install XPpro questions

[travistee]

I have a win98se system and I want to move to XP.

Can I install over the win98?

I thought I have to install on a clean disk because of the
different file formats. Which brings up another quetion.
How do I format the new drive?? Is there a way of doing it from the CD?

[ajm62]

Hi Travistee, You can upgrade from Win 98 se or dual boot with WinXP.
If you want you can put the CD in the CD-Rom Drive and it will ask you (alot of question) but the one you want to know about is ---do you want to upgrade or install WinXP in it own director(Which just mean dual boot) or do you want to replaced win 98 with win xp
question # two you wanted to know is do you want to go with Fat 32 or NTFS
It all depend. if you want to dual boot with winxp then I say Fat 32
if you just want to upgrade to just having winxp on your computer then i would very much say NTFS
I hope this help
Alvin

[Ferrit]

You can install XP over 98SE but it is never advisable.
The file systems can be kept the same XP will use Fat32 but I wouldnt reccomend it
Place the XP cd in the cd tray and boot to it it should be clear after that provided the computer is set to boot from the cd.
Failing that you must enter bios to set the system to boot to the cdrom first

[travistee]

I may want to keep the dual boot for a while, so I don't have to reinstall everything I have on the win98 system.

How does the dual boot work?
Will it ask which OS I want to boot to each time I boot up, or is there a default ( that I can change later)?

I assume that when I boot into XPpro I will have all of the features of XPpro (like dual processor support)

How much disk space will XP need?

[travistee]

Forgot to say.
I'm doing this with a new motherboard.

So win98se will have to find the new drivers for the motherboard ( controllers etc) , and then XP will also ,

[slgrieb]

Actually, if you choose the option to upgrade 98 to XP you won't need to reinstall most (maybe any) of your software. XP upgrade setup can list incompatible hardware and software for you before you commit. The process isn't perfect. If you are running Norton Anitivirus 2002, 2003, or 2004, for instance, XP will not identify a problem with it. However, there are two totally different versions of the program for Win9x and Win2K/XP. You should remove the old version prior to the upgrade and then reinstall. Otherwise, NAV will spit up an error and won't run until you remove and reinstall.

I'll disagree with Ferrit and say that the 98 to XP upgrade is usually pretty painless, but I would keep the drive as FAT32 untill you verify that everything runs OK. Then you can run the convert utility to switch to NTFS. One of the major reasons to ditch 98 for XP is to get away from FAT32 to a more robust file system. Otherwise, other than resolving some memory management problems, XP with FAT32 isn't much more reliable than 98. Lockups, improper shutdowns, etc. will still trash your system in a heartbeat.

[Ferrit]

A new motherboard and upgrading to XP
This should be fun

[travistee]

If the upgrade to xp is not all that difficult then I may not need the dual boot setup.

I thought some programs install differently for xp then win98, so I would probably uninstall some and then reinstall after xp is up.

I will have to get the win98 working with the new MOBO before I get to the XP install.

In the past installing over an older OS kept parts of the old OS while installing from scratch gave an all new OS. Thats how it was when installing 98 over 95. Is there anything similiar with XP over 98?

[travistee]

Forgot to say, I need XPpro because my new processor is a Pentium D dual core.

[slgrieb]

Yeah, even with the MOBO change, it shouldn't be so bad. Just get 98 running on the board before you do the upgrade.

BTW, Ferrit, I hope you aren't trying to encroach into my territory of "Crotchity Bastard and NaySayer!"

[clauded]

getting an old install of win 98 on a new board can be painfull,if i was you i would just install xp right away,but of course it is your call

[travistee]

I have XP pro OEM version

Will it still give the upgrade options to install over win98se?