Clean install with WinXP Home Upgrade version?

[Neil Harrington]

I am running a WinXP Home machine and am considering rebuilding another one
(currently running Win98SE) as the same. I understand that if I buy the
WinXP upgrade it requires Win98, 98SE or Me. But rather than installing over
the existing OS I'd prefer to reformat (that HD has a lot of clutter and
rubbish anyway) and do a clean install.

My question is, can I do this with the Upgrade version? I know that previous
Windows upgrades allowed this. When I went from Win95 to a Win98 upgrade for
example I started with a clean HD, and it just required after starting the
install that I insert the CD with the previous version to prove that I was
entitled to the upgrade. Will the WinXP upgrade do the same?

I could of course just reformat and reinstall Win98SE before doing the
upgrade, but that seems like a lot of bother for nothing.

Neil

 

[purplehaz]

Yes the xp upgrade cd works the same. It can do a clean install as long as
you have the qualifing cd during install.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I am running a WinXP Home machine and am considering rebuilding
another one (currently running Win98SE) as the same. I understand
that if I buy the WinXP upgrade it requires Win98, 98SE or Me. But
rather than installing over the existing OS I'd prefer to reformat
(that HD has a lot of clutter and rubbish anyway) and do a clean
install.

My question is, can I do this with the Upgrade version? I know that
previous Windows upgrades allowed this. When I went from Win95 to a
Win98 upgrade for example I started with a clean HD, and it just
required after starting the install that I insert the CD with the
previous version to prove that I was entitled to the upgrade. Will
the WinXP upgrade do the same?

Yes, it's exactly the same.

 

[Michael Stevens]

I am running a WinXP Home machine and am considering rebuilding
another one (currently running Win98SE) as the same. I understand
that if I buy the WinXP upgrade it requires Win98, 98SE or Me. But
rather than installing over the existing OS I'd prefer to reformat
(that HD has a lot of clutter and rubbish anyway) and do a clean
install.

My question is, can I do this with the Upgrade version? I know that
previous Windows upgrades allowed this. When I went from Win95 to a
Win98 upgrade for example I started with a clean HD, and it just
required after starting the install that I insert the CD with the
previous version to prove that I was entitled to the upgrade. Will
the WinXP upgrade do the same?

I could of course just reformat and reinstall Win98SE before doing the
upgrade, but that seems like a lot of bother for nothing.

Neil

You will be prompted to insert the qualiying CD during setup.
You boot from the CD and do a clean install.
Click on or copy and paste the link below into your web browser address bar.
How to clean install XP.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
--

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

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

It is possible to perform a clean installation using an Upgrade
CD.

Simply boot from the WinXP Upgrade CD. You'll be offered the
opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part of the
installation process. The Upgrade CD checks to see if a qualifying OS
is installed, and, if it finds none, it asks you to insert the
installation media (CD) of that OS. Unfortunately, an OEM
"Recovery/Restore" CD will not work for this purpose; you must have a
true installation CD, complete with the "\Win98" folder and *.cab
files, or the "\i386" folder of WinNT/2K.

Alternatively, or especially if all you have is an OEM Recovery CD
for the earlier OS, you can even start the upgrade from within the
current Win98/Me/NT/2K installation, and still elect to perform a
clean installation, to include formatting the drive. In this case,
there's no further request for the qualifying OS's installation CD,
because the installation routing "remembers" that you started from
within the qualifying OS. This process is more time-consuming, but
you get the same results: a clean installation of WinXP.


Bruce Chambers

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[Alex Nichol]

I am running a WinXP Home machine and am considering rebuilding another one
(currently running Win98SE) as the same. I understand that if I buy the
WinXP upgrade it requires Win98, 98SE or Me. But rather than installing over
the existing OS I'd prefer to reformat (that HD has a lot of clutter and
rubbish anyway) and do a clean install.

My question is, can I do this with the Upgrade version? I know that previous
Windows upgrades allowed this. When I went from Win95 to a Win98 upgradefor
example I started with a clean HD, and it just required after starting the
install that I insert the CD with the previous version to prove that I was
entitled to the upgrade. Will the WinXP upgrade do the same?

Yes, provided you have a 'Proper' Win9x CD (full or upgrade) and not
some OEM restore one.

Or you can in any case Run the CD from the existing system. Enter
Install, change Upgrade to New Install, then when it asks you to confirm
where, you can hit ESC and get the chance to select the current
partition, delete it, and create a new RAW one, going on to format it
as part of the setup

This will by then have detected that it is a legitimate upgrade, and
not even ask for the previous system's CD as evidence