98 to XP upgrade issue. cant solve

[toxicrocker1714]

Hi, Im trying to upgrade windows 98 to xp home, and everything is well
until after it copies all the files and reboots. It says preparing to
install, shows the animated bar with the scrolling green squares for a
second, then the screen goes black, or on some occasions goes "garbled"
but both ways it freezes and stops installing. is it a video driver
issue? the system is a E-machines Mobo Socket 939 CPU (AMD athlon
3800++) Onboard video. I have no other components in any of the pci
slots. PLEASE HELP!!

 

[philo]

Hi, Im trying to upgrade windows 98 to xp home, and everything is well
until after it copies all the files and reboots. It says preparing to
install, shows the animated bar with the scrolling green squares for a
second, then the screen goes black, or on some occasions goes "garbled"
but both ways it freezes and stops installing. is it a video driver
issue? the system is a E-machines Mobo Socket 939 CPU (AMD athlon
3800++) Onboard video. I have no other components in any of the pci
slots. PLEASE HELP!!

It's exactly for such reasons I say *never* upgrade win9x to XP.

If you can still boot to win98...
either add a 2nd drive or use a 3rd party utility to non-destructively
repartition your drive...
and shrink your partition and create a second.

Then install XP on the second partition and dual boot.
You will then at least have a working OS (if it's not too late)
until you get your XP side up and running and all the bugs worked out

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

It's exactly for such reasons I say *never* upgrade win9x to XP.

And my advice is the exact opposite. I say that one should always at least
try such an upgrade. Such problems are rare. 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.

 

[Ron Martell]

Hi, Im trying to upgrade windows 98 to xp home, and everything is well
until after it copies all the files and reboots. It says preparing to
install, shows the animated bar with the scrolling green squares for a
second, then the screen goes black, or on some occasions goes "garbled"
but both ways it freezes and stops installing. is it a video driver
issue? the system is a E-machines Mobo Socket 939 CPU (AMD athlon
3800++) Onboard video. I have no other components in any of the pci
slots. PLEASE HELP!!

Something is a bit amiss here. That hardware is far far too new to
have ever come with Windows 98 installed originally so I assume you
removed whatever operating system (Windows XP?) eMachines provided
with it and installed your own copy of Windows 98.

Are you now attempting to upgrade to Windows XP using the CD that came
from eMachines, or are you using a Retail Upgrade or Retail Full
Install version of Windows XP?

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[philo]

And my advice is the exact opposite. I say that one should always at least
try such an upgrade. Such problems are rare. Unlike with previous versions
of Windows, an upgrade to XP replaces almost everything, and usually works
very well.

Very important word there , "usually".

My recommendation is generally dual booting...
that way you have your original OS intact
and you can leisurely migrate to your new OS.

It can often take a while to get one's system tweaked...
and you at least have a fully functional OS to work with in the mean time.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Very important word there , "usually".

I absolutely agree. I'm not willing to make an unequivocal statement that it
always works. In fact, if you start with a problem-ridden machine, the
chances of success are much lower.

And that's why I said "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." Yes, I know that even
though it's unlikely, there can always be problems.

My recommendation is generally dual booting...
that way you have your original OS intact
and you can leisurely migrate to your new OS.

Although I've personally never done that, I don't think it's a terrible
approach.

It can often take a while to get one's system tweaked...

And much longer if you clean install than if you upgrade, which has been my
main point from the beginning.

 

[philo]

And much longer if you clean install than if you upgrade, which has been my
main point from the beginning.

Sometimes it's better to do things the slow way

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Sometimes it's better to do things the slow way

I'll resist the urge to reply. Clearly neither of us will convince the
other, so we'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

[philo]

I'll resist the urge to reply. Clearly neither of us will convince the
other, so we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Ok fair enough...
but I really like dual booting.
Though I did finally move to XP...
my old (trusty) win98 installation is still there...
and I still use it from time to time...especially for a few (very old) apps
that prefer to run in real dos

 

[toxicrocker1714]

Ok So herersw the thing to clear some stuff up. Yes it originally came
with XP.. i inherited the system so to speak,... it came with
problems.. wouldnt boot.. but the hard drive WOULD boot in my other
system.. Anyway i formatted the drive AND **Because i do not have a
full install version of Win XP** I clean installed 98 then attempted to
upgrade. Loss of data is not an issue, i could care less, but I cant
get the drive (a 200GB Seagate) to upgrade to xp on any of my systems,
but 98 installs fine, but ALWAYS with video problems.. I think its
something to do with the onboard SATA, Can anyone tell me if im not
using the SATA do i disable it? or switch it to the option that says
"IDE Controller".. I also considered a bios flash.. im desperate, the
system is pissin me off i cant run ANY hard drive ive tried., even
known good ones i pull from my working system WILL NOT BOOT. WHY!!!! I
appreciate all of your guys help and im amazed to see the number of
responses ive got! Thanks a mil.