Upgrading to XP from 98 or ME

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G

Guest

Okay, here's the situation...

A friend of mine has a slightly older PC that came with ME pre-installed. A
while back (before I knew him) he had some problems and someone else
uninstalled ME and replaced it with 98SE. Now he wants to upgrade to XP. He's
already purchased the upgrade edition and the additional memory and the PC
seems ready to handle it. My question is: Should the OS that came with the PC
(ME) be reinstalled first, or is it okay to upgrade from the 98SE that's on
it now?

Thanks in advance.

--- Gary
 
Yes, should be ok to install over Windows 98. As long as most of the drivers
are properly installed, you should have no problem. Common practice would be
to make a backup of important files, just in case though.
 
Gary,

Yes, of course your friend can.

[How to install or upgrade to Windows XP - Microsoft]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=316941

[Upgrade Advice, Known Issues, and Answers - Microsoft]
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/upgrading/before.mspx

[Upgrading to Windows XP - The Elder Geek]
http://www.theeldergeek.com/upgrading_to_windows_xp.htm

NOTE: Your friend, if he's brave, might consider is a 'clean' install, if
possible. It's more work - you need all the settings, drivers, product keys
and CD-ROM discs etc., but it makes for a, well, cleaner installation. While
some here dismiss the notion of "registry crud" - if there is such a thing
it doesn't get carried over into the new installation. Yes, you can use the
Upgrade CD-ROM to do a clean installation - you can even use it to do a
clean installation by booting from the Windows XP CD-ROM. Make sure to back
up important files and data etc. before doing anything.
 
GTifeld said:
Okay, here's the situation...

A friend of mine has a slightly older PC that came with ME pre-installed. A
while back (before I knew him) he had some problems and someone else
uninstalled ME and replaced it with 98SE. Now he wants to upgrade to XP. He's
already purchased the upgrade edition and the additional memory and the PC
seems ready to handle it. My question is: Should the OS that came with the PC
(ME) be reinstalled first, or is it okay to upgrade from the 98SE that's on
it now?

Thanks in advance.

--- Gary
Click to expand...


It doesn't matter which qualifying OS (Win98 or WinMe) is installed.

However, has your friend verified that all of the 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)

He should also take a few minutes to ensure that there are
WinXP-specific 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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