Did you do a direct UPGRADE from WIN98SE? Did it work for you?

[Jeff W]

For some of my machines, I need to set up a dual boot, but for one
particular machine, I have no excuse to dual boot and it's a little
clunky to set it up, so I am considering a direct upgrade. I've read al
the FUD about this - has anyone had a -good- experience? and, if so,
what do you think you did (or didn't do) to get there?
/thanks
/j

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Upgrading from Windows 98 to Windows XP is an
easy upgrade, as long as you make initial preparations.

Before upgrading any existing Windows installation, it would be prudent to
run the Upgrade Advisor for Windows XP. This tool will report what hardware
or software may be incompatible with Windows XP. If you follow the Upgrade
Advisor's recommendations, you should not have any problem upgrading to
Windows XP.

If you fail to utilize the Upgrade Advisor, you may run into incompatibility issues.
Just inserting the Windows XP Upgrade CD in the CD Drive and selecting
"upgrade" is not going to give you the desired result. You must "prepare and
plan" your computer before beginning the upgrade process.

Windows XP Upgrade Advisor
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307726

It is imperative that you have the latest BIOS update installed. Visit the support
website of the manufacturer of your computer or motherboard for instructions
on updating your computer's BIOS.

Accessing Motherboard BIOS
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

Also, physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware devices,
especially USB devices (not including your mouse, keyboard or
monitor). Uninstall any antivirus program, too!

HOW TO: Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316941&Product=winxp

Clean Install Windows XP (optional)
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of MS-MVP Michael Stevens]

How to Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;310064

How to troubleshoot problems during installation when you upgrade from Windows 98
or Windows Millennium Edition to Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310064&Product=winxp

Troubleshooting Windows XP Setup
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_setup.htm

[Courtesy of MS-MVP Kelly Theriot]

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| For some of my machines, I need to set up a dual boot, but for one
| particular machine, I have no excuse to dual boot and it's a little
| clunky to set it up, so I am considering a direct upgrade. I've read al
| the FUD about this - has anyone had a -good- experience? and, if so,
| what do you think you did (or didn't do) to get there?
| /thanks
| /j

 

[Jeff W]

Thanks Carey - I know it's easy, but there's a lot of FUD out there
about even a smooth upgrade resulting in a slower system because of the
mixing of XP files with the old O/S....
/j

 

[Harry Ohrn]

I've upgraded from Win9x/Me/2000 to XP several times. My experience has
always be positive and I've used different systems when running upgrades.
However your experience might be different. Here are my suggestions:

Upgrading from Me to XP can go very well for some and can really be a
disaster for others. You should make absolutely certain that you have made a
backup of your important data first. This can not be over emphasised. While
most well thought out upgrades are problem free no major upgrade like this
can be 100% perfect so BACKUP. In my opinion it is preferable to make a full
system image of your Me setup using a product like Acronis TrueImage or
Norton Ghost (or other imaging program). That way if things really go wrong
you can quickly revert back to your Me setup to either try again or live
with.

There are a number of first things to do before upgrading.
1)You need to ensure that you have XP drivers for your hardware. If you
install this little freeware app it will tell you a lot about your hardware
and direct you to downloads
http://www.lavalys.com/products/overview.php?pid=1&lang=en Make certain that
you have drivers for your motherboard, network card or modem. You may need
to get on line ASAP after the upgrade.

2) Windows XP has an Upgrade Advisor on the CD. You should run that before
upgrading and heed the report it generates. You can download the Advisor
from here but it is very large so be forewarned
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/upgrading/advisor.mspx

3) I suggest that if you have a high speed connection you should download
SP2 and copy to CD. You can get the full version of it here
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...be-3b8e-4f30-8245-9e368d3cdb5a&displaylang=en

4) Run anti-spyware programs like CWShredder, Ad-Aware or SpyBot Search &
Destroy etc
and do a virus scan. http://aumha.org/win5/a/parasite.htm

5) Prior to running the upgrade you must do some serious disk cleanup and
maintenance work. The first thing to do is to uninstall some programs that
will cause problems for you later if not uninstalled first. You can later
reinstall them if they are supported in XP. a) You must uninstall all CD
Writing software - (Easy CD Creator, Direct CD, Nero, InCD etc) Look for
upgrades before reinstalling in XP.
b) Uninstall any third party disk management tools like Norton SystemWorks,
GoBack, System Mechanic or the like. These can be reinstalled after the
upgrade.
c) Uninstall any Antivirus software and any Firewall software you have
installed. These can be reinstalled after the upgrade.
d) Reset any tweaking programs you've used like Tweakui to their defaults
and then remove the application
e) Ensure that you have the installation files or CDs handy for your
currently installed apps. Many programs make the transition fine but others
will need to be reinstalled again after the upgrade.
f) Do a decent cleanup, dump temp files, empty the recycle bin, if you are
upgrading Windows Me turn off
System Restore as your current SR Points won't survive the upgrade (In Me
you do that through System Properties->Performance Tab->File settings
button->Advanced Tab.)
g) Run defrag.
The above should render your system in decent shape for an upgrade

6) Unplug unnecessary peripherals like scanners, printers, cameras and the
like.

7) Reboot to the desktop and pop the XP CD into the drive. Select
Install->Upgrade [recommended] and let the games begin.

8) When the install completes you will be asked if you want to Activate.
Choose Not at this time. You really need to finish the setup and ensure that
your hardware is supported before Activating.

9) You don't want to go online until you've enabled the Firewall. In fact
you may wish to temporarily disconnect your internet by pulling the cable.
Do this to avoid contracting the Blaster or Sasser Worm virus.

10) Install SP2 from the download you saved and finally install your
Antivirus software.

Good Luck. More info here
Upgrade info http://www.aumha.org/a/xpupgrad.htm
Clean Install info http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm
Windows Product Activation http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm
Service Pack 2 info
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=windowsxpsp2
--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp


--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp


| For some of my machines, I need to set up a dual boot, but for one
| particular machine, I have no excuse to dual boot and it's a little
| clunky to set it up, so I am considering a direct upgrade. I've read al
| the FUD about this - has anyone had a -good- experience? and, if so,
| what do you think you did (or didn't do) to get there?
| /thanks
| /j

 

[Jeff W]

Good data Harry, thanks
Did you ever experience an upgrade that went smoothly (or didn't but got
fixed), and when you were done XP ran fine, just sluggish though?
/j

 

[Harry Ohrn]

Good data Harry, thanks
Did you ever experience an upgrade that went smoothly (or didn't but got
fixed), and when you were done XP ran fine, just sluggish though?
/j

Yes as I mentioned in my previous post I have upgraded several systems
running different versions of Windows.
XP can be sluggish for a couple of reasons. The first can be corrected by
running Defrag after the upgrade. The second is due to low end specs. While
XP will run stable enough on a low end system - ie PII 450mhz with 256RAM it
certainly isn't fast. On low end systems one should turn off as much eye
candy as possible to improve performance. Remember that low end systems
can't be expected to be speed deamons but they can still benefit from the
stability XP provides.

On the other hand upgrading a Windows 9x/Me system that is currently running
poorly is not a good idea. Fix the problems before you upgrade.

 

[Jeff W]

Thanks - my WIN98 System runs quite well - very well in fact, but that
doesn't mean there isn't a lot of junk in the system area from programs
installed and uninistalled etc. Some have said that, on the same
hardware, an upgrade runs slower than a clean install but I'm suspecting
that's FUD and it sounds like you agree?

thanks
/j

 

[Bruce Chambers]

For some of my machines, I need to set up a dual boot, but for one
particular machine, I have no excuse to dual boot and it's a little
clunky to set it up, so I am considering a direct upgrade. I've
read
al the FUD about this - has anyone had a -good- experience? and, if
so, what do you think you did (or didn't do) to get there?
/thanks
/j

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

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Jeff W]

ummm - thanks Bruce for the comments - I have spent weeks preparing for
this and have read a couple of books (like inside out) as well as
everything you suggest. However, this issue about clean, smooth
upgrades being inferior still seems to be out there, and i'd appreciate
your thoughts if you have anything to contribute

 

[Harry Ohrn]

One thing to consider is what is meant by the term "runs slower". If I
believe that doing a clean install is always better then I am going to be
more sensitive to performance problems occurring if I run an Upgrade. It is
true that a clean install will initially seem to run faster than an upgrade.
But what happens to the speed difference as you begin installing
applications and bringing the system closer to the system state that the
upgrade is in?

Try this. Do a clean install of XP using the FAT32 format, defrag, and run
some basic benchmark tests. Then do a clean install of 98SE and immediately
follow that up by upgrading to XP, defrag and then run the same tests. See
if there is a significant difference in performance.
--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp


| Thanks - my WIN98 System runs quite well - very well in fact, but that
| doesn't mean there isn't a lot of junk in the system area from programs
| installed and uninistalled etc. Some have said that, on the same
| hardware, an upgrade runs slower than a clean install but I'm suspecting
| that's FUD and it sounds like you agree?
|
| thanks
| /j

 

[Bruce Chambers]

ummm - thanks Bruce for the comments - I have spent weeks preparing
for this and have read a couple of books (like inside out) as well
as
everything you suggest. However, this issue about clean, smooth
upgrades being inferior still seems to be out there, and i'd
appreciate your thoughts if you have anything to contribute

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.

Should you have one of the rare cases where the upgrade proves to
be problematic at a later date, you can always perform a clean
installation, at that time. It's a small gamble, granted, risking
only your time, but the odds are very much in your favor.


--

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

 

[Michael Stevens]

One thing to consider is what is meant by the term "runs slower". If I
believe that doing a clean install is always better then I am going
to be more sensitive to performance problems occurring if I run an
Upgrade. It is true that a clean install will initially seem to run
faster than an upgrade. But what happens to the speed difference as
you begin installing applications and bringing the system closer to
the system state that the upgrade is in?

Try this. Do a clean install of XP using the FAT32 format, defrag,
and run some basic benchmark tests. Then do a clean install of 98SE
and immediately follow that up by upgrading to XP, defrag and then
run the same tests. See if there is a significant difference in
performance.

Harry,
That was a brilliant analysis of why people think the clean install is
faster than the upgrade. I have witnessed the exact behavior on several
systems. After the clean install system is built up to the same as what the
upgrade would be, the difference is negligible.
--
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

 

[Jeff W]

Ditto - thanks!

 

[Harry Ohrn]

Thanks Michael.