posts you make. I forgot to mention my
printer: Lexmark Z42, parallel port. Scanner is a Ulead 1200UB, USB 1.1
After running the XP Pro Upgrade Advisor, it only found problems with my
printer, my scanner, and my fax software (along with some other misc.
programs). With the updated drivers I downloaded, there should be no problem
with those devices. I was more worried about my video card than anything
else, but the XP scanner didn't find a problem with that.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

See below.

My situation is complicated, and I felt it better to start a new post rather
than to attach this into someone else's. Before any one says I have not done
research, I have spent days and hours on the knowledge base and newsgroups.

I'm terrified to upgrade to Windows XP because of all the things I've read
that can go wrong with it, but an upgrade is the next logical step. I'm
getting frustrated with Windows Me crashing all the time. Supposedly, XP is
more secure and more stable. Since I'm not an expert, I hope some of you
that are can advise me and help me find the answers I couldn't find on my
own. Sometimes it's hard picking the right key words for searches.

I'm planning to upgrade from Me to XP Pro. Regarding your advice in another
thread that NTFS should be chosen as the file system, I have a few
questions about that.

1. There are 2 hard drives on my computer. One has the operating system,
Drive C, the other has all my files, Drive D. First, will XP setup offer me
the choice between NTFS or FAT32? I'm hoping yes.

*** Having the OS on drive C: and your data on drive D: is an excellent
*** idea. And yes, you do get the choice of converting any drive to NTFS.
*** You can do it at any time: Running the command convert c: /fs:ntfs
*** will do it for drive C:.

2. If I select NTFS during XP setup, that will format Drive C to NTFS, but
Drive D will still be FAT32. Won't that cause a problem? Will I be able to
"see" and work with the files on the D drive even though they are FAT32?
What about when I try to save changes to them. Will it save as FAT32 or
NTFS?

*** WinXP can read both file systems with equal ease. The two drives
*** can use different files systems - it does not matter. If C: is NTFS and
*** D: is FAT32 then all files on drive C: are saved in NTFS format, those
*** on D: in FAT32 format.

3. This computer is connected via ethernet to 3 other computers, all of
which use legacy operating systems: Windows 95a, Windows 98SE, Windows Me.
If I use NTFS, those other computers might not be able to "see" my computer
or read its data. I heard that a Windows 9x/Me computer cannot read NTFS
data. Windows XP Home, I was told, could not support a network to a Windows
95 computer -- only Windows XP Pro can.

*** The file system is irrelevant for networking. The so-called "redirector"
handles
*** all such issues. A networked Win95 machine will not be "aware" that the
*** remote file system is NFTS. It will simply see files and folders.

4. The ethernet network uses 3 protocols: TCP/IP, NetBEUI, and IPX/SPX. I
was told that Windows XP does not support the NetBEUI protocol. Does that
mean my network will not work when I upgrade to XP?

*** I don't know about WinXP and NetBEUI but I wonder why you bother with
*** all these protocols. I like to apply the KISS principle and use one
single
*** universal protocol: TCP/IP.

5. I also have a USB DSL 2Wire Home Portal modem attached. In a sense, that
is like a second network. The ISP is SBC Yahoo! DSL. Some of you in this
forum have stated that SP2 is incompatible with that. Is the incompatibility
due to the firewall, or something else? If it's the firewall, then I could
just either deactivate the 2 wire firewall or the XP firewall. That way only
one firewall would be active.

*** The WinXP firewall is very basic. If your USB firewall is more advanced
*** then you should use it and disable the WinXP firewall.

6. Given the above, should I format to FAT32 when I upgrade to XP? I think
yes. Once it is installed, I should have the option to convert BOTH drive C
and D to NTFS at a later date -- AFTER both hard drives have been backed up.
Right now, I have no back ups. In case XP does not work out, I do NOT want
to convert my D drive to NTFS -- because there is no backup. I don't care
about backing up C. It can always be reformatted and repartitioned. D drive
cannot. D has all the important stuff on it.

*** Load WinXP first, wait a week, then convert to NTFS.

7. A new hard drive the size I'll need will cost at least $100. I intend to
buy one eventually, but right now it's more important to replace the
motherboard, memory and processor (and other hardware, so my machine is XP
compatible). The next expense after that will either be XP Pro or the extra
hard drive(s). Which do you think is more important to do first, the hard
drives or XP?

*** See below.

8. Given the above, should I try to purchase an upgrade version of XP Pro or
a Full Version? Why?

*** See below.

9. Should I get an OEM or Retail Version? Why?

*** See below.

10. How high a service pack, if any, can I use, due to the network
configuration and the fact that SBC Yahoo! DSL is incompatible with SP2. Can
I at least use SP1a, or not? Do you have to have NTFS to use SP2?

*** Don't know.

Thanks for your patience. If I think of any more questions that are related
to this, I'll follow up with them here in this thread.

Here are some additional comments.
- WinME and WinXP are completely different beasts. One is based on
DOS, the other on WinNT. While you can convert from ME to XP,
the end result will be the sum of many compromises. If your ME
installation
is unstable then you risk that WinXP will be unstable too. If this was my
PC then I would start from scratch like so:
1. Buy a small hard disk. 10 GBytes will do. You might even get a
second hand one from a dealer - it's likely to be from a PC that needed
a larger disk.
2. Buy WinXP Professional Upgrade. The installation program will prompt
you for your WinME CD. If you still decide to upgrade your WinME
installation then you can use the same CD. If you buy an OEM version
then you cannot use it for an upgrade.
3. Install WinXP on the new disk, then re-install all your programs.
4. If you don't like the result, re-install your old disk.
5. If you decide to upgrade instead, use a cloning program to copy your
existing drive C: to the new disk, then upgrade the new disk to WinXP.
If you don't like the result, re-install your old disk!

- WinXP Pro or Home? WinXP Home Edition lacks the following features:
* Remote desktop (very nice when accessing your PC from somewhere else)
* Domain validation (only useful in a server environment)
* EFS (Encryption File System) (useful if you have very sensitive stuff)
* Device driver rollback, last known configuration, system rollback
* IIS
* Multiple CPUs
* Multiple language support
See also http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/evaluation/features.asp
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp

- Hardware or XP first? Definitely the hardware. If you install WinXP
on your current hardware then you will have to re-install it for the
new motherboard. You will also face a battle with Microsoft because
XP won't re-register.

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Jane,

I'll just append a little comment to this question here.

I think, in the long run there is no way around current service
packs. The manufacturer of SBC Yahoo! DSL will have to modify
the product to make it compatible. I actually believe they will
have to do this pretty soon. (I don't know that product, and I
don't even know whether it's hardware or software or both. But
this doesn't matter. My statement holds either way.)

Meanwhile you can use Service Pack 1a.

No, you don't have to use NTFS to use SP2, but I generally
recommend NTFS over FAT32 because of its robustness.

Hans-Georg

 

[Tim]

In addition to Pegasus comments:

The ideal would be a new install of XP with a reinstallation of all
software - this way you ditch all remnants accumulated in Windows ME and end
up with a fast clean new system. You also get the opportunity to reformat
the disc drive which is a good thing.

The idea of using a 10GB disc drive as a Test Drive for XP is good. You
could also temporarily install XP onto your D drive if you have a few GB
free just to see how things go. If you run XP setup and install it onto the
D drive, you will end up with a dual boot system - IE the choice of XP or ME
during system start-up. There will be a little tidying at the end of the
process if you decide to get rid of the XP dual boot on the D drive and
revert for any reason. You will be able to verify that all hardware and
drivers work as expected without having to acquire anything else other than
XP.

You could also parallel install all critical applications to verify that
they work correctly under XP if you have doubts (don't install over the top
of the existing files on your C drive, use the new Program Files folder on
D: for this and delete it when you ditch the XP on D: ). Be prepared to
trash the XP install on D and start with this intention. This gives you an
opportunity to fix / clarify whatever the issues are with your USB internet
connection.

If you find after all this testing that XP install is straight forward - it
should be, then you open up your options as you gain confidence. You could
then consider using the File and Settings Transfer (Migration) Wizard
(migwiz.exe) to back up all files under ME that are unique to it (EG
mailbox, favourites, the painful stuff etc.), reformat you C drive and start
afresh without the need to get another drive. IF you are going to use
migwiz, then get the latest version from www.microsoft.com/downloads.

For each hardware item you have you should check to see if there are XP
specific device drivers. For the motherboard, check its revision level
(usually printed on them near the model number) and go to the manufacturers
web site and check for drivers there. Check your bios revision level - it
should be OK, but you never know if there is something XP specific. Do a
complete virus and spyware scan before attempting to install XP. Disconnect
the internet when installing XP. If you can, get hold of XP Service Pack 2
before you start so that you will be able to install that immediately XP is
installed and *BEFORE* you reconnect the internet. You will end up with a
more secure system and one which is likely to stay that way...

You have a grace period when XP is installed during which the registration
wizard will nag you. If you use this period for testing without registering
then you have no consequences when it comes to whatever you next step is.

If you can, do a clean install of XP onto your C drive by deleting the
partition on it and recreating it during XP install. Obviously you will need
to backup all data from the C drive using migwiz and check carefully prior
to doing this. If you use either the dual boot method to check your system,
or the extra disc drive method you should already have a lot of certainty
and experience of what to do, what to back up before you delete C: and so
on.

AMD or Intel? Of the two processors you refer to, the AMD would give better
performance. Expect to see some price drops for Intel about now, and expect
AMD to follow. Considering the shopping list of hardware you are looking at,
it may not be too much more expensive to get a whole new machine... with XP
OEM (shave off a few dollars there). 256 MB Ram is about minimum memory for
XP IMHO.

IPX / Netbeui: you will need to ditch both. You may find that your TCP/IP is
not configured correctly for your internal network because of the presence
of Netbeui which needs no configuration to work. So, each machine needs a
unique address (EG in the 192.168.0.x subnet - use 1, 2, 3 etc - don't use 0
or 255), each needs to have the same subnet mask (255.255.255.0), and the
same WORKGROUP. You may have to reconfigure all 3 to use TCP/IP correctly
and in the process ditch IPX & Netbeiu on the two other machines.

All service pack levels of XP support NTFS and as you are no doubt aware,
NTFS is the much preferred file system.

HTH
- Tim

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

In addition to Pegasus comments:

The ideal would be a new install of XP with a reinstallation of all
software - this way you ditch all remnants accumulated in Windows ME and end
up with a fast clean new system. You also get the opportunity to reformat
the disc drive which is a good thing.

The idea of using a 10GB disc drive as a Test Drive for XP is good. You
could also temporarily install XP onto your D drive if you have a few GB
free just to see how things go. If you run XP setup and install it onto the
D drive, you will end up with a dual boot system - IE the choice of XP or ME
during system start-up. There will be a little tidying at the end of the
process if you decide to get rid of the XP dual boot on the D drive and
revert for any reason.

Installing WinXP on drive D: is fine for testing purposes. Unfortunately it
will also has some consequences, because when the testing is finished you
will be left with two choices:

- Maintain drive C: with its WinXP boot files, or
- Re-install WinXP on drive C:.

The reason is simple: If WinXP sees the light of the day on drive D:
then it must always run on drive D:. You cannot shift it to drive C:,
e.g. by removing the disk for drive C: and forcing drive D: to become
drive C:. It simply will not work, even if you created a proper boot
environment on the new drive C:.

 

[Tim]

Hi,

I thought I stated quite clearly that the install on D would be for testing
and that if a trial install of XP is placed on D it is installed with the
intention from the outset of a) not registering it, and b) ditching it when
testing is complete. This is legitimate under MS license terms too.

There is nothing wrong with this method - so long as the person has some
common sense, is willing to learn, is not a Press the Delete key and answer
Yes then wonder what they did type person. Jane's research indicates to me
that she is sensible and starts with research and knowledge. The parallel
install method is a method that should be used more often and encourages
people to use temporary installations of Windows to solve problems without
affecting the existing system. The technique is also quite essential in
recovering a Windows system from backup should EG a disc drive fail.

Much too often people look at steps such as installing Windows as a once
only process and that it must be right first time. Doing a trial install
gives the person the opportunity to experience the process, learn, and
validate / overcome all issues prior to the actual install or upgrade. It
also means that the person is less likely to fret about making mistakes, and
if one is made, the consequences are much less - the person has the
opportunity to learn from mistakes. The only issues are to do with the
remnants of the operating system when it is removed which are easily tidied
(IE boot files), the inclination some people have to turn a test system into
a production system (never do this), the possibility that the user may do an
over the top install of an application during testing (over the top of the
exiting C drive version) and create some minor problems with the current
production system in the process, or an catastrophic error in disc
partitioning / formating - which is always possible. There are further
benefits as it gives the user the opportunity to identify issues with
drivers, bios versions, software CD's, license keys, compatability, data
that needs to be backed up and so on.

While the points you raise are perfectly valid, I did not suggest anything
along the lines - Jane's D drive is for data and should stay that way long
term. I was inclined to this solution since when one has a finite budget,
buying a 10GB disc drive for even $10 is a waste of money if there is a
perfectly viable alternative.

- Tim

 

[Jane Crystal]

Tim, I am not sure which migration wizard you refer to. I went to Microsoft
Download Ctr and there is no download called "migwiz" or "file & settings
transfer wizard." I next did a search on all of Microsoft. The following
were found.

Active Directory Migration Tool v2.0
Exchange Server 2003 Interoperability & Migration Guide
GroupWise Migration Wizard Auto Demo
Internet Info Svcs (IIS) 6.0 Migration Wizard
Lotus Notes Migration Wizard Demo
Lotus cc:Mail Release 8.x vs Exchange 2000
Mail Migration Wizard Auto Demos
Project 2002: Save My Settings Wizard
Solution Accelerator (File/Print Servers from NT4)
User State Migration Tools (Windows Update site)
Using Exchange Converter for Novell GroupWise

Which of these is the one you are talking about? I am guessing it's the one
called "User State Migration Tools" from the Windows Update site. Since I do
not yet have XP, I will have to download them from the Windows Update
Catalog rather than regular Windows Update, but there are multiple choices
under Windows Update that I do not understand:

XP RTM
XP SP1
XP SP2

XP Professional Edition RTM
XP Professional Edition SP1
XP Professional Edition SP2

Please explain the difference between the following. What is RTM? Does
SP1/SP2 mean your XP version came with SP1/SP2 preinstalled or that you now
have SP1 installed? There are more downloads by far for XP RTM, XP SP1, XP
SP2 (first group) than there are for XP Pro RTM, XP Pro SP1, XP Pro SP2
(second group). If I select the appropriate choice under XP Pro in the
second group, do I still need any of the downloads under the first group?

--

Excerpt from Original Message from Tim:

You could then consider using the File and Settings Transfer (Migration)
Wizard (migwiz.exe) to back up all files under ME that are unique to it (EG
mailbox, favourites, the painful stuff etc.), reformat you C drive and start
afresh without the need to get another drive. IF you are going to use
migwiz, then get the latest version from www.microsoft.com/downloads.

 

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

Tim, I am not sure which migration wizard you refer to. I went to
Microsoft Download Ctr and there is no download called "migwiz" or
"file & settings transfer wizard." I next did a search on all of
Microsoft. The following were found.

Active Directory Migration Tool v2.0
Exchange Server 2003 Interoperability & Migration Guide
GroupWise Migration Wizard Auto Demo
Internet Info Svcs (IIS) 6.0 Migration Wizard
Lotus Notes Migration Wizard Demo
Lotus cc:Mail Release 8.x vs Exchange 2000
Mail Migration Wizard Auto Demos
Project 2002: Save My Settings Wizard
Solution Accelerator (File/Print Servers from NT4)
User State Migration Tools (Windows Update site)
Using Exchange Converter for Novell GroupWise

Which of these is the one you are talking about? I am guessing it's
the one called "User State Migration Tools" from the Windows Update
site. Since I do not yet have XP, I will have to download them from
the Windows Update Catalog rather than regular Windows Update, but
there are multiple choices under Windows Update that I do not
understand:

XP RTM
XP SP1
XP SP2

XP Professional Edition RTM
XP Professional Edition SP1
XP Professional Edition SP2

Please explain the difference between the following. What is RTM? Does
SP1/SP2 mean your XP version came with SP1/SP2 preinstalled or that
you now have SP1 installed? There are more downloads by far for XP
RTM, XP SP1, XP SP2 (first group) than there are for XP Pro RTM, XP
Pro SP1, XP Pro SP2 (second group). If I select the appropriate
choice under XP Pro in the second group, do I still need any of the
downloads under the first group?

Jane

File & Settings Transfer Wizard:
http://aumha.org/win5/a/fast.htm

HOW TO: Use Files and Settings Transfer Wizard in Windows XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=293118

How To Use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard By Using the Windows XP
CD-ROM:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=306186



RTM = Release To Manufacturing
This is the original or "Gold" first release of a product when the Beta
testing is complete.

XP has been through several updates.

SP1= the first major update.
SP1a = a second, interim update.
SP2 = The current update that was recently released.

Installing SP2 includes all of the previous updates that were included with
SP1 and SP1a. There is no need to install SP1 or SP1a prior to installing
SP2 on an XP RTM version. This applies to both the Pro and Home editions of
Windows XP.


--
Regards,

Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
http://www.dts-l.org
http://www.mvps.org

 

[Jane Crystal]

Responses to your comments.

D DRIVE
My D Drive is only for data, and I'd like to keep it that way. If I try to
put XP on there, even as a test, I fear my data could be lost or corrupted.I
do not know how to properly remove XP from D so that my data remains intact.

If I put XP on an empty drive, I can just reformat & repartition to get rid
of XP, as you suggested. I like the idea of installing all the service packs
before installing some of my hardware and apps. I will disconnect my
printer, scanner, and other USB devices during the XP test installation.
However, one of the knowledge base articles I read indicated that the
drivers on C may cause a problem for my E installation. Sorry, I do not
recall the KB article number.

There are administrative install points on my D drive for Office 2000
Premium and other applications. XP must be put on a drive other than C and
D. No matter how I switch IDE configuration, D drive must always be D, or it
will screw up my Office installation on C.

I already have a 10GB hard drive, as stated in the specs I provided in an
earlier post, so there is no need to purchase one for this test. The 10G
drive is not large enough to back up either C or D, but it is large enough
for an XP test. I intend to use the same Office administrative installation
points on D for the XP test on E.

After XP is configured with service packs, I'll install all hardware, the
apps I'm most concerned with, and try to get the network and DSL working.
See the NETWORK section below.

CURRENT IDE CONFIGURATION
Primary Master
C: 40GB (Windows Me & apps only)
Secondary Master
D: 120GB (data only)
Primary Slave
E: CDROM
Secondary Slave
F: CDRW+DVDROM

XP TEST CONFIGURATION
Primary Master
C: 40GB (Windows Me & apps only)
Primary Slave
D: 120GB (data only)
Secondary Master
E: 10GB (Windows XP & apps only)
Secondary Slave
F: CDRW+DVDROM

QUESTIONS
1. By removing the CDROM drive and putting my 10G drive as the new Drive E
for Windows XP Pro, there is no available bay to hold the drive. Is it all
right if the drive just hangs loosly on the IDE cable? My current case only
has two 3.5" bays, and they're being used by C and D. I know that once I
disconnect the CDROM and hook up the hard drive, I have to go into my BIOS
to do an IDE auto detect before booting up the system. Is there anything
else I need to do before installing XP on E?

E has already been formatted as FAT32 and cleaned with Norton Wipe. If the
drive needs to be partitioned/formatted by XP, will the XP setup CD give me
the option to do it? I think I would like to try formatting it as NTFS. Then
I can truly see how it affects my network, but I do not know if the XP setup
will give me this option.

2. C and D are Maxtor hard drives. The 10G drive, which will become E, is
Western Digital. Western Digital has weird jumper settings compared to other
hard drives. Given my suggested configuration above, what must the jumpers
on the WD drive be set to? Are there problems with using Maxtor and WD
drives on the same computer?

3. If the test goes well, what is the suggested hard drive size for running
XP Pro? (I don't mean the minimum size, but the size that would be best
considering the many apps I have, and/or will have.) I'm thinking 80G drive
minimum, but would a 40G drive be sufficient for XP Pro as it is for Windows
Me? Or, do you need to know what apps I'm running, and/or will be running,
to be able to answer this? I can list the apps in a separate post, if you
need this.

Largest ones (most resource intensive) are Office 2000 Premium, Norton
SystemWorks 2004 Pro, Acrobat 6, QuickBooks Pro 99, Money 2002 Deluxe &
Business, but there are many other smaller ones. I do not yet have Adobe
Photoshop 7, PageMaker, QuickBooks Pro 2004 (upgrade), or Money 2004 Small
Business -- but will someday when price comes down. Cannot afford Office XP
or Office 2003.

4. If the test goes well, what is the recommended memory size for running XP
Pro? Some of you said 256MB minimum. What is recommended? 512MB? More?

5. The OEM version does not seem to be very desirable. You can't use it as
an upgrade, and you have no tech support from Microsoft. A few knowledge
base articles mention it won't work for other things either. Therefore, I
need a retail version.

Should I get an upgrade or full version? Can the full retail version also be
used as an upgrade? I do not know if I will keep Windows Me on Drive C after
the test. I may decide to wipe it out and install XP on Drive C, or I may
reinstall XP right overtop Me it if the full retail version will let me do
that, or I may keep a dual boot system and just reinstall XP on a larger
size Drive E. This will either be 40G, 80G or 120G. It will be a Maxtor
drive, so all of my hard drives will be Maxtor (except the 10G drive, which
I can continue using for minimal backups or tests).

6. To actually do the installation of XP, should I be in Windows Me to do
install XP on Drive E, or should I boot from the XP CD and install it that
way? I'm thinking the second option, according to knowledge base article
305873 and 306559. If I do it from within Windows, I only get options to
install on C to replace the existing Me installation, not add a separate
installation.

7. If I must be at the DOS level to install XP, I'm concerned that my drive
letters might change due to virtual partition, which sometimes happens when
you use a startup disk or boot CD. If I decide on a new 120G drive for XP,
then at this DOS level, how will I know which 120G drive is the one has all
my data and which is empty? I wouldn't want to partition/format the wrong
one and wipe out all my data on D.

8. Will the XP setup CD in DOS allow me to choose the installation location?
I'm assuming it will let me put it on Drive E, not Drive C. How do I do
that? Just indicate the correct path during setup to E:\Windows instead of
C:\Windows? I've read that in some cases, I will not be given the choice.
See knowledge base article 305873. Does this also pertain to Windows Me?

9. Is it possible to do an administrative installation of XP? Then I don't
have to keep putting my CD in every time I update it, and this will extend
the life of my CDROM. I did this for Office 2000. Example: Copy all XP Pro
CD files onto Drive D path D:\CD\XPproCD. Install XP from folder on Drive D
onto Drive E rather than from a CDROM. The question is, how do I tell DOS
that I want to do this if I boot from XP CD? Boot from Me startup disk
instead? What do I do next?

10. Will System Restore be affected in either Windows Me or XP when I have a
dual boot system? If I need to use System Restore on one operating system,
will the other be affected?

11. What are the best resource books for XP Pro? I'm purchasing the
following (one at a time due to price):
-- Windows XP Professional, 2nd Edition (Mark Minasi)
-- Windows XP Professional, 2nd Edition (Paraglyph)
-- Windows XP Professional Resource Kit (Microsoft)
I would also like to have comprehensive books on the Windows XP Pro registry
as well as networking. Often I need to edit registry settings, especially
for manual removal of certain stubborn programs, i.e., Norton. Any
suggestions on more books that may be helpful?

NETWORK
I do not know if the network will work with TCP/IP as the only protocol. I
will go ahead and test this now by removing NetBEUI and IPX/SPX to see if
the network still functions. If it does not, any suggestions how I can get
around that problem?

All of the 4 computers here at home (2 desktops and 2 laptops) are connected
by 10/100 ethernet and have the same workgroup. Each machine has a unique
computer name and IP address. For security, the complete IP address has not
been provided here. All have the same subnet mask 255.255.255.0.

This is a peer-to-peer network, not a client/server network. We share files,
folders, drives, and printers. No internet connection sharing. Each computer
can connect independently to the internet via dial-up modem (except the
Windows 95a machine). Each has Norton AntiVirus (SystemWorks), Spybot S&D,
and Ad-Aware SE Personal (except the Windows 95a machine, due to system
requirements). Only mine has the DSL. Only mine has a firewall.

The laptops are usually powered off. If I need to turn them on to transfer
files from my computer, I usually disconnect the DSL modem and my
boyfriend's machine as a precaution. I've been after my boyfriend to get a
firewall on his machine. He'll get around to it eventually.

Desktop #1: Windows Me, P3, 1.3GHz, 384MB RAM, 40G HDD, IP xxx.xxx.0.1 (this
computer)

Desktop #2: Windows Me, P4, 2.7GHz, 256MB RAM, 80G HDD, IP xxx.xxx.0.2
(boyfriend's)

Laptop #1: Windows 95a, P1, 90Mhz, 24MB RAM, 1.3MB HDD, IP xxx.xxx.0.3

Laptop #2: Windows 98se, P1, 133Mhz, 32MB RAM, 1.3MB HDD, IP xxx.xxx.0.4

One of the knowledge base articles I read (don't know which one) stated that
I may need to add another IP address and unique computer name If I have a
dual boot machine. For instance, if my Windows Me configuration is called
"Gateway" (not the actual name, just an example), then my Windows XP
configuration must be called something else. In addition, I may have to add
IP address xxx.xxx.0.5 as the XP configuration. Are there any other
network/firewall considerations -- especially with XP SP2?

REPAIRS & REPLACEMENTS
One of you suggested I buy a new computer. My income is only $600/month
(disability). No credit cards. Bad credit. No collateral. No financing.
Buying a new computer is not within my means. It is cheaper to upgrade the
one I have, one or two components a month. That is the best I can afford.

I get most things on eBay (from sellers with 98% or better feedback), but
the major upgrade at the repair shop is a package deal. See www.shayco.com.
I'm considering either Package D ($349, 256MB RAM) or Package E ($499, 512MB
RAM).

The question is...how long can I operate my existing computer knowing I have
bulging/leaking electrolytic capacitors. The ones that are damaged are the
large ones 1500uf 10V, and they are right near my ports and processor.
Should they blow, this board and processor will be toast. The video card and
memory could be damaged, as could my other PCI cards. The smaller caps
1000uf 6.3v are destined to fail also. They are not bulging yet, but this
could happen any time. It is a problem with this particular motherboard.

All the caps on the MSI (MicroStar) MS-6337-LE5 (6337 and 815 series) are
substandard, as mentioned at www.badcaps.net. The only thing wrong with this
board, though, is bad caps. If all the caps are replaced, the board will be
ready to install in another computer, and I can sell it.

To reduce the stress on my caps, I tried lowering the speed of my processor
to 1GHz in the BIOS, but Windows did not recognize the change and continued
to "see" the processor at 1.3GHz during POST and bootup, so I switched it
back to the 1.3GHz BIOS default.

Will the caps last the 2 months it'll take me to save money for Package D or
E, or should I go ahead with Package D as soon as my check comes in
September? Keep in mind that I must also purchase a new case. That will cost
anywhere from $30-$60 with shipping, unless I'm lucky enough to find a cheap
one at the computer fair next week.

The 600w power supply I bought in February will not fit in my existing
Gateway (proprietary) case. It is not a standard ATX case. I intend to
purchase a standard ATX case this time. My existing 200w power supply is 4
years old, and quite overstressed due to all the hardware I have (and will
have).

If I get Package D from Shayco in September, I'll have $200 or less to live
on and pay other bills with. I'm thinking it's best to split the cost of
Package D or E over 2 months...if my caps will last that long. Every day
running this machine with bad caps is a risk. I wish I had the money to pay
for it all at once.

Having my computer is the only fun thing in my life. It's hard to maintain
on my low income, especially the cost of DSL, but it's worth it. I'd go nuts
without a computer!

Thanks to all of you who are answering my questions. I looked up all the
links you suggested. Continuing to do research. Keep the answers coming.

 

[Jane Crystal]

Ronnie

When I buy XP Pro, either online or from a store, how do I know which
version it will be? What will the box say? What should I look for on the
box?

I already downloaded the full administrative (network) installs for SP1a and
SP2 in case the version I get does not have them. From your post below, all
I need is SP2 because it includes all the updates for SP1a. The version of
XP Pro that has SP2 on it is not available in stores yet to my knowledge.

Jane