Upgrading to Windows XP from 98

[William Wallace]

I am planning to purchase the Windows XP Upgrade to
upgrade my Windows 98 operating system to the Windows XP
Home Edition. What I would like to know is will I have to
reformat my hard drive in order to do this?

I do not have a way to back-up my important files other
than 3.5 floppy disks, and I would hate to have to back
them up to numerous floppies! Can you give me some
feedback as to how I go about upgrading my current
operating system?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

HOW TO: Prepare to Upgrade Windows 98 or
Windows Millennium Edition to Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;316639

Before upgrading any existing Windows installation, it would be prudent to
run the Upgrade Advisor for Windows XP. This tool will report what hardware
or software may be incompatible with Windows XP. If you follow the Upgrade
Advisor's recommendations, you should not have any problem upgrading to
Windows XP.

If you fail to utilize the Upgrade Advisor, you may run into incompatibility issues.
Just inserting the Windows XP Upgrade CD in the CD Drive and selecting
"Upgrade" is not going to give you the desired result. You must "prepare and
plan" your computer before beginning the upgrade process.

Windows XP Upgrade Advisor
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307726

It is imperative that you have the latest BIOS update installed. Visit the support
website of the manufacturer of your computer or motherboard for instructions
on updating your computer's BIOS.

Accessing Motherboard BIOS
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

Also, physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware devices,
especially USB devices (not including your mouse, keyboard or
monitor). Uninstall any antivirus program, too!

How to Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;310064

Troubleshooting Windows XP Setup
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_setup.htm

[Courtesy of MS-MVP Kelly Theriot]

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

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

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|I am planning to purchase the Windows XP Upgrade to
| upgrade my Windows 98 operating system to the Windows XP
| Home Edition. What I would like to know is will I have to
| reformat my hard drive in order to do this?
|
| I do not have a way to back-up my important files other
| than 3.5 floppy disks, and I would hate to have to back
| them up to numerous floppies! Can you give me some
| feedback as to how I go about upgrading my current
| operating system?
|
| Thanks a bunch!

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

No, you don't _have_ to format your hard drive.

Some people will recommend that you perform a clean installation,
rather than upgrade over an earlier OS. For the most part, I feel
that these people, while well-meaning, are living in the past, and are
basing their recommendation on their experiences with older operating
systems. You'd probably save a lot of time by upgrading your PC to
WinXP, rather than performing a clean installation, if you've no
hardware or software incompatibilities. Microsoft has greatly
improved (over earlier versions of Windows) WinXP's ability to
smoothly upgrade an earlier OS.

WinXP is designed to install and upgrade the existing operating
system while simultaneously preserving your applications and data, and
translating as many personalized settings as possible. The process is
designed to be, and normally is, quite painless. That said, things
can go wrong, in a small number of cases. If your data is at all
important to you, back it up before proceeding.

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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