Upgrading Windows 98 to XP 4

[tgr430]

Hi,

I have an end user who has a Gateway that currently is running WIndows 98. He has a Windows XP upgrade CD and wants to upgrade from windows 98 to XP using this CD. He is also wondering if he has to do aything to his hard drive.

I did some research online and found out that you can upgrade to XP from 98, but I am not sure if he should do anything to his hard drive before upgrading.

My major concern is that I don't know if he should upgrade to ME or to 2000 before upgrading to XP, and I don't know if there will be any unforseen problems during the process. I'm not quite sure of this since I've never done it myself. Does anyone have any advice that they could give me. I appreciate your help in advance. Thank you.

Terry

 

[GrowingHaze]

My knowledge on the issue is scarse, but I have read that the main problem with this scenario is that the Hard Drive is FAT32 and windows XP doesn't play well with anything but NTFS. This is really a minor issue, as long as the guy doesn't get a kick out of unplugging the computer during a file transfer. I would free up as much space as possible since XP takes up about 1.5 gig by itself. Good Luck!

-Growing Haze

Gates giveth, Gates taketh away.

 

[mattjurado]

If he's going to try the upgrade, do it from 98 to xp. The more upgrades you do, the greater the likelihood bad things will happen.

However, I never suggest upgrading any os, let along a 9x system to an nt based system (which is what xp really is).

A clean format and install of XP should be done first, but you'll need to backup all data first, and reinstall programs when done.

If there are no problems with the computer, then I don't suggest doing anything. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If there are problems, an upgrade will only upgrade the problems. Format and reinstall XP if this is the case.

Matt J.

Please always take the time to backup any and all data before performing any actions suggested for ANY problem, regardless of how minor a change it might seem. Also test the backup to make sure it is intact.

 

[tgr430]

Hi Matt,

Thanks for your reply. He has 3 PCs. 2 of them are Windows XP and 1 is Windows 98. He wants to upgrade the windows 98 to XP with an upgrade disk.

I agree with you when you implied that it is risky to upgrade a 9x to an NT version OS.

Just out of curiosity, what would happen if he didn't save the data from his hard drive and went ahead an performed the upgrade? Is it definite that he would lose his data?

Thanks again for your reply. Best wishes.

Terry

 

[edfair]

As previously noted, make room. I took one testbed up recently on a 2gb partition from a clean 98SE and bumped the top.


Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[noobtechie]

from 98 to xp, you should try a clean install, but based on the msce exam 70-270 book material, the right way to do it is 98 > 2000 > xp.

As far as losing data, I don't think he will lose it, but it might get corrupted if the upgrade didn't go as planned. I would just back up the important files, and do a clean install. If you were to do a clean install, make sure you have enough space left for updates. Usually a good 2.5 Gb is the amount of space the OS will take up with the latest update, also, have enough room for other programs to run. Keep also in mind that running your xp on 128 mb can be a little slow at times, try to put 256 if pc permits. Hope this helps.

============================
There is no place like 127.0.0.1

 

[mattjurado]

Also, whatever you back it up to, verify that you can restore it and it is usable. Sometimes backups aren't as intact as you would like.

Matt J.

Please always take the time to backup any and all data before performing any actions suggested for ANY problem, regardless of how minor a change it might seem. Also test the backup to make sure it is intact.

 

[TekTippy4U]

firstly;

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp

then make sure you have the orig 98 CDROM and COA # handy....
D/l and Update/flash your BIOS, Before upgrade...

D/l XP SP1 and install right after upgrade.
d/l ALL necessary updated device drivers (Video/Modem/etc, etc)...burn to CDR, not CDRW (test the burn in 98... 'verify'....XP will convert to ntfs when installing, should you choose ntfs during upgrade)


TT4U

Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions.
Backup All Important Data/Docs..All involved shall be spared the grief.

 

[Bigpom1]

All of the above makes sense, but I know you can upgrade and keep current programs but the important thing to bear in mind is that some software and drivers may not work with XP. Check it out first...Dave