Installing XP on computer that has Win98

J

Jack Crane

A friend of mine has a desktop with Win98 SE. She wants to install XP Pro
but keep the software she has already installed.

A couple of questions.

1. She has already purchased XP Pro, the full version, not the upgrade. Can
this be installed over her Win98 SE? Or does she have to reformat her hard
drive, which has only one partition.

2. Her computer has a 566 MHz Intel Celeron CPU, 320 megs of RAM (I don't
know what kind), and over 11 gigabytes free on her hard drive. According to
the MS site her computer should qualify for XP; but practically, does it?

Thanks,

Jack Crane
 
J

Jim Macklin

She can do an upgrade install using the full version CD.
She can boot the XP CD or just run the Install program from
W98.
If she formats her hard drive she will need to backup all
her data and have the installation CDs for all her programs.
Most of those programs will run OK under XP.

She can do an upgrade check at www.pcpitstop.com on-line
that will scan for issues that might cause problems. Since
she has the XP CD already she can run the up=grade advisor
program which is on the CD.


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316941
http://www.aumha.org/index.php
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xpr.htm


There is more information on the above links and several
other websites. Do a Google for "install XP" and you should
get a bunch.

One thing I would recommend before starting to upgrade,
disconnect and remove with device manager, your printer,
scanners and other devices (including USB) so just the
minimum to run the computer is connected, then reinstall
them after XP is installed.
Be sure to turn the XP firewall on before going on-line to
get updates because XP is effected and vulnerable to the
Blaster worm just by being connected on-line, no surfing
required.




| A friend of mine has a desktop with Win98 SE. She wants to
install XP Pro
| but keep the software she has already installed.
|
| A couple of questions.
|
| 1. She has already purchased XP Pro, the full version, not
the upgrade. Can
| this be installed over her Win98 SE? Or does she have to
reformat her hard
| drive, which has only one partition.
|
| 2. Her computer has a 566 MHz Intel Celeron CPU, 320 megs
of RAM (I don't
| know what kind), and over 11 gigabytes free on her hard
drive. According to
| the MS site her computer should qualify for XP; but
practically, does it?
|
| Thanks,
|
| Jack Crane
 
R

Ron Martell

Jack Crane said:
A friend of mine has a desktop with Win98 SE. She wants to install XP Pro
but keep the software she has already installed.

A couple of questions.

1. She has already purchased XP Pro, the full version, not the upgrade. Can
this be installed over her Win98 SE? Or does she have to reformat her hard
drive, which has only one partition.
Click to expand...

Is it a retail full version of XP Pro, which comes in a blue retail
box with the Microsoft name etc. on it; or is it an OEM version of XP
Pro, which comes in a shrink-wrapped package and may have the name of
a computer manufacturer on it?

A retail full version of XP Pro will do an upgrade install with no
problems, it is just a very much more expensive way of achieving this
result. If the box is still unopened then she should return it and
get the retail upgrade version instead.

An OEM version of XP Pro will not do an upgrade install. Period. OEM
versions are inteneded for use on new computers and with a new
computer there is never any need to upgrade the old version of
Windows. The only options with an OEM version are to:
1. Use the "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard" from the XP Pro CD to
safe the user data files and configuration settings from Windows 98
onto another hard drive partition, a network drive or a removable
backup device (e.g. CDRW drive).
2. Reformat the hard drive, destroying everything on it.
3. Install the OEM version of XP Pro on the empty hard drive.
4. Reinstall the application programs from the original disks.
5. Run FASTW again to import the saved data and configuration
settings.

See the following articles by former MVP Gary Woodruff for detailed
information:
Upgrading to Windows XP: http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm
Files & Settings Transfer Wizard: http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/fast.htm
2. Her computer has a 566 MHz Intel Celeron CPU, 320 megs of RAM (I don't
know what kind), and over 11 gigabytes free on her hard drive. According to
the MS site her computer should qualify for XP; but practically, does it?
Click to expand...

With only a 566 mhz CPU I would prefer to see a bit more RAM (e.g. 512
mb total) in order to get good performance from Windows XP. However
I did run Windows XP myself throughout the Beta testing and for some
time after the release on a 400 mhz CPU with 256 mb and the
performance was reasonable.


Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."
 
J

Jack Crane

A friend of mine has a desktop with Win98 SE. She wants to install XP
Pro but keep the software she has already installed.

A couple of questions.
Click to expand...

My thanks to Jim Macklin, Kelly, and Ron Martell for their helpful answers.
My friend thanks you too.

Jack
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Similar Threads

access to another computer 4
rebuild XP license question 5
Windows XP Home Key Retrieval 7
How did this happen 9
External drive does not show in My Computer 12
OL2003 ignores distribution list when sending 3
Embedded pictures in Windows Mail 2
Xp Reload failure 7

Top