Hello Sonya,
Reformat simply means that the contents of the disk will
be completely erased. During the install process of
Windows XP this can be done.
Before upgrading to Windows XP, you must make sure that
your computer easily meets the hardware requirements and
that your hardware has drivers that support Windows XP.
You can run the 'Upgrade Advisor' from Microsoft to help
determine this.
It seems that the most important factor for XP's
performance is the memory requirements. I have 512 MB and
my computer performes well (but there are other factors
that contribute to the overall performance). Back in the
Windows 98 days, must computers came with about 64 MB or
128 MB, and those are not nearly enough for XP. For
processing power, usually around 500 MHz minimum should
do. I had a computer running XP at work that had a 500
MHz Pentium III and it did fine, but it also had 256 MB of
RAM. Its abilites were limited, but Windows XP ran well.
Before you go ahead and completely wipe out Windows 98,
you should do an 'upgrade' fisrt. Just simply start your
computer and when Windows 98 finishes booting, just put in
the disk. Select: Install WIndows XP. Then
select "Upgrade" from the menu. This process will not
wipe your hard drive or remove any programs. It will
leave your computer in it's currect condidtion, however,
Windows 98 will be replaced with Windows XP. The upgrade
process is good for getting a feel of how XP will run on
your computer. If your do not like XP, there will be an
entry on the 'Add/Remove Programs' menu to Uninstall XP
and revert bakc to Windows 98. Although the upgrade
process does not delete any personal files and programs,
it's still a good idea to back up anything important just
in case something goes wrong.
If you are satisfied with Windows XP and would like to
keep it, then I would recommend doing a full install. You
will beable to completely wipe your hard drive clean and
start fresh. However, all personal data and programs,
etc... will be lost. It requires more effort, but the
results are pleasing.
When doing the setup for XP, it will ask you where you
want to have Windows XP installed (C: drive, D: drive,
etc...). Simply select C: drive (the drive that Windows
98 is installed on) and press 'D' to delete that current
partition. There will be a few confirmation screens.
Once the partition is completely deleted, the sceen should
say 'Unpartitioned Space'. Select this, and press 'C' to
create a new partition in that space. This will be called
C: by default. This partition created will be unformatted
(raw) so you will have to format this partition. For
windows XP use the NTFS format when it prompts you. The
drive will then be formatted and all the data on it will
be completely erased.
After this, setup will ask again where you want to install
Windows. The new formatted partition (C
will show up.
Select the C: drive and install Windows there. Setup
should continue installing Windows XP.
After the installation is complete (may take up to 90
minutes...usually much less) you will have to install the
drivers for your hardware. Windows may install most of
the drivers on it's own. Just go to the Device Manager
and it will show unknown devices with a yellow '!'. These
devices need to have drivers for XP installed. Usually
the manufacturer will have the drivers posted on the
internet to download.
Next, you should install updates. Windows XP SP2 has just
been relased and can be downloaded on the microsoft web
page or will show up on Windows Update. It's very
important that you keep up with updates for Windows XP.
This OS is the target for abuse by some virus writers and
such, so you want the best protection you can get.
After you have all updates, simply install your software
and personal files. Beaware that some software will not
be compatible with Windows XP. I used to have Windows ME,
and Adaptec Easy CD Creator 4 and WinDVD 3 both worked.
However, on XP, those programs did not work properly.
Just check the comatibility on the package. Usually most
programs made in the past few years will be fine.
Programs made more than a few years back might be
incompatible.
Hopefully, you can get something out of my long-winded
explanation. Mirosoft should have some numbers to
call...they can be found in the box that your Windows XP
disc came in.
Hope this helps,
Francis
