In
JimH said:
My 1998 Gateway system meets the requirements for XP (Pentium II,
400MHz, 128MB Ram, etc.)
"Requirements" deal with the minimums needed to get it work at
all, not with what you need to get it to work with acceptable
performance. The 400MHz processor will be slow, but usable (my
wife uses one), but I wouldn't consider doing this unless you are
prepared to upgrade to at least 256MB of RAM.
And I'd be concerned about the "etc" Run the Microsoft Upgrade
Advisor at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp
and am considering upgrade to XP from 98. I
have two big hard drives; C: contains Windows 98 and some frequently
used programs like Word, Access, Excel and my big photograph album
program. I use the D: hard drive for lesser used programs and for
backing up my pictures. There is plenty of space on both drives. I
am concerned about loading XP over 98 on C: and generally about what
this process may do to existing files.
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 eth 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.
What is recommended for
backing up files and/or programs? Is putting them on the D: drive
sufficient?
The need to do a backup doesn't begin the day you upgrade, and
doesn't end after the upgrade. Backup needs to be a continuing
process. For a one-time backup, you might consider using D:. But
as an ongoing backup scheme, I don't recommend backup to a second
non-removable hard drive because it leaves you susceptible to
simultaneous loss of the original and backup to many of the most
common dangers: severe power glitches, nearby lightning strikes,
virus attacks, even theft of the computer.
In my view, secure backup needs to be on removable media, and not
kept in the computer. For *really* secure backup (needed, for
example, if the life of your business depends on your data) you
should have multiple generations of backup, and at least one of
those generations should be stored off-site.
My computer isn't used for business, but my personal backup
scheme uses two identical removable hard drives, which fit into a
sleeve installed in the computer. I alternate between the two,
and use Drive Image to make a complete copy of the primary drive.
Is the upgrade process a piece of cake or can it be
fraught with problems?
If you do it carefully, there should be no problems.
