Need advice on clean install or upgrade

[eXistenZ]

Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
Version: 5.00.2195 Service Pack 4

About to try WinXP Proff.
I have the CD.

I downloaded and ran the Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft
and it reported no problems with my system.

My main question is:
Do I perform clean install or an upgrade ?
I read so much about how a clean install
is superior to an upgrade but wish to avoid the
tedious resetting / reinstalling process and I am told
an upgrade will keep my basic settings and currently
installed programs...( ? )

 

[Andrei Ungureanu]

I always recommend a clean install.
If you'll do an upgrade probably you'll save a couple of hours for not
reinstalling all the applications ... but you'll lose more time in the next
days trying to fix problems (problems that will not happen with a clean
install).

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
Version: 5.00.2195 Service Pack 4

About to try WinXP Proff.
I have the CD.

I downloaded and ran the Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft
and it reported no problems with my system.

My main question is:
Do I perform clean install or an upgrade ?
I read so much about how a clean install
is superior to an upgrade but wish to avoid the
tedious resetting / reinstalling process and I am told
an upgrade will keep my basic settings and currently
installed programs...( ? )

Some people will always recommend that you perform a clean
installation, rather than upgrade over an earlier OS. For the most
part, I feel that these people, while well-meaning, are living in the
past, and are basing their recommendation on their experiences with
older operating systems. You'd probably save a lot of time by upgrading
your PC to WinXP, rather than performing a clean installation, if you've
no hardware or software incompatibilities, and if your current OS has no
problems. Microsoft has greatly improved (over earlier versions of
Windows) WinXP's ability to smoothly upgrade an earlier OS.

WinXP is designed to install and upgrade the existing operating
system while simultaneously preserving your applications and data, and
translating as many personalized settings as possible. The process is
designed to be, and normally is, quite painless. That said, things
can go wrong, in a small number of cases. If your data is at all
important to you, back it up before proceeding.

Have you made sure that your PC's hardware components are capable
of supporting WinXP? This information will be found at the PC's
manufacturer's web site, and on Microsoft's Windows Catalog:
(http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx) Additionally, run
Microsoft WinXP Upgrade Advisor to see if you have any incompatible
hardware components or applications.

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I always recommend a clean install.
If you'll do an upgrade probably you'll save a couple of hours for not
reinstalling all the applications ... but you'll lose more time in the next
days trying to fix problems (problems that will not happen with a clean
install).

Please identify the specific "problems" that you say an upgrade from
Win2K to WinXP Pro will definitely *cause.* Can't name a single one,
can you?


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[eXistenZ]

Thankyou Bruce

I did not see Office 2000 which I assume will work on XP...will it?

Well I guess I will take your advice and go for the upgrade option.
I feel pretty confidant that I can resolve any problems once the upgrade
is installed...we shall see.

Once again, thanks for your reply

eXistenZ
========================

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Thankyou Bruce

You're welcome.

I did not see Office 2000 which I assume will work on XP...will it?

Yes, Office 2K works fine on WinXP. One additional warning, though.
If you happen to be using a Symantec antivirus application, especially
Norton Antivirus, it's best to uninstall it before performing the
upgrade, and reinstall it. Should you ever want to remove or upgrade
NAV at some later date, the removal/upgrade frequently becomes
troublesome if it was present during an upgrade.



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Andrei Ungureanu]

You've said "if you've no hardware or software incompatibilities, and if
your current OS has no problems". How can you check that?? How can you be
sure?? Why it is recommended that before an upgrade to do a backup of your
system? You've said about Symantec Antivirus ?? But what about some other
antivirus products?? What about Roxio Goback or Easy CD Creator?
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330134
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=311466
Are you sure there are no other software that can cause problems? What about
drivers?
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330182
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310740

Or just some things you don't know about from your old operating system.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=326687

On a server it's a different story. It's somehow a controlled environment
where you know most of the installed software, updates, etc. On a
workstation full with crap (because that is the true .. 50% percent of
software installed on a workstation is not used ...but instead it will slow
down your operating system) you can't know everything about your system and
about relationships between different software components (not to talk about
unsigned drivers). Why it's a big problem choosing between upgrade or clean
install? I'll tell you why, because user think that he need to reinstall all
he's existing software ... and there are a lot of software programs
installed ... programs that you have no idea how they will run after the
upgrade. If it is something related to a critical application, there must be
a way to move it to another system.

Anyway ... if you go with the upgrade method ... try to upgrade to the
latest version of hardware drivers.

And some things found by others:
http://labmice.techtarget.com/windowsxp/Install/win2kupgrade.htm


just a honest opinion,

 

[Stephan Laska]

err, while that may be true, one thing I always think while advising a clean
install
is that the registry and the "knicknack" dlls. ocx. and other code bits
floating about gets eliminated.

 

[Stephan Laska]

Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
Version: 5.00.2195 Service Pack 4

About to try WinXP Proff.
I have the CD.

I downloaded and ran the Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft
and it reported no problems with my system.

My main question is:
Do I perform clean install or an upgrade ?
I read so much about how a clean install
is superior to an upgrade but wish to avoid the
tedious resetting / reinstalling process and I am told
an upgrade will keep my basic settings and currently
installed programs...( ? )

if you can swing it, pick up a used drive and back up your old system to that.
make sure it boots. Then, install fresh to a system HD.

the question become one of how much do you like to gamble.
if all goes well, the upgrade install to XP is over & done in a short time.
if not, then agony of trying to figure out how to fix the problems can
easily chew up days of time.

such is my experience.

I have a couple 10G + hard drives floating about...
when I upgrade someone's PC, I'll back up the OS to one of these
before doing the new OS install.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

You've said "if you've no hardware or software incompatibilities, and if
your current OS has no problems". How can you check that??

Manufacturer's web sites, Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility Lists, the
CheckUpgrade utility from the Win2K CDs, to start. And only the most
inattentive of computer users would *not* know if his current OS were
having problems.

How can you be
sure??

Because I know how to maintain a healthy system.

Why it is recommended that before an upgrade to do a backup of your
system?

You can't possibly be serious, asking this? Only an idiot wouldn't do
a backup of his critical data before performing _any_ significant change
to the OS, including many patches or especially service packs.





--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH