can anyone answer this question???

[Brett Steinberg]

to anyone out there....


I was wanting to install windows xp professional on my older
computer....keep in mind it is about 3 years old...but really fast....and i
have enough ram and memory.....

but....Someone was telling me that if i install xp professional on to my
computer as an upgrade....you will lose all your old files such as stuff
that i have saved for the past couple of years....plus i have mega music
files that i do not want to lose.....now....is it true that i will lose that
stuff..or do i just need to make sure that all the files are out of the my
documents folder and any other folders concerned w/ possible
erasure....should i just make sure everything is in a c: drive folder of my
own naming or on the desktop or what....

because then i talked to someone else and they just said that as long as i
have it out of the my documents folders and my pictures folders etc. then i
should be okay....and that i will probably have to install certain programs
downloaded from the internet etc. but that it should be no problem..

someone give me a real answer...

thanks
steinway

 

[Harry Ohrn]

Read Gary Woodruff's page on Upgrading http://www.aumha.org/a/xpupgrad.htm .

The Upgrade version of XP Pro will upgrade your older version of Windows
(Win98 and up) and when done correctly it will not affect your data. However
people upgrade incorrectly and the result can be loss of data. You should
always backup important data before you upgrade. That only makes sense.
Things can go wrong.

 

[Mike Matheny]

An upgrade will not lose your files and programs.
3 years old - what are the specs for you to rate it "really fast"?

 

[Michael Stevens]

to anyone out there....


I was wanting to install windows xp professional on my older
computer....keep in mind it is about 3 years old...but really
fast....and i have enough ram and memory.....

but....Someone was telling me that if i install xp professional on to
my computer as an upgrade....you will lose all your old files such as
stuff that i have saved for the past couple of years....plus i have
mega music files that i do not want to lose.....now....is it true
that i will lose that stuff..or do i just need to make sure that all
the files are out of the my documents folder and any other folders
concerned w/ possible erasure....should i just make sure everything
is in a c: drive folder of my own naming or on the desktop or what....

because then i talked to someone else and they just said that as long
as i have it out of the my documents folders and my pictures folders
etc. then i should be okay....and that i will probably have to
install certain programs downloaded from the internet etc. but that
it should be no problem..

someone give me a real answer...

thanks
steinway

If you have any version of Windows later than 95, you can upgrade and keep
your important documents intact. You should not count on it though, make
sure you have completely backed up anything you can't replace from other
sources, as upgrades are not fool proof and something as unlikely as a power
outage could destroy all your data.

Click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into the address box
if using the web based newsgroup.
For upgrading to XP Home or Pro, see the links below.
http://aumha.org/a/xpupgrad.htm
XP Upgrade
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_2kupgrade.asp
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_9xupgrade.asp
See the link below for steps on performing a Clean Install.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
Known problems with XP upgrades.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/xpupgdissues.html
Known Problems with Clean installs.
http://www.labmice.net/WindowsXP/Install/installbugs.htm
Top 10 Reasons for Moving to Windows XP Professional
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/whyupgrade/top10.asp
Why Windows XP Professional?
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/whyupgrade/default.asp
Windows XP Professional Features
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/features.asp

--

Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

 

[Perdita X. Dream]

An upgrade will not lose your files and programs.
3 years old - what are the specs for you to rate it "really fast"?

I was just thinking the same thing...

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

WinXP is designed to install and upgrade the existing operating
system while simultaneously preserving your data and translating as
many personalized settings as possible. Of course, there are no
iron-clad, 100% guarantees when it comes to updating any kind of
computer software, much less an operating system. 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 Hardware Compatibility
List: (http://www.microsoft.com/hcl/default.asp) 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. 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 hardware
(particularly motherboards, RAM and hard drives) that will still
support Win9x.


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

 

[Alex Nichol]

I was wanting to install windows xp professional on my older
computer....keep in mind it is about 3 years old...but really fast....and i
have enough ram and memory.....

but....Someone was telling me that if i install xp professional on to my
computer as an upgrade....you will lose all your old files such as stuff
that i have saved for the past couple of years....plus i have mega music
files that i do not want to lose.....now....is it true that i will lose that
stuff..or do i just need to make sure that all the files are out of the my
documents folder and any other folders concerned w/ possible

Someone was wrong. The point of an upgrade is that you do *not* lose
installed programs (with one or two exceptions that do not work in XP),
let alone data (though it is always as well to have a back up just in
case of say power failure at a critical moment). Basically you run the
XP retail upgrade CD from the present system, take install and continue
into Upgrade. The variant that does not do upgrades at all is the
cheaper 'OEM' CD that is often for sale with a minor piece of hardware.
Marked 'for supply only with a new computer'

Read up Gary Woodruff's article on upgrading to XP at
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I was wanting to install windows xp professional on my older
computer....keep in mind it is about 3 years old...but really
fast....and i have enough ram and memory.....

but....Someone was telling me that if i install xp professional on to
my computer as an upgrade....you will lose all your old files such as
stuff that i have saved for the past couple of years....plus i have
mega music files that i do not want to lose.....now....is it true
that i will lose that stuff..

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.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

I don't know if that should be a concern. 3 years ago they were just
releasing the 1Gz+ processors, so a high-end system from then should be fine
with WinXP. Remember, WinXP itself is now 2 years old, and it was being beta
tested on those pre-1Gz machines.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone