Upgrade from ME to XP....

[John Soberay]

I'm looking to upgrade from ME to XP real soon, and i have
a question for everyone...

My computer is acting strange (locks up constantly, acts
as stable as Ozzy Osbourne after a weekend bender at
Starbucks, etc...) and i've been told that ME is no good,
is evil, etc. ...So i'd rather format the hard drive, and
completely forget about ME, and use the ME disks as coffee
cup coasters etc.

If i do this (format drive), does it mean i have to buy
the full XP package? Or can i save $99 and only buy the
upgrade? I'm really weary of ME (several bad crashes) and
would rather get rid of it all together. Saving the money
would be nice, but if i have to, i'll buy the full package.

thanks!
john

 

[Maurice N]

I'm looking to upgrade from ME to XP real soon, and i have
a question for everyone...

My computer is acting strange (locks up constantly, acts
as stable as Ozzy Osbourne after a weekend bender at
Starbucks, etc...) and i've been told that ME is no good,
is evil, etc. ...So i'd rather format the hard drive, and
completely forget about ME, and use the ME disks as coffee
cup coasters etc.

If i do this (format drive), does it mean i have to buy
the full XP package? Or can i save $99 and only buy the
upgrade? I'm really weary of ME (several bad crashes) and
would rather get rid of it all together. Saving the money
would be nice, but if i have to, i'll buy the full package.

thanks!
john

If your Me came with setup diskettes or CD --- do save those. That will be the proof to qualify for an XP upgrade edition.
If you have no Me disks ---- keep your Windows Me on the system & you could still do a wipe & clean install of XP----using the upgrade edition.

Obviously, you want to backup your data & personal files to external storage (burning to CDs would be good).

The setup process of XP will allow you to format your system partition. What you do, when ready to do this....Set pc BIOS boot sequence to boot from CD first. Place CD in. Boot from CD. The setup process will kick in. Highly suggest you first choose and run "Check System Compatibility" and let it check your hardware.

Then next, do the setup/install of XP. Choose "new install" and check "advanced" options.
BTW, make sure you have saved your important files & documents. Also, depending on age of your system, make doubly sure you have the latest BIOS version for your specific motherboard BEFORE doing XP install.

In addition, BEFORE buying XP, you may download and run the upgrade advisor. Just to check your hardware.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp

 

[Vagabond Software]

As with all Microsoft Upgrades, you can nuke the ME installation and start
with a fresh XP install. However, you will be prompted to insert the CD of
a qualified product, which is when you will insert the ME CD.

The XP installation only verifies that it is an ME CD, nothing is
installed.from it.

- carl

 

[Guest]

The upgrade disk is all you need. You will have to show your ME disk when asked for proof of previous ownership, so don't ever throw those away or use as coasters in case you need to reinstall. You're smart to do a clean install. ME comes back to haunt you if you don't. It's really easy with XP.

 

[Lemon Jelly]

John Soberay - typed:

I'm looking to upgrade from ME to XP real soon, and i have
a question for everyone...

My computer is acting strange (locks up constantly, acts
as stable as Ozzy Osbourne after a weekend bender at
Starbucks, etc...) and i've been told that ME is no good,
is evil, etc. ...So i'd rather format the hard drive, and
completely forget about ME, and use the ME disks as coffee
cup coasters etc.

If i do this (format drive), does it mean i have to buy
the full XP package? Or can i save $99 and only buy the
upgrade? I'm really weary of ME (several bad crashes) and
would rather get rid of it all together. Saving the money
would be nice, but if i have to, i'll buy the full package.

thanks!
john

I personally would never upgrade an OS, especially one that's become
unstable. I missed out on ME by going from W98 to XP. I don't think ME
was any worse

You will need XP upgrade not the full version. On doing a fresh install
into a newly wiped partition, you will be prompted for qualifying
media - you merely insert your ME install CD at this point. There are
some points to take into account such as if your hardware will run XP
without issues. MS have a XP Compatibility Wizard available which will
give you a good idea what hardware & software isn't compatible. If that
step passes, you may wish to run FAST (File & Settings Transfer Wizard)
before the upgrade (available on the XP Upgrade CD) then migrate the
settings across as soon as XP is installed. This will lessen the
customisation afterwards but most applications will need reinstalling
none the less but stuff like Outlook Express settings should be retained
by this process. You will need more than a 3.5 floppy for this such as a
CDR/W or another partition etc.

I would seriously consider creating at least one extra partition where
you can put your personal data & perhaps a 3rd for backups etc. The
space XP will take up will be much greater than ME & if you enable
Hibernate mode, this will take a further part of you C drive equal to
the amount of RAM you have, so make sure you have enough space. Once
installed, a first important step is to install a s/w Firewall such as
Kerio or ZA or to enable XP's own one which is better than nothing.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

It's quite possible to perform a clean installation using the
Upgrade CD, provided you have the true installation CD for the earlier
OS.

Simply boot from the WinXP Upgrade CD. You'll be offered the
opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part of the
installation process. The Upgrade CD checks to see if a qualifying OS
is installed, and, if it finds none, it asks you to insert the
installation media (CD) of that OS. Unfortunately, an OEM
"Recovery/Restore" CD will not work for this purpose; you must have a
true installation CD, complete with the "\Win98" folder and *.cab
files, or the "\i386" folder of WinNT/2K.

Alternatively, or especially if all you have is an OEM Recovery CD
for the earlier OS, you can even start the upgrade from within the
current Win98/Me/NT/2K installation, and still elect to perform a
clean installation, to include formatting the drive. In this case,
there's no further request for the qualifying OS's installation CD,
because the installation routing "remembers" that you started from
within the qualifying OS. This process is more time-consuming, but
you get the same results: a clean installation of WinXP.

Have you made sure that your PC's hardware components are capable
of supporting WinXP? This information will be found at the PC's
manufacturer's web site, and on Microsoft's Windows Catalog:
(http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx) Additionally, run
Microsoft WinXP Upgrade Advisor to see if you have any incompatible
hardware components or applications.

You should, before proceeding, take a few minutes to ensure that
there are WinXP device drivers available for all of the machine's
components. There may not be, if the PC was specifically designed for
Win98/Me. Also bear in mind that PCs designed for, sold and run fine
with Win9x/Me very often do not meet WinXP's much more stringent
hardware quality requirements. This is particularly true of many
models in Compaq's consumer-class Presario product line or HP's
consumer-class Pavilion product line. WinXP, like WinNT and Win2K
before it, is quite sensitive to borderline defective or substandard
hardware (particularly motherboards, RAM and hard drives) that will
still support Win9x.

HOW TO Prepare to Upgrade Win98 or WinMe
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q316639

Upgrading to Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm


Bruce Chambers

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