Full version of XP professional

[Guest]

My current computer has windows 98 second edition I have the full version of
XP professional not the upgrade. can I install this and will it cause a loss
of programs on my computer??

 

[D.Currie]

My current computer has windows 98 second edition I have the full version
of
XP professional not the upgrade. can I install this and will it cause a
loss
of programs on my computer??

If it's the full retail version you can use it to do an upgrade. If it's the
full OEM version, it will only do a clean install.

As far as loss of programs, it depends on how you install. If you make a
mistake somewhere, you could easily need to reinstall everything. If you've
got hardware or software issues, you may end up formatting the hard drive,
anyway, to get everything working properly. Some programs my want to you
reinstall them after the upgrade, anyway. Office comes to mind.

Your best bet is to have all your important files backed up, just in case.
And make sure you've got all your programs ready to install, if things go
wrong.

Chances are it will go fine, but you never know.

 

[Jetro]

Aside of hardware compatibility and resources...

No problem having XP Retail both Product Key and i386. If it's OEM, try the
very old trick with renaming win.com.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q319424
Error Message "Setup Cannot Upgrade..." When You Upgrade to Windows XP
Professional

 

[Oli Restorick [MVP]]

But then, if it's OEM, then it's probably not correctly licensed for that
machine..

Oli

 

[Oli Restorick [MVP]]

This is good advice. While the upgrade technology in Windows XP is better
than any previous versions of Windows, I'm normally hesitant about upgrades.
I prefer to do clean installations, but then I'm comfortably reinstalling
applications and migrating my settings across. I realise that the average
home user isn't quite so comfortable.

Oli

 

[Michael Stevens]

Aside of hardware compatibility and resources...

No problem having XP Retail both Product Key and i386. If it's OEM,
try the very old trick with renaming win.com.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q319424
Error Message "Setup Cannot Upgrade..." When You Upgrade to Windows XP
Professional

Renaming doesn't work with OEM XP.
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
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[Michael]

Do a clean install........

how's the state of that Win98 machine again???

Do the fresh install!

 

[Michael Stevens]

Do a clean install........

how's the state of that Win98 machine again???

Do the fresh install!

It doesn't really matter the state of the Win 98/Me computer being upgraded.
The important part is the preparation for the upgrade. When properly prepped
on a system that has adequate performance specs and incompatible hardware
and software is either removed or upgraded prior to the upgrade; the upgrade
is usually a smashing success.
I also highly recommend prepping as if doing a clean install. This means
backing up all important data not available from other sources. Since the XP
upgrade saves the data and necessary information to a temp location, then
deletes the Windows folder before creating a brand new "clean" Windows
folder to copy XP into and then migrate the saved upgrade info into the
"clean" Windows folder. Usually when a properly prepped XP upgrade fails,
the same will/would have happened with a clean install.
My real recommendation to someone considering upgrading a 98/Me system is
don't do it.
The realistic cost of upgrading a computer that shipped with Win98/Me
compared to purchasing a new entry level system is very close to the same
price. The big difference would be in the performance and updated features
you would get with the new system compared to the fact your upgraded
computer would be an old barely adequate system. You could network the old
computer and use it for additional storage for backups and to use old
programs that do not work on XP.
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
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[Mike Hall]

Run the XP CD in Win 98 (let it auto run), and then select option four which
is a compatibility check.. read, digest, and print off the results..

Then do a clean install, having backed up anything important first..

 

[charles]

But then, if it's OEM, then it's probably not correctly licensed for that
machine..

You can get OEM versions legally without buying a whole machine.

charles.....

 

[Oli Restorick [MVP]]

Correct. You just need to buy it with qualifying hardware. Just trying to
make the point that just because you have a Windows CD and it's not in use
doesn't mean that you can transfer it.

Oli

 

[Jetro]

Oops, I forgot my experiences 5 years ago ;o)

BTW, is the licensing issue properly addressed if OEM setup intends to
destroy any info in \windows directory when found?