John said:I am thinking of upgrading an older PC by adding hardware and software and
installing XP Pro. I now am using Win98SE and wonder which way to go. What
would be best and reasons why not just upgrade.
Thank you very much.
Regards.
ModelMan
John said:I am thinking of upgrading an older PC by adding hardware and
software and installing XP Pro. I now am using Win98SE and wonder
which way to go. What would be best and reasons why not just upgrade.
Thank you very much.
Bruce said:Have you made sure that your PC's hardware components are capable
of supporting WinXP? This information will be found at the PC's
manufacturer's web site, and on Microsoft's Windows Catalog:
(http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx) Additionally, run
Microsoft WinXP Upgrade Advisor to see if you have any incompatible
hardware components or applications.
You should, before proceeding, take a few minutes to ensure that
there are WinXP device drivers available for all of the machine's
components. There may not be, if the PC was specifically designed for
Win98/Me. Also bear in mind that PCs designed for, sold and run fine
with Win9x/Me very often do not meet WinXP's much more stringent
hardware quality requirements. This is particularly true of many
models in Compaq's consumer-class Presario product line or HP's
consumer-class Pavilion product line. WinXP, like WinNT and Win2K
before it, is quite sensitive to borderline defective or substandard
hardware (particularly motherboards, RAM and hard drives) that will
still support Win9x.
HOW TO Prepare to Upgrade Win98 or WinMe
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q316639
Upgrading to Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm
Don said:The Upgrade version of Windows XP is fine. But, the better way to
install XP is to clean everything off the C drive then use the
Upgrade CD.
Before doing anything verify you have the CDs and ProductKeys for
both 98SE and XP.
John said:Thank you Bruce for your help. This is a custom built system that was
assembled by a local shop and has always run fine. I would like to upgrade
by adding whatever I need and will probably start with a fresh install of
Win98.
I have always kept up by adding everything new I could and with this
P4 2.4 Gig system that really should have had XP installed when it was
built. If I assume that this system will run fine even if I actually ended
up rebuilding from the ground up .....
..... what would the advantage of purchasing a
full version and not saving some money with upgrade?
Bruce said:Completely unnecessary, even if you were to purchase the Upgrade
version of WinXP. It's quite simple to perform a clean installation
using the Upgrade CD, provided you have the true installation CD for
the earlier OS.
Simply boot from the WinXP Upgrade CD. You'll be offered the
opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part of the
installation process. The Upgrade CD checks to see if a qualifying OS
is installed, and, if it finds none, it asks you to insert the
installation media (CD) of that OS. Unfortunately, an OEM
"Recovery/Restore" CD will not work for this purpose; you must have a
true installation CD, complete with the "\Win98" folder and *.cab
files, or the "\i386" folder of WinNT/2K.
Then you should be fine, as long as the PC's various components are
WinXP-compatible, and WinXP-specific device drivers are available.
For you, none whatsoever. For Microsoft and the software retailer,
there would be a marginally larger profit on the sale of the more
expensive license.
I'm not sure what you mean by "what would be best?" but bear in mind
that most computers of Windows 98 vintage will need substantial
upgrading to be able to run XP at all, and even more to run it at
acceptable speed.
For example, I wouldn't try to run XP with less than 256MB of RAM (and
depending on what apps you will run, more might be much better). Do
you have that much? Will your motherboard take that much?
How fast is your processor? About 400MHz is the practical minimum,
and speed will be poor at that speed. Somepleace around 1GB would be
more realistic.
How big is your hard drive? About 10GB is the practical minimum, and
that only if you have very few applications. 40GB is a more practical
minium for most people.
I dont know, but I'm guessing that you won't meet this minimums and
will probably need to upgrade at least the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and
hard drive, as well as buyiong a copy of XP. If so, look very
carefully at the cost of upgrading so much vs the cost of just buying
a new computer from someplace like Dell with XP included. You will
probably find that upgrading makes no sense.
Also bear in mind that you can probably get away with lower specs,
but it makes little sense to spend $250 to upgrade to a very minimal
configuration, when for $350 you could get a whole new
much-better-configured machine.
John said:I find now that I should have had XP installed on this system to
begin with. The guy said he could save me some money if I went the
Win98 route. This system is around three years old if I remember
correctly and is a P4 2.4 Gig with 1 Gig of Ram.
I have been adding all the new hardware
since I bought it like DL-DVD and new HDDs and Video card and so
forth. In my last post I mentioned finding XP for $75.00 with
assurances it is a legal CD. I do wonder what is meant when they add
"CD Only" as if there is something missing.
Then you almost certainly have what's needed, and you can ignore my
previous comment.
What kind of "assurances"? What recourse do you have if it isn't? Is
it Home or Professional? Is it an OEM copy or a retail one? If
retail, Full or Upgrade?
If it's OEM, make sure you understand the disadvantages of an OEM
version before you buy it. They are cheaper for a reason.
John said:Thanks again for some great tips. After looking around I was considering
this http://www.edirectsoftware.com/product.php?product_id=16134 full
version but am wondering if this is legit. I was looking at BestBuy and they
want $300.00.
John said:..... I
do wonder what is meant when they add "CD Only" as if there is something
missing.
John said:
Bruce< Would just like to add that John would probably highly exceed hisBruce Chambers said:Have you made sure that your PC's hardware components are capable of
supporting WinXP? This information will be found at the PC's
manufacturer's web site, and on Microsoft's Windows Catalog:
(http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx) Additionally, run
Microsoft WinXP Upgrade Advisor to see if you have any incompatible
hardware components or applications.
You should, before proceeding, take a few minutes to ensure that
there are WinXP device drivers available for all of the machine's
components. There may not be, if the PC was specifically designed for
Win98/Me. Also bear in mind that PCs designed for, sold and run fine
with Win9x/Me very often do not meet WinXP's much more stringent
hardware quality requirements. This is particularly true of many models
in Compaq's consumer-class Presario product line or HP's consumer-class
Pavilion product line. WinXP, like WinNT and Win2K before it, is quite
sensitive to borderline defective or substandard hardware (particularly
motherboards, RAM and hard drives) that will still support Win9x.
HOW TO Prepare to Upgrade Win98 or WinMe
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q316639
Upgrading to Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm
Gene said:Bruce< Would just like to add that John would probably highly exceed his
needs/wants plus save money by simply buying a medium level computer online
or at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.
Gene K
Gene said:Bruce< Would just like to add that John would probably highly exceed
his needs/wants plus save money by simply buying a medium level
computer online or at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.
Gene K
Bruce said:It usually means that it's a pirated, copied CD, and there will be no
Product Key with which to perform the installation.