re-installing windows with upgrade disk

[JC in vancouver]

I would like to give my old computer (Pen III 498MHz 128Mb RAM) away but I
would first like to clean out the hard drive. I am going to buy something
like WipeClean to overwrite the hard disk. Then I would like to re-format
the hard drive. The computer originally was bought with Win 98 OS. I
upgraded the OS to Windows XP pro and have since installed SP2. I do have
the upgrade disk. My questions is will I be ab;e tp re-install the Window XP
on the re-formatted hard drive with the upgrade only. If, as I suspect, that
I will not be able to, then what is my best option to re-install the Windows
XP OS? Thank you in advance for all your suggestions.

 

[Jerry]

To install XP from the upgrade CD you must have the CD of the previous
operating system handy when the install routine asks for it; in your case
the Win98 CD. If this is not handy then XP cannot be installed.

Plus, the 98 and XP CDs must be kept with the system. If you're selling it
or giving it away and you preinstall the OS then the person receiving the
system should be given the CDs.

 

[DL]

You can use the winxp cd to wipe your PC, ie delete all partitions, before
creating new one(s) and reinstalling winxp.
You will need your earlier edition win cd in order to validate the update
If you dont have the early win cd (win 98 or win2k) you will not be able to
reinstall winxp
Once installed you would need to give away the cd's with the pc. You cannot
use that winxp cd on another pc

 

[Big Al]

I would like to give my old computer (Pen III 498MHz 128Mb RAM) away but I
would first like to clean out the hard drive. I am going to buy something
like WipeClean to overwrite the hard disk. Then I would like to re-format
the hard drive. The computer originally was bought with Win 98 OS. I
upgraded the OS to Windows XP pro and have since installed SP2. I do have
the upgrade disk. My questions is will I be ab;e tp re-install the Window XP
on the re-formatted hard drive with the upgrade only. If, as I suspect, that
I will not be able to, then what is my best option to re-install the Windows
XP OS? Thank you in advance for all your suggestions.

If you have the original 98 disc then if I'm right, the install allows
you to put the 98 cd in the drive and validate that you have the CD even
if the software is not loaded. I never tossed my win98SE disc just
for that reason.

If you install the XP upgrade you know you have to give that to the next
user. Its no longer yours if you give them the system loaded with it.

A different option would be to reload 98 if possible and give them that.
You keep the XP upgrade. Of course its an upgrade and without a
prior copy of windows again its useless.

Download the trial Acronis True Image home, and if you can image your
system on a backup drive (if you have one like an external drive) and
put the whole thing back if it fails.

 

[Bob Knowlden]

If your XP upgrade disk is the retail variety, you'll be able to install XP
on a blank drive.

All that you'll need to do is produce a CD of "qualifying media" during the
clean installation. You may not be able to use a restore CD that came with a
factory (HP, Dell) Win98 installation. I use a backup copy of my retail
Windows 98 upgrade CD. (No product key is entered for the "qualifying
media".) The license agreement requires that an old CD be used to qualify
for a single XP upgrade, but there is no enforcement mechanism built in to
the XP upgrade; it would be physically possible to use a single CD to
qualify any number of clean XP installs from retail upgrade CDs.

You would usually wish to activate the new XP installation. At worst, you
would have to do it by telephone, if you get the " key already in use"
message online. (Rule: one retail license, one running installation.)

I wish that Vista upgrade licenses were as unrestricted.

Return address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 14:01:02 -0700, JC in vancouver <JC in

I would like to give my old computer (Pen III 498MHz 128Mb RAM) away but I
would first like to clean out the hard drive. I am going to buy something
like WipeClean to overwrite the hard disk. Then I would like to re-format
the hard drive. The computer originally was bought with Win 98 OS. I
upgraded the OS to Windows XP pro and have since installed SP2. I do have
the upgrade disk. My questions is will I be ab;e tp re-install the Window XP
on the re-formatted hard drive with the upgrade only.

Yes, if you have the Windows 98 CD to insert as proof of ownership
when setup asks you to.

By the way, if I acquired a new computer, the first thing I would do
with it would be to reinstall the operating system cleanly. I would
have no idea how the computer has been maintained, what has been
installed incorrectly, what is missing, what viruses and spyware there
may be, etc. I wouldn't want to live with somebody else's mistakes and
problems, possibility of kiddy porn, etc., and I wouldn't recommend
that anyone else do either. Even if you told me that you had just
reinstalled Windows, I'd redo it myself anyway.

So my recommendation is that you don't even bother reinstalling it.
Just give the recipient the Windows XP and Windows 98 CDs to do it
himself (unless of course, it's a friend and he asks you to do it).

 

[3c273]

What Jerry said plus, don't buy something to wipe the disk. Download Darik's
Boot and Nuke. Free!
http://dban.sourceforge.net
(read instructions!)
Louis