Ease of 98 to 2000 Pro upgrade? 1

[Shadow38x]

We have a Windows 98 machine which has been running just fine, thank you. However, a CD-ROM project we've created in Director is having some issues, and we were told we should upgrade to Windows 2000.

That's all well and good, but we have a legacy FoxPro application that runs on the Windows 98 machine, and I was wondering whether there are any 98->2000 upgrade horror stories or incompatibilities with older software that I should be aware of before I make the leap.

I'm primarily a Mac user, so I'm hoping that the upgrade can be accomplished fairly simply and without losing data already on the machine. Any feedback will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[pbxman]

Cant say for sure on your legacy app, but it's a safe bet to assume there are going to be some "issues" with it. I think it will work, but it may require a little tinkering to get it the way you are used to seeing it.

Other than that - I cant think of anything that NEEDS 2000 vs. 98 application-wise. Especially Director. Maybe someone else knows, or you can post this in the Adobe forums elsewhere on this site.

What problems are you having with it? Thats something we'd be able to more directly help you with than a general upgrade question. The only solid answer to the upgrade question is "Yeah - it might work, or it might not" ...not exactly reassuring or solid after all.

I would say to get a test box going, and image your 98 drive first to get a full working backup image that you can restore if the upgrade tanks. It's worth a shot, and pretty cheap to do considering data-loss and recovery time would cost much more.

Personally - I prefer Powerquest's Drive Image product line over Symantec's Ghost product. Either way - they are tools you should have especially for testing purposes.

Hope this helps you. Get yourself a backup, and go for it!
hehehe pbxman
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[prescot9]

Shadow38x,

You can run the Windows 2000 installer and have it generate a report on the potential upgrade:

From the "i386" folder on the Windows 2000 CD, run the file: "winnt.exe". Provide the following argument; "/checkupgradeonly" like this:

i386\winnt.exe /checkupgradeonly

Hit the enter key, and Windows 2000 will check both hardware, and software, and generate a detailed report.

Enjoy!

 

[pbxman]

The upgrade report is not 100% either. It only shows whether the software (if listed) is compatible. It doesn't tell you that you need updated windows 2000 drivers for what you have, or service packs for software. The only way to be sure is test it with all your current settings in your production environment...dont trust Windows' scripts against your data integrity.

If you do in fact check your system for compatibility..i believe the command winnt.exe /checkupgradeonly won't work.
Im almost 100% sure its supposed to be winnt32.exe instead. I may be wrong - maybe someone can verify that before you start.

Anyway - good luck.
pbxman
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[pbxman]

Sorry - had to check..it is winnt32.exe /checkupgradeonly

I found a better way of doing this..search the MS site directly. Check out this link in case you didnt buy the 2K upgrade yet..maybe it'll save ya some money ahead of time.

Just enter the hardware or software you want to search for compatibility.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/professional/howtobuy/upgrading/compat/ready.asp

pbxman
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[GlenJohnson]

pbxman is right, the report isn't 100%. What the report checks against is a list of products that the creators have paid microsoft to test with W2K, and verified that it is or isn't. You make get back a false report that says something may not be compatable, when what it really means is that the owner of the software or hardware to be tested didn't want to pay microsoft to test it. It may work, it may not work, but you'll only know if you try. His awnser to use a test box is the perfect solution if your server is 98 machine is mission critical or you just don't wan't to fool around with problems later. Good Luck. Glen A. Johnson
Microsoft Certified Professional

"All things are difficult before they are easy."
Thomas Fuller (1608 - 1661) English scholar, preacher.