If you have the "retail" version of XP, you can activate it as many times as
necessary, so long as it is on only one PC at a time. For the home edition,
this version costs about $200 (full) or $100 (upgrade). If you are offerred
something about half those prices, that is probably an OEM edition, which is
intended for people who build PCs for a living, or for a few very talented
users. The OEM version is locked to the original hardware, meaning the
original motherboard. The OEM version has other limitations, and it does
not sound like it is right for you.
Assuming that you have a retail version, do NOT install it yet !
First, run the upgrade advisor. It is free from Microsoft at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/upgrading/advisor.mspx
It may also be on an XP CDROM.
If the advisor notes any potential problem hardware or software, investigate
further and have a plan to deal with them. Things to consider, which it may
try to warn you about:
1. uninstall all antivirus and system level software, such as anything by
Symantec/Norton, McAfee, PowerQuest, including things like GOBACK and
TAKETWO. Such software is often specific to a given operating system, and
the installation will choe DLLs appropriate for the currently installed
operating system.
2. uninstall all CD/DVD writing software.
3. be sure to have a BIOS that is Y2K compatible. Any BIOS whose date is
after jan 1, 2000 probably qualifies. But, some with earlier dates also
qualify.
4. have at least 128 meg of RAM. XP loves RAM and can use as much as your
PC can handle. But, older PCs have limits much less than the XP limit. My
old Gateway, circa 1998, could only handle 384 Meg. XP ran very well on
that, een though the CPU was only a Pentium 2 at 450 Mhz.
5. have at least 3 Gig free on the hard drive for XP, and prefwerrable
twice that. XP is large and likes to make a bunch of temporary files while
it is running.
6. If you have hard drives running at ATA/100 orATA/133, be sure to use an
80-pin cable. Earlier version of wndows were tolerant of using a 40-pin
cables; XP is not.
Assumng that the hardware is OK or upgradable, and the software is OK, or
removeable, back up personal files off the PC (just in case). Better yet,
back up the entire C: drive with something like GHOST or True Image.
Then, install XP, which may take an hour. If it stalls, just try it again.
I would suggest that you do NOT convert NTFS format during the upgrade. You
can do that later, or never, since XP runs fine on FAT32.
After a successful upgrade, install antivirus and (optionally) other
system-level software. Be sure that the version you are installing says
that it is compatible with XP.
Before going anywhere else on the internet, use the automatic update feature
of XP to get all critical updates from Microsoft. Examine any
non-critical Micosoft updates, since these sometimes include better drivers
for sound and video. Also, get updates for you antivirus, spy-protection,
etc.
Once updated, and working OK, activate XP. You have 30 days, so be sure you
are happy with things before activating.
If you make minor changes, a couple of times a year, it is unlikely that you
will ever need to re-activate. The one thing that will certainly lead to a
re-activation is replacing the motherboard. But, don't worry, if automatic
re-activation via the internet fails, call the 800 number that will appear
on the screen and explain what you changed. I needed to do this once, and
the Microsoft representative was quite friendly and helpful. I was
re-activated in under 10 minutes.
