Problem Upgrading from ME to XP Professional

[Wdn]

I have tried to upgrade from Windows ME to Windows XP
Professional which I purchased from Office Depot. I
currently have a Western Digital 160gig hd attached to an
ATA100 Card. The installation will start then during the
installation process it stops. It will eventually allows
me to go back to my previous operating system. I need some
advice on how to over come this upgrade problem.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

HOW TO: Prepare to Upgrade Windows 98 or
Windows Millennium Edition to Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;316639

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 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]

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

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]

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

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

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| I have tried to upgrade from Windows ME to Windows XP
| Professional which I purchased from Office Depot. I
| currently have a Western Digital 160gig hd attached to an
| ATA100 Card. The installation will start then during the
| installation process it stops. It will eventually allows
| me to go back to my previous operating system. I need some
| advice on how to over come this upgrade problem.

 

[Len Segal]

As Carey stated, run the Upgrade Advisor FIRST.

Any motherboard that doesn't have on-board support for ATA100, may well be
too obsolete to run WinXP reliably.

Then, assuming that you take care of any issues raised by the Upgrade
Advisor, do the install with the ATA100 card REMOVED. Just plug the drive
into one of the standard IDE controllers on-board your motherboard. That
should work.

When the install is complete and XP has been activated, then you can
re-install the ATA100 card and run the HDD off of that controller.