XP Home Edition issues

[Guest]

I have been advised that I should start the process of switching (not
upgrading) from 98 first edition to XP Home Edition from scratch. Save all my
files then wipe clean the hard drive then stick in the XP Home Edition disc.
But someone said that this is all done for me when I insert the XP disc. I
don't need to worry about how to wipe clean my hard drive, for example, since
the XP disc does this for me. Is this how it goes?

Also, I am getting broadband at the same time. But it has (the broadband
service) something called PCGuard. Some sort of protection program. Will
this interfere with the anti-virus and firewall installed on XP Home Edition?
I have a feeling they would conflict.

 

[peter]

here is a website that explains in detail with screenshots what you are
trying to accomplish
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp

be aware that formatting a drive will erase everything thats on the
drive...all of your work...all programs and whatever your Broadband ISP has
placed on it.

XP does come with a Firewall...........but it is only half good suggest you
download and use the free version of ZoneAlarm.
XP does NOT come with an Anti Virus program.....you will need to supply
one.There are various free ones..Avast...AVG.

hope this helps

peter

 

[Gordon]

I have been advised that I should start the process of switching (not
upgrading) from 98 first edition to XP Home Edition from scratch. Save all
my
files then wipe clean the hard drive then stick in the XP Home Edition
disc.
But someone said that this is all done for me when I insert the XP disc. I
don't need to worry about how to wipe clean my hard drive, for example,
since
the XP disc does this for me. Is this how it goes?

that may well happen, however s with ANY operation of this kind, backup all
your critical files first

Also, I am getting broadband at the same time. But it has (the broadband
service) something called PCGuard. Some sort of protection program. Will
this interfere with the anti-virus and firewall installed on XP Home
Edition?
I have a feeling they would conflict.

No version of XP has an anti-virus program built-in so there's no worries
there. XP will automatically turn the internal firewall off when it detects
another in place.

HTH

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I have been advised that I should start the process of switching (not
upgrading) from 98 first edition to XP Home Edition from scratch.
Save all my files then wipe clean the hard drive then stick in the XP
Home Edition disc.

Poor advice, in my view. Although many people will tell you that formatting
and installing cleanly is the best way to go, I disagree. Unlike with
previous versions of Windows, an upgrade to XP replaces almost everything,
and usually works very well.

My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's much easier
than a clean installation. You can always change your mind and reinstall
cleanly if problems develop.

However, don't assume that doing an upgrade relieves you of the need to
backup your data, etc. before beginning. Before starting to upgrade, it's
always prudent to recognize that things like a sudden power loss can occur
in the middle of it and cause the loss of everything. For that reason you
should make sure you have backups and anything else you need to reinstall if
the worst happens.

But someone said that this is all done for me when
I insert the XP disc. I don't need to worry about how to wipe clean
my hard drive, for example, since the XP disc does this for me. Is
this how it goes?

That's correct. Just boot from the Windows XP CD (change the BIOS boot order
if necessary to accomplish this) and follow the prompts for a clean
installation (delete the existing partition by pressing "D" when prompted,
then create a new one).

You can find detailed instructions here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm

or here http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

Also, I am getting broadband at the same time. But it has (the
broadband service) something called PCGuard. Some sort of protection
program. Will this interfere with the anti-virus and firewall
installed on XP Home Edition? I have a feeling they would conflict.

There *is* no anti-virus that comes with XP. Whther it will interfere with
XP's firewall, I don't know, since I've never heard of PCGuard.

Didn't I answer this question yesterday, perhaps in another newsgroup? If
so, please do not send the same message separately to more than one
newsgroup (called multiposting). Doing so just fragments the thread, so
someone who answers in one newsgroup doesn't get to see answers from others
in another newsgroup. And for those who read all the newsgroups the message
is multiposted to, they see the message multiple times instead of once (they
would see it only once if you correctly crossposted instead). This wastes
everyone's time, and gets you poorer help than you should get.

If you must send the same message to more than one newsgroup, please do so
by crossposting (but only to a *few* related newsgroups).

Please see "What is the accepted way to share a message across multiple
newsgroups?" at http://smjg.port5.com/faqs/usenet/xpost.html

 

[Guest]

I understand.

But does not the XP disc have instructions displayed on the screen? The
first website you mentioned went into all sorts of possibilities. For
someone who just wants to do this (basically to get it over with) as quickly
and painlessly as possible, I imagine that the XP disc will give me all I
want? I am trying to do a research project, and I want advice, simply
stated, that will do the job without ado.

I am frustrated by people contradicting one another. In this case, most
people prefer clean installs, it seems, but when you think that's settled,
you get individuals who state upgrades are the way to go. For most of us who
just want to use our PCs and are not interested in the technicalities of how
to get from A to B, it makes a confusing picture, which (for the beginner) is
the last thing you really want.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I am frustrated by people contradicting one another.

Sorry, I understand your frustration, but life is like that. Not everyone
has the same viewpoint. It's no different with computers from what it is
with religions, political parties, choice of automobile brands, or anything
else. The only real difference with computers is that the world is
*especially* full of self-proclaimed computer experts who really know very
little.

However with computers, you have the advantage of having resources like
these newsgoups, and here you have an advantage that you don't have
everywhere else: the best way to get good information here is to hang around
for a while, and take note of who are the people who consistently give good
advice. It doesn't take very long before you find out who to trust and who
not to trust.

On the other hand, if all you do is drop in once in a while and ask a
question like "which anti-virus program should I get?" and you get fourteen
replies recommending nine different products, you're no better off than when
you started.

In this case,
most people prefer clean installs, it seems, but when you think
that's settled, you get individuals who state upgrades are the way to
go.

Note that that's not exactly what I said. My point is that upgrades
*usually* work very well. My recommendation is that you prepare for a clean
installation by having backups of everything you need for one, but *try* the
upgrade first. If it works without problems, you're home free. In the
unlikely event that you have problems, you can *still* do the clean
installation; all you are out is the extra hour or two it took for the
upgrade and finding out you had a problem.

Contrast that with how much work there is with the alternative: install
cleanly, reinstall your backups, reinstall all your programs, set them up
and customize them the way you like them etc. Depending on how much software
you have, and much much customization you've applied, there's a potential
savings of several days work.

My point is that at least trying the upgrade is betting an extra hour or two
of work against an extra several days of work. It's the prudent way to go.

But it's your choice. I can't make it for you, and you may believe whomever
you want.

For most of us who just want to use our PCs and are not
interested in the technicalities of how to get from A to B, it makes
a confusing picture, which (for the beginner) is the last thing you
really want.

Although I certainly understand your point, please realize that it's not
possible to make an intelligent technical decision without understanding at
least something of the technology underlying it. It's like bringing your car
to the mechanic and his saying "I have to replace the framus, the
intergulator, and the frotbooster, and it will cost you $1,300." If you just
say OK and pay him, you're going to find that life will be very expensive.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I have been advised that I should start the process of switching (not
upgrading) from 98 first edition to XP Home Edition from scratch.

Advised by whom, precisely? Unless you're not telling us about any
problems you're already experiencing with that Win98 installation, You
probably shouldn't listen to that particular source any more; at least
not concerning computers.

Granted, many uninformed people do recommend that one always
perform a clean installation, rather than upgrade over an earlier OS.
For the most part, I feel that these people, while usually
well-intended, are living in the past, and are basing their
recommendations on their experiences with older, obsolete operating
systems or hearsay. One would save a lot of time by upgrading a PC to
WinXP, rather than performing a clean installation, if there're no
hardware or software incompatibilities. Microsoft has greatly improved
(over earlier versions of Windows) WinXP's ability to smoothly upgrade
an earlier OS.

Certainly, there are times when an in-place upgrade is
contra-indicated:

1) When the underlying hardware isn't certified as being fully
compatible with the newer OS, and/or updated device drivers are not
available from the device's manufacturer. Of course, this condition also
causes problems with clean installations.

2) When the original OS is corrupt, damaged, and/or virus/malware
infested. I've also seen simple, straight-forward upgrades from WinXP
Home to WinXP Pro fail because the computer owner had let the system
become malware-infested. Upgrading over a problematic OS isn't normally
a wise course to establishing a stable installation.

3) When the new OS isn't designed to properly, correctly, and safely
perform an upgrade.

But to cavalierly dismiss *all* upgrades as unsafe and inadvisable
is patently absurd. A properly prepared and maintained PC can almost
always be successfully upgraded by a knowledgeable and competent
technician. I've lost count of the systems I've seen that have been
upgraded from Win95 to Win98 to Win2K to WinXP (usually with incremental
hardware upgrades over the same time period), without the need for a
clean installation, and that are still operating without any problems
attributable to upgrades.

Save all my
files then wipe clean the hard drive then stick in the XP Home Edition disc.
But someone said that this is all done for me when I insert the XP disc. I
don't need to worry about how to wipe clean my hard drive, for example, since
the XP disc does this for me. Is this how it goes?

If that's what you really want to do, yes. Simply boot from the WinXP
installation CD. You'll be offered the opportunity to delete, create,
and format partitions as part of the installation process. (You may need
to re-arrange the order of boot devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from
the CD.)

HOW TO Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;316941

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

Also, I am getting broadband at the same time. But it has (the broadband
service) something called PCGuard. Some sort of protection program. Will
this interfere with the anti-virus and firewall installed on XP Home Edition?
I have a feeling they would conflict.

I've no idea what "PCGuard" might be, but WinXP has no anti-virus
application with which it could possibly interfere. Can't say how it
might interact with WinXCP's firewall; is there any particular reason
you can't ask this question of PCGuard's manufacturer?


--

Bruce Chambers

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safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[NewScience]

I've done all versions here at work. Upgraded from NT, 98, ME, 2000 ... and
have had problems with everyone, except for the clean installs.

Each system has quirks on it's very own. If you can swear that you system
is TOTALLY clean, you should have no problem.

But the Windows Registry under each of the systems all had remnants and
problems, no matter how hard anybody tried to clean them or keep problems to
a minimum.

An upgrade takes those problems with it, replaces some of the information
with new stuff, but basically keeps information in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software as well as HKEY_USERS.

Also, you don't IMMEDIATELY know it all software that may start from Run
keys, WinLogon, ...., is compatible with Windows XP.

Then you have possible problems with third-party drivers not part of the
Windows XP list, as well as services.

I, myself, can solve these problems dealing with upgrades, but most people
can't.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Ken Blake, MVP wrote:

Although I certainly understand your point, please realize that
it's not possible to make an intelligent technical decision without
understanding at least something of the technology underlying it.
It's like bringing your car to the mechanic and his saying "I have
to replace the framus, the intergulator, and the frotbooster, and
it will cost you $1,300." If you just say OK and pay him, you're
going to find that life will be very expensive.

<more useful stuff snipped>

Your frotbooster went bad too?
What is it these days?
Can't anyone make a reliable frotbooster?
*grumbles*
My third one in six months!

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Ken Blake, MVP wrote:

<more useful stuff snipped>

Your frotbooster went bad too?
What is it these days?
Can't anyone make a reliable frotbooster?
*grumbles*
My third one in six months!

LOL!