Upgrade vs Full Version

[Janelle Bergstrom]

I've been told by several people that if you do the XP
upgrade (say when upgrading from Windows 98 or ME)
instead of installing the new version, the result is not
the same. Our Tech Desk has told us that it's basically
like overlaying the features of XP over top of the old OS
but still keeping the old OS file system, etc.

Can anyone shed some light on this? I'd like to upgrade
to XP Pro and buy the upgrade instead of the full
version, but also want to make sure that I get the full
advantage of the full version of XP Pro (old vs new file
system, etc.)

thank you!

 

[Phil]

You're tech desk is wrong. A upgrade install will convert win98 to xp. It is
true that sometimes you run into less problems if you do a clean install,
but in the end an upgrade install gets you the same thing as a clean install
as far as the functionality of the os is concearned. It's just a matter of
do you want to clean all the junk out before installing xp. A clean install
starts fresh an upgrade install can bring your old win98 problems with it.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In

I've been told by several people that if you do the XP
upgrade (say when upgrading from Windows 98 or ME)
instead of installing the new version, the result is not
the same. Our Tech Desk has told us that it's basically
like overlaying the features of XP over top of the old OS
but still keeping the old OS file system, etc.

Can anyone shed some light on this? I'd like to upgrade
to XP Pro and buy the upgrade instead of the full
version, but also want to make sure that I get the full
advantage of the full version of XP Pro (old vs new file
system, etc.)

There are three separate issues here:

1. Should you buy the Upgrade version or the Full version?

2. Should you Upgrade over the top of your previous version or do
a clean installation?

3. Should you have NTFS or FAT32 and can you convert?

The answers in turn:

1. If you own a copy of a previous qualifying version, you
qualify for the Upgrade, and you should buy the Upgrade since
it's cheaper and it contains exactly the same software as the
Full version. Despite what many people think, you can do either a
clean installation or an upgrade with it.

The requirement to use an upgrade version is to *own* a previous
qualifying version's installation CD (not an OEM restore CD), not
to have it installed. If you want to do a clean installation, if
setup doesn't find a previous qualifying version installed, it
will prompt you to insert its CD as proof of ownership. Just
insert the previous version's CD, and follow the prompts.
Everything proceeds quite normally and quite legitimately.

2. Although many people will tell you that formatting and
installing cleanly is the best way to go, I disagree. Unlike with
previous versions of Windows, an upgrade to XP replaces almost
everything, and usually works very well.

My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's much
easier than a clean installation. You can always change your mind
and reinstall cleanly if problems develop.

However, don't assume that doing an upgrade relieves you of the
need to backup your data, etc. before beginning. Before starting
to upgrade, it's always prudent to recognize that things like a
sudden power loss can occur in the middle of it and cause the
loss of everything. For that reason you should make sure you have
backups and anything else you need to reinstall if the worst
happens.

3. Even if you do an upgrade, you can convert to NTFS afterward.
Just use the CONVERT command. But first read
http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an issue
regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Some people will 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. 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.

You should, before proceeding, take a few minutes to ensure that
there are WinXP device drivers available for all of the machine's
components. There may not be, if the PC was specifically designed for
Win98/Me. Also bear in mind that PCs designed for, sold and run fine
with Win9x/Me very often do not meet WinXP's much more stringent
hardware quality requirements. This is particularly true of many
models in Compaq's consumer-class Presario product line or HP's
consumer-class Pavilion product line. WinXP, like WinNT and Win2K
before it, is quite sensitive to borderline defective or substandard
hardware (particularly motherboards, RAM and hard drives) that will
still support Win9x.

HOW TO Prepare to Upgrade Win98 or WinMe
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q316639

Upgrading to Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm


Bruce Chambers

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[Alex Nichol]

I've been told by several people that if you do the XP
upgrade (say when upgrading from Windows 98 or ME)
instead of installing the new version, the result is not
the same. Our Tech Desk has told us that it's basically
like overlaying the features of XP over top of the old OS
but still keeping the old OS file system, etc.

You effectively do a complete replacement of the OS itself - XP is not
based on the same Win95 vintage central kernel as are 98/ME. You retain
any software that has been installed, so you can continue to use it; and
retain data files. The file system is not converted to NTFS - but will
work perfectly well on the existing FAT 32 until such time as you are
satisfied, when it is easy enough to do the conversion.. Read Gary
Woodruff's article on upgrading to XP at
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm