W98SE to XP- Is it worth it??

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tom G
  • Start date Start date
T

Tom G

I have 250 Mb ram,700 mhtz Pentium 3 and use is home
working plus internet(a lot so going to Broadband in
September)and currently run W98SE.
I am considering upgrading to XP Home edition at a cost of
about 180 pounds.

As XP users, would you recommend that I go for the upgrade?
My W98 is fairly stable but have heard that XP can
potentially create an unstable operating system.

Would value your comments bearing in mind that this site
usually deals with associated problems but perhaps you are
the best to give a considered view.
Thanks again
Tom
 
If someone is trying to charge you £180 for XP Home, I suggest you buy it
elsewhere mate.. That's daylight robbery!! You can buy on it (XP Home
Upgrade Edition) www.ebuyer.co.uk for £87.67 inc VAT!! Here's a link for
you...

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X2
92ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=26191

You can probably find it even cheaper if you shop around some...

XP is a LOT more stable than W98 could ever hope to be, but to be sure,
download the upgrade advisor from Microsoft to see if you'll have any
compatibility issues... It's NOT a small download but probably worth it...

HTH

Lorne
 
Tom said:
I have 250 Mb ram,700 mhtz Pentium 3 and use is home
working plus internet(a lot so going to Broadband in
September)and currently run W98SE.
I am considering upgrading to XP Home edition at a cost of
about 180 pounds.

As XP users, would you recommend that I go for the upgrade?
My W98 is fairly stable but have heard that XP can
potentially create an unstable operating system.

Would value your comments bearing in mind that this site
usually deals with associated problems but perhaps you are
the best to give a considered view.
Thanks again
Tom
Click to expand...

You only mention a rumour and unsubstantiated statement about
"potentially create an unstable operating system". This may well be true
if your hardware doesn't meet the published specs for XP ... but believe
nobody who tells you XP is unstable.

What do you *do* for which you can establish that you need an upgrade?
You don't mention anything about *why* you would want to upgrade?
Becuase of that My hunch is that you do not need any upgrade.

Only upgrade if:
1. you need new software that requires XP (very little software
requires XP)
2. you like to mess around with computers, learn new things, fiddle
with settings, and fix problems (because there will be things that you
have to mess around with to complete the upgrade)
3. you need new hardware that requires XP (unlikely)

Re your moving to Broadband in September ... you would be well served if
you spend your money instead on buying a firewall/router (Linksys,
Netgear, or equivalent along with a LAN card for your workstation to
connect to the router) and use this as the basis for your connection to
the Broadband Internet. Will make your access secure and minimize the
"fiddleing around time". I would not recommend burdening your Win 98
machine with software firewalls.

Leave your computer alone. "Upgrade" when you buy a new computer and XP
(or its successors) comes with it.
 
lORNE
You are quite right, the Upgrade is 89.99 pounds. Will
look at the Upgrade Advisor. Many thanks for your reply.
Tom
 
-----Original Message-----


Normally an upgrade of XP over 98 would be more rather than less stable,
provided you do not have any difficult hardware for which there are no
proper XP drivers (parallel port scanners for example, and non-PnP ISA
cards like some modem cards). You might feel the need for a bit more
RAM if you think you are making real use of the 256 you have: and you
should ensure you have about 5 GB spare Hard disk capacity around (you
will get some back, but XP does need more disk as well as more RAM)

Whether you need to move really depends on whether the present system is
meeting your needs - I would not really go to XP unless you feel some
need that is not being met - like support for new software.

And BTW a Home Upgrade CD of XP in the UK should be around 80 pounds -
not 180


--
Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies)
Bournemouth, U.K. (e-mail address removed)
.
Alex
Click to expand...
Thanks for your comments.
Main reason for change is so that I can use USB2
connections as I believe W98 does not support the extra
speed. I am buying a scanner and have cd rewrite, both of
which i would like to run on a USB2 connection. I have
added a USB2 card but i'm not sure that W98 can take
advantage of it for the extra speed. I get the feeling
that the best answer is to leave well alone or buy a new
computer with all the bits included.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Cheers
Tom
 
I have 250 Mb ram,700 mhtz Pentium 3 and use is home
working plus internet(a lot so going to Broadband in
September)and currently run W98SE.
I am considering upgrading to XP Home edition at a cost of
about 180 pounds.
Click to expand...


I'm not up on the current relative values of the US Dollar and
the Pound, but that seems extraordinarily expensive to me. It
should be much cheaper.

As XP users, would you recommend that I go for the upgrade?
My W98 is fairly stable but have heard that XP can
potentially create an unstable operating system.
Click to expand...


In my view, you've got it exactly backwards. XP is far and away
the best and most stable version of Windows ever. I have it
running on two machines here since the day it was first released.
XP has *never* crashed, frozen, blue-screened, or hiccupped on
either machine.

Nevertheless, I don't necessarily recommend you upgrade. Changing
operating systems means expense, a learning curve, and probably
some frustration. Do so only if you can identify a clear payoff.
I think upgrades should be driven by need (or strong desires) not
on availability. If you want to install a hardware device
supported by XP but not 98, upgrade. If you want to run software
that will run on XP but not 98, upgrade. If you're having
problems with 98 that you expect XP to fix, upgrade. If you are a
professional, and you therefore need to know XP better, upgrade.
Or if you're a hobbyist who enjoys playing with the latest and
greatest, upgrade. Almost everybody else should probably stick
with what they have.

If you were buying a new computer and asking what operating
system to put on it, I would unhesitatingly say "XP." But
changing operating systems is a different matter.
 
Rob Schneider said:
Ken Blake wrote:

*snip*



Software and hardware in UK is expensive compared to USA. Few
suppliers. Monopolistic tendancies with little discounting.
Click to expand...


Yes, I understand that. But 180 pounds for an XP Home upgrade
still seems extraordinary. And I now see from later posts that it
can be bought for 80-90 pounds.
 
Tom said:
Thanks for your comments.
Main reason for change is so that I can use USB2
connections as I believe W98 does not support the extra
speed. I am buying a scanner and have cd rewrite, both of
which i would like to run on a USB2 connection. I have
added a USB2 card but i'm not sure that W98 can take
advantage of it for the extra speed. I get the feeling
that the best answer is to leave well alone or buy a new
computer with all the bits included.
Click to expand...

Yes - for USB 2.0 you need XP. And with Service Pack 1 as well. A new
machine or even a CD bought retail by now should include SP1 and the USB
2.0 drivers
 
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