Upgrade path?

[Guest]

I installed a Windows XP upgrade over a full install of Windows 98 2nd Ed.
Can I install a Windows Vista upgrade over the XP upgrade? Or even a clean
install of a Vista upgrade using my XP upgrade CD? Thanks.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I installed a Windows XP upgrade over a full install of Windows 98 2nd Ed.
Can I install a Windows Vista upgrade over the XP upgrade?

Yes.


Or even a clean
install of a Vista upgrade using my XP upgrade CD? Thanks.

No. Vista Upgrades do not permit this, as Upgrades to previous
versions of Windows did.

 

[Guest]

You can install a Vista upgrade over your Windows XP. However if you ever
need to reinstall Vista you will need to have 98SE installed and then install
XP over it and then install your Vista. So make sure you have your Win 98 SE
and XP cd's and product keys or make some and by make some I mean backup
cd's. I suggest going to
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pr...advisor.mspx?wt_svl=10008VHa1&mg_id=10008VHb1
to run the Win Vista Upgrade Advisor which will tell you which programs
currently on your PC are compatible with Vista and it will also tell you if
your computer needs any part upgrades to be able to run Vista as it won't
work with most computers any older than a year and a half depending on what
exactly you bought for a machine. And before you run the scan make sure that
any and all devices that you plug in to your computer like a digital camera
or printer or mp3 player etc are plugged in first. If the results say some of
your products/programs aren't compatible with Vista do some research on those
companies websites to see if they have made those non compatible products
recently compatible just in case MS hasn't updated their Upgrade Advisor etc.
Hope this helps.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

You can install a Vista upgrade over your Windows XP.

Yes.


However if you ever
need to reinstall Vista you will need to have 98SE installed and then install
XP over it and then install your Vista.

However that is *not* correct. If he ever needs to reinstall Vista, he
will have to have XP installed to upgrade. But, unlike with Vista, he
does *not* have to install 98 in order to do the upgrade to XP. The
requirement to use an upgrade version of Windows XP is to *own* a
previous qualifying version's installation CD, not to have it
installed. When setup doesn't find a previous qualifying version
installed, it will prompt you to insert its CD as proof of ownership.
Just insert the previous version's CD, and follow the prompts.
Everything proceeds quite normally and quite legitimately.