xp upgrade from 98se, "cannot find previous version of windows"

[steve j via WindowsKB.com]

I have 98se running, I want to put xp home (retail upgrade) on but keep
getting the "cannot find" message.
Reinstalling 98se did not improve things. Same problem whether booting 98 or
booting from xp cd.
I do not want to do a start from scratch install and have to reinstall
everything.
I note that the same query has been posted some time ago but do not think
that either the underlying question of "what is it looking for?" has been
answered or a work-around given.
Has anyone solved this or got any better hints please?

 

[Tom Montefusco]

Take a look at this article, which may help:

310064 How to troubleshoot problems during installation when you upgrade
from
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310064

I f that doesn't help, when you get the error message, try swapping the XP
cd-rom with the Windows 98 cd-rom. Setup is essentially searching for
qualifying media.