WIN XP and new computer

[John Robertson]

I am building a new computer and want to partition the
40Gb HDD as C: 25Gb and the D: as 15GB.
Then I want to install my (ALL my software programs are
legal copies} of WIN 98SE (FAT 32 Format, Office Pro etc),
and all my other and associated programs and files on the
smaller partition, (bacically clone my current HDD, and
then install WIN XP on the larger partition, and
eventually getting and installing the newer programs (EG:
MS Office Pro for XP etc) that won't work properly with
XP, in the XP portion, then transfer the data and files to
XP.
Can this be done without problems?
We both are working on our family trees, and have huge
amounts of data there, as well as everything else we have.
My wife originally had WIN 2000Pro, and its multiple
problems, took it back to vendor, had the HDD reformatted
and bought XP Home. It formatted the drive with the "net"
type format. Can separate partitions have the different
formats, and work?
If I just buy XP upgrade, would it save all my files,
programs and data, even tho they wouldn't always work
correctly?
Being on SS and a small pension I cannot justify the
cost of XP and all the associated programs all at once,
and I want to be able to link my old 266MMX laptop via
WIFI to current computer and new computer and wife's
computer, and I want to be able to access legal public
WIFI sites when we are away from home. Supposed to be
easier with XP
Sorry it's so long, but not Xp-smart enough to do better!
Email, please (delete XXXX's) as I might not be able to
find this site again Thanks, John

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In

I am building a new computer and want to partition the
40Gb HDD as C: 25Gb and the D: as 15GB.
Then I want to install my (ALL my software programs are
legal copies} of WIN 98SE (FAT 32 Format, Office Pro etc),
and all my other and associated programs and files on the
smaller partition, (bacically clone my current HDD, and
then install WIN XP on the larger partition, and
eventually getting and installing the newer programs (EG:
MS Office Pro for XP etc) that won't work properly with
XP, in the XP portion, then transfer the data and files to
XP.

I've read this a couple of times, but I'm still not sure what
you're planning on doing. Are you planning on installing Windows
98 on C:, applications running under Windows 98 on D:, then
installing XP on C:? Are you asking whether those applications on
D: will continue to run under Windows XP? If so, the answer is
yes if you upgrade 98 to XP, and no if you do a clean
installation of XP.

Why do you want to do this? If you want XP, just install XP, and
leave 98 out of it. There's no advantage to installing 98 first.

Can this be done without problems?
We both are working on our family trees, and have huge
amounts of data there, as well as everything else we have.
My wife originally had WIN 2000Pro, and its multiple
problems, took it back to vendor, had the HDD reformatted
and bought XP Home. It formatted the drive with the "net"
type format.

What do you mean by "the 'net' type format"? Do you mean NTFS?

Can separate partitions have the different
formats, and work?

Sure. Windows XP supports NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, and FAT12, in any
and all combinations.

If I just buy XP upgrade, would it save all my files,
programs and data, even tho they wouldn't always work
correctly?

Yes, if you do an upgrade installation. By definition, an
"upgrade" (as opposed to a clean installation) means that all
data, programs, etc. are kept intact.

However there are no guarantees that it always works perfectly.
However unlikely, it's always possible that something might go
wrong. For that reason it's prudent to be sure you have a backup
of anything you can't afford to lose before beginning.

What is your concern that they may not work correctly? What
programs are you worried about? Most programs that work under
Windows 98 will also work under XP.

Email, please (delete XXXX's) as I might not be able to
find this site again Thanks, John

Sorry, no E-mail support.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I am building a new computer and want to partition the
40Gb HDD as C: 25Gb and the D: as 15GB.
Then I want to install my (ALL my software programs are
legal copies} of WIN 98SE (FAT 32 Format, Office Pro etc),
and all my other and associated programs and files on the
smaller partition, (bacically clone my current HDD, and
then install WIN XP on the larger partition, and
eventually getting and installing the newer programs (EG:
MS Office Pro for XP etc) that won't work properly with
XP, in the XP portion, then transfer the data and files to
XP.
Can this be done without problems?

Quite easily, but I would take the matter one further by having a
partition in common that you could use for data files and some of the
programs (thus economising on space).

Start off with the Win98, make a modest FAT 32 partition for it; leaving
the rest of the disk spare, and install it.

Then run the XP CD from the 98; enter install and change Upgrade to New
Install. Where it asks where, you may need to hit ESC, but can then
select the as yet unused space and make a rather larger partition for
the XP. I would make this an NTFS partition - the 98 will not see it.
That will then automatically set up a dual boot, starting in the 98
partition, and XP will be in D:\Windows.

You can now, in the remainder, make an Extended partition with a
'logical' drive [volume] in FAT 32, either from the 98 FDISK or from
XP's Disk manager. Then install say Office twice over, from each
system, each time taking a Custom install into the same folder in this
other partition. 98 would see that as D and XP probably as E: but you
can arrange to adjust that to the same letter from both, purely for
convenience. Same with other substantial programs.

That will mean that most of Office's files are shared -- saving a couple
of hundred MB, and you will have a common place to put data so you can
access it from either system

As a guide your 40 GB (decimal billion) will be about 37 of the binary
equivalent used by file systems,and I'd suggest a split of maybe 6 or 7
to 10 to 20 for the three partitions