Upgrading from Win 98 SE to XP Home

[Scott Whittaker]

I am planning on taking an older computer & installing XP home on it. What I
want to do is buy the Upgrade version and have XP format my hard drive & do
a fresh install. I do have the original 98 SE disk.

What are the steps I need to do to be sure XP formats the drive before
installation? How can I "prove" to XP that I have the original disk?

Thanks

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Clean Install Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of MS-MVP Michael Stevens]

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Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
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|I am planning on taking an older computer & installing XP home on it. What I
| want to do is buy the Upgrade version and have XP format my hard drive & do
| a fresh install. I do have the original 98 SE disk.
|
| What are the steps I need to do to be sure XP formats the drive before
| installation? How can I "prove" to XP that I have the original disk?
|
| Thanks
| --
| Scott Whittaker

 

[Bob Harris]

Avoid some possible problems by first running the free Microsoft Upgrade
Advisor. It will tell you what hardware (if any) needs to be changed. It
will also tell you about the software, although that is less important, if
you plan on doing a clean install.

 

[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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