upgrade to XP

[qbasicking]

My laptop is running Windows 98 and I am thinking of upgrading to XP. I have a Windows XP Home Upgrade disk, but the manual in one place says that it will delete all of the files on my disk, and on the next page says that it won't. I really need these files, which is it?

 

[etom]

I would completely backup my system prior to ugrading to XP. Use software like Norton Ghost, Drive Image, or True Image to create a backup that can be restored if things go very wrong.

 

[rasETL]

When I upgraded my machine from Windows98 to XP, I used the XP Upgrade CD and did not encounter the upgrade deleting any files.

However, I had taken a backup as etom recommends just in case. You never know when something will happen.

Also, as an FYI - before you actually run the upgrade you should select the option to check your machine for hardware and software compatibility. It will let you know where potential problems will occur. For instance, I needed to obtain driver upgrades for my modem, and some of my software needed t be upgraded as well.

 

[fingon9]

you should be fine upgrading as long as u are running 98SE

 

[wolluf]

98FE will upgrade just as well as SE!!

However - although an upgrade will preserve your files and settings (as far as possible), backing up and doing a clean install (you can do this with upgrade disk) is best way to go for future stability.

As well as the compatibility check on the XP install CD, are you sure your laptop is up for XP? If its running 98, I'm guessing its a few years old. Running XP with less than 256MB RAM is not a good idea if you use more than one app at a time. And if processor < 500mhz, you'll probably think its a bit slow after 98 (it is vastly more stable of course). And it takes up a lot more disk space.

 

[bjdobs]

I used XP on a Compaq Presario 1685 10G Hd, 196M Ram with great success for over 2 years ... the only issue was not being able to use the extended Compaq buttons for email etc ... XP's compatibility test was not very promising but from my perspective this machine did everything I needed it to do and without anymore hassels from the kludges required for Windows 98 ... I did this after spending 24+ hrs trying to do a clean reload of Win98 + Compaq Patches Plus SE + MS Updates ... after rebooting too many times to count and still having a totally unstable machine, I decided to try and install XP ... in a little over an hour I had a fully functional machine with no patches or updates required ... it was stable and fast enough to do my programming work and documentation for my clients ... I have never looked back.

Note: XP will load very slow on these machines ... I got around that by using Hibernate ... I would only have to boot the machine about once a month to clear up wayward processes.

This machine is still being used by my kids on the internet and for their homework ... not bad for a 6 year old laptop designed for Win98 (I have to admit that I have kept it running with spare parts from a gutted machine and alot of TLC) The keyboard was replaced, the Video cable was repaired (the wires break after flexing daily) The motherboard had to be replaced after 18 months (Compaq design problems) the replacement is still working fine. The drive was was upgraded from 4G to 10G (IBM drive) and the memory was expanded to the max 196M using 3rd party parts from (Crucial.com)