Install over WinME?

[Bob]

I am currently running WinMe and planning to upgrade to XP. For that
reason I am entitled to the upgrade price. My questions are two.

1. It seems like I heard at one time that it was dangerous (hidden
problems to be discovered only later) to install XP on TOP of WinMe. Is
that true, or does XP give itself a clean slate to work with?

2. If the former concern is legitimate, is there a way to get a clean
install (formatting the C drive for instance) using the upgrade version
of XP?

Thanks.

 

[Bern]

You can choose either installation method. If you are fearful, and don't
mind the added hassle, do a clean install.

 

[Norm]

There are probably as many sucess stories as horrible failures doing an
upgrade. I would recommend a clean install on your C drive, after you
backup your data or better yet purchase a new hard disk, less than $1 per gb
these days and install the existing drive as D. If you have the ME cd then
you can do a clean install and XP will prompt you to insert it during the
installation process.

 

[Rich Barry]

Bob, yes you can do a clean install of WinXP which is what I would
recommend. Check here

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/WinXP/Q_20640584.html

 

[Ken Blake]

In

1. It seems like I heard at one time that it was dangerous (hidden
problems to be discovered only later) to install XP on TOP of WinMe.
Is that true, or does XP give itself a clean slate to work

with?


Although many people say this, I don't agree. Unlike with
previous versions, an upgrade to XP replaces almost everything,
and usually works very well.

My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's
considerably easier. If problems develop (they'll develop soon,
not much later), you can always change your mind and do a clean
installation.

2. If the former concern is legitimate, is there a way to get a clean
install (formatting the C drive for instance) using the upgrade
version of XP?

Yes. The requirement to use an upgrade version is to *own* a
previous qualifying version's installation CD (not an OEM restore
CD), not to have it installed. When setup doesn't find a previous
qualifying version installed, it will prompt you to insert its CD
as proof of ownership. Just insert the previous version's CD, and
follow the prompts. Everything proceeds quite normally and quite
legitimately.

 

[Bob]

Thanks to all of you very much. Bob

 

[Alex Nichol]

I am currently running WinMe and planning to upgrade to XP. For that
reason I am entitled to the upgrade price. My questions are two.

1. It seems like I heard at one time that it was dangerous (hidden
problems to be discovered only later) to install XP on TOP of WinMe. Is
that true, or does XP give itself a clean slate to work with?

With this one, an upgrade pretty well starts the system as new, and the
old conventional wisdom about always doing a clean install really does
not apply. This machine was an upgrade over ME two years ago, and has
had no troubles. I would certainly do it in the first instance - you
can always go back and do a clean install if it does not work out

2. If the former concern is legitimate, is there a way to get a clean
install (formatting the C drive for instance) using the upgrade version
of XP?

You can either, if you do decide on doing it clean, boot the XP upgrade
CD. go into New Install,. hit ESC to select and delete the current
partition and then make a new RAW one to be formatted. That way you
have to show a 'proper' CD of ME (ie not an OEM restore type that does
not have a folder of cab files on it) when asked where windows is. Or
you can run it from the ME, change Upgrade to New INstall and proceed in
the same way - in that case the check has been made before format.

Make sure hardware is adequate - especially in having more than the
'recommended' 128 MB of RAM - and Read Gary Woodruff's article on
upgrading to XP at http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm

 

[Bob S]

Hi Alex. Thanks for the advice (with 2 years experience). I did not
quite understand one of the last things you said.

"Or you can run it from the ME, change Upgrade to New INstall and
proceed in the same way - in that case the check has been made before
format."

In particular, I did not understand "you can run it from the ME". Could
you explain that further?

Thanks.

 

[Alex Nichol]

"Or you can run it from the ME, change Upgrade to New INstall and
proceed in the same way - in that case the check has been made before
format."

In particular, I did not understand "you can run it from the ME". Could
you explain that further?

Put the XP CD in when your ME system is running, and it ought to Autorun
- if it doesn't, open the CD in Explorer and double click on Setup.exe

Take Install Windows XP, then next page there is a drop-down which by
Default says Upgrade; change that to New Install