Upgrade ME to XP on a Dell Computer

[MarkC]

I currently run windows ME on a Dell Pentium III 1 GHz PC.
Can I upgrade to XP? Do I need to buy the upgrade from
Dell or will a over the counter retail version work? Can I
reformat the hard drive and still upgrade?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

An "over-the-counter" Upgrade will _probably_ work.

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 Hardware Compatibility
List: (http://www.microsoft.com/hcl/default.asp) 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 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


Bruce Chambers

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[Ken Blake]

In

I currently run windows ME on a Dell Pentium III 1 GHz PC.
Can I upgrade to XP?

Yes, almost certainly. But to be sure, run the Microsoft Upgrade
Advisor at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp

Do I need to buy the upgrade from
Dell or will a over the counter retail version work?

Either will work.

Can I
reformat the hard drive and still upgrade?

Yes, as long as you have a previous qualifying version's
installation CD, such as Me (*not* a restore CD) to insert when
prompted to do so.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I currently run windows ME on a Dell Pentium III 1 GHz PC.
Can I upgrade to XP? Do I need to buy the upgrade from
Dell or will a over the counter retail version work? Can I
reformat the hard drive and still upgrade?

Check that you have enough RAM - the 'recommended' 128MB is not enough -
256 is reasonable.

Then AFAIK Dell hardware is very standard, so you ought to be able to
use a regular retail Upgrade CD. Either run it from the present system
and take Upgrade (which is what I would do in the first instance), or
you could switch to New Install, when it asks where hit ESC and then
delete the present partition and create a new RAW one to be formatted -
by that point the eligibility check has been made.

You need to remove certain programs first - AV; system utilities like
Norton and CD Burning. And Read Gary Woodruff's article on upgrading to
XP at http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm

 

[anon]

My experience upgrading an HP celeron 550 to XP points out some of the short
comings of using older proprietary machines. I loaded a baseline
installation of Windows 98SE and then upgraded to XP. XP recognized all of
the HP's components and the OS installation went smoothly. The 550 is a
little slow. Since the friend I did this for only uses her computer for
e-mail/web surfing she's happy. Anyone else would not be.

Whatever you do I sugest you get hold of a full version of XP. I have found
upgrading over your current Win OS can be problematic. Start fresh by wiping
the drive. Back up your files first of course.

HBL

 

[Jim Macklin]

Dell supplies operating system CDs that are basically
Microsoft CDs. You can do a clean install with the XP CD
and format the C: drive (and create additional partitions if
you want) and the W98 CD from Dell will serve to prove you
are upgrading (even though you are doing a full-install).

Compaq and HP use "restore" disks which are images and not
installation CDs.


| My experience upgrading an HP celeron 550 to XP points out
some of the short
| comings of using older proprietary machines. I loaded a
baseline
| installation of Windows 98SE and then upgraded to XP. XP
recognized all of
| the HP's components and the OS installation went smoothly.
The 550 is a
| little slow. Since the friend I did this for only uses her
computer for
| e-mail/web surfing she's happy. Anyone else would not be.
|
| Whatever you do I sugest you get hold of a full version of
XP. I have found
| upgrading over your current Win OS can be problematic.
Start fresh by wiping
| the drive. Back up your files first of course.
|
| HBL

 

[Gary Tait]

My experience upgrading an HP celeron 550 to XP points out some of the short
comings of using older proprietary machines. I loaded a baseline
installation of Windows 98SE and then upgraded to XP. XP recognized all of
the HP's components and the OS installation went smoothly. The 550 is a
little slow. Since the friend I did this for only uses her computer for
e-mail/web surfing she's happy. Anyone else would not be.

Whatever you do I sugest you get hold of a full version of XP. I have found
upgrading over your current Win OS can be problematic. Start fresh by wiping
the drive. Back up your files first of course.

HBL

I would, for insurance, choose a full install, as HP systems have
restore discs, if you cannot manage to create a semblance of an
install CD from the contents of the HDD or restore discs.

However, if you do have a genuine install disc, an upgrade version of
XP will do a clean install as well.