new installation of XP home over Windows ME

[steve]

I am running Windows ME and want to upgrade to XP Home as
a new installation, as ME has always been quirky and I
want to start with new settings. At the set up stage I am
asked to create a new partition. I have a 20gb hard drive
on a Dell Inspiron notebook, and would rather not waste
valuable disk space. I would appreciate advice on this
approach, that is, a new installation vs. an upgrade
installation. Would you create the new partition then
delete the Windows ME partition after XP is installed?
All input is greatly appreciated.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

A "new installation" is not an "upgrade". If you wish to "upgrade"
over Windows ME, then select the default "Upgrade" option during
setup. A "New Installation" should be performed as follows:

The Windows XP CD is bootable and contains all the tools necessary
to partition and format your drive. Follow this procedure and allow
Windows XP to partition and format your drive:

NOTE: It would be best to physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware
devices, except the monitor, mouse and keyboard, before installing XP.

1. Open your BIOS and set your "CD Drive as the first bootable device".

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

2. Insert your Windows XP CD in the CD Drive and reboot your computer.
3. You'll see a message to boot to the CD....follow the instructions.
4. The setup menu will appear and you should elect to delete all the existing
Windows partitions, then create a new partition, then format the primary
partition (preferably NTFS) and proceed to install Windows XP.

5. Clean Install Windows XP
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]

6. ==> Immediately after installing Windows XP, turn on XP's Firewall.
==> http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

7. After Windows XP is installed, visit the Windows Update website
and download the available "Critical Updates".

8. After installing the critical updates, be sure and visit the support website
of the manufacturer of the computer to download and install any
available Windows XP compatible drivers, such as video adapter
and audio drivers.

9. If you happen to run into any installation difficulties, use the following resources:

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

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/security/protect/

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


|I am running Windows ME and want to upgrade to XP Home as
| a new installation, as ME has always been quirky and I
| want to start with new settings. At the set up stage I am
| asked to create a new partition. I have a 20gb hard drive
| on a Dell Inspiron notebook, and would rather not waste
| valuable disk space. I would appreciate advice on this
| approach, that is, a new installation vs. an upgrade
| installation. Would you create the new partition then
| delete the Windows ME partition after XP is installed?
| All input is greatly appreciated.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In

I am running Windows ME and want to upgrade to XP Home as
a new installation, as ME has always been quirky and I
want to start with new settings. At the set up stage I am
asked to create a new partition. I have a 20gb hard drive
on a Dell Inspiron notebook, and would rather not waste
valuable disk space. I would appreciate advice on this
approach, that is, a new installation vs. an upgrade
installation.

Although many people will tell you that formatting and installing
cleanly is the best way to go, I disagree. Unlike with previous
versions of Windows, an upgrade to XP replaces almost everything,
and usually works very well.

My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's much
easier than a clean installation. You can always change your mind
and reinstall cleanly if problems develop.

However, don't assume that doing an upgrade relieves you of the
need to backup your data, etc. before beginning. Before starting
to upgrade, it's always prudent to recognize that things like a
sudden power loss can occur in the middle of it and cause the
loss of everything. For that reason you should make sure you have
backups and anything else you need to reinstall if the worst
happens.

Would you create the new partition then
delete the Windows ME partition after XP is installed?

No. If you do decide on a clean installation, just boot from the
CD and follow the prompts for a clean installation.

You can find detailed instructions here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

 

[Richard Urban]

I would definitely recommend a clean install, after formatting your Windows
ME partition.

You say that your present install is "quirky". That could be from trojans,
virus's or installed programs that have gone corrupt (yes - it happens to
them as well as to the operating system). If you upgrade, you are left with
all of these problems. An upgrade will not eliminate trojans, virus's or
repair defective program installs, nor will it clean out erroneous registry
entries from programs you uninstalled (or incorrectly deleted) 2 years ago!

An upgrade will NOT repair problems. If the original O/S is working well to
begin with, then you can try to upgrade first and see what happens. You can
always "clean install" later if the upgrade is not to your liking!

--
Regards:

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard