Hi,

I am trying to upgrade to Windows XP (because Vista seems to have issues) from Windows ME. But I am having reservations. My system with ME works just fine, and have not had any issues. I am just worried none of my programs or hardware will transfer well to XP, is there anything you can tell me to make the decision easier?

Anything you can do to help me decide would really help.

I forget whether Win XP has what Vista has (I'm sure it does), but most legacy programs can be run in their own compatibility mode. Just right-click the *.exe file, choose Properties then Compatibility. Check the box to run the program in the one you select from the drop down menu that becomes ungreyed.

Only problem you may face is the possibility that some drivers need updating or may not work at all with XP. Best to check the product's site to see if they have an updated driver which works with XP/Vista. I really doubt if this will even be an issue in most cases of the upgrade.

Hi there, and welcome to Geeks To Go!

A few thoughts...

I (personally) Dislike Vista. I far prefer XP. As far as compatibility goes...You shouldn't have too many issues, as far as I know, almost anything that ran on ME should run on XP - However if you were to go to Vista, I highly doubt they would run, unless you did something like Ron suggested.

Hardware - ME to XP is a fairly large jump hardware-wise. You'll probably want to upgrade your RAM - Windows XP really needs at least 512MB to run properly. ME to Vista would be pretty much an impossible jump. I almost guarantee you that a machine designed for Windows ME will not handle Vista.

Personally, I would recommend upgrading to XP. I think it's the best of all the Windows OS's so far. If you have any other questions, feel free to post back

Just a quick addendum. I run XP on my Desktop and Vista on my Laptop which I'm using now. Never have had any issues with Vista, but as JT mentioned, more RAM makes it better. I use 2GB of RAM on Laptop and 1 GB on Desktop (may add another 1 GB soon). Many of Vista features can be turned off if you just want to save extra resources.

Both systems will allow you to run software in its own compatible mode if you have a problem. Vista has options all the way back to Win 95. As mention, some hardware may be a problem.

Thanks so much guys, I really was debating because everything was working so well, but I always run into issues like trying to buy a new printer a few days ago, and of course it only takes XP and higher.

The lowdown I have on my PC is a bunch of mods I did myself, I have 512 in RAM already, Intel Pent 3 processor, and three internal hard drives (one I run windows off of, the others for storage) It has been my experience to unplug those drives of storage before re-installing any windows features. If I upgrade to XP (I also heard Vista is so bad) how can I clean install with my one hard drive? Would i run Format, or would the windows program?

The only issue I have would be my TV Tuner card (Hauppauge) which are fairly cheap if I have to buy a new version...but I asked the company and they have an update to the driver. The rest of my hardware is Radeon graphics card, a BCM modem (yes we are still in dark ages of dial-up here), Lite-On dvd/rw drive, SB PCI WDM sound card, an a ATA card for my drives, all relatively 2 yrs old. I also have some new Creative speakers last year, and a very new Canon scanner.

Most of my software is compliant, but if I do have issues is it fairly simple to get into the steps to have them go into compatible mode?

Thanks for all your help, it has really taken some stress off. I was just tired of working around my old OS system, and didn't know if it was worth it to re-install a new OS.

Do you guys know the best deals on XP online? ebay etc...and what version with Serv P3 or lower?

Thanks again,

L

"...is it fairly simple to get into the steps to have them go into compatible mode?" See my post #2 for steps.

Vista is not bad. Once you get the Home Premium edition and then let it install all the updates and SPs, you'll be fine. Provided your computer preferably exceeds the minimum requirements as the minimum requirements are for running the O/S alone. If you do gaming or graphics work, then update the computer accordingly.

Have no idea about best deals on Win XP. Search amazon.com and similar sites that sell software.

I highly doubt that a P3 will run Vista - It should run XP fairly well, however. I know that an OEM version of XP Home costs about $90, however technically that's not supposed to be sold without new hardware. I don't know what an upgrade version is currently going for.

The compatible mode in XP & Vista do not work that well. I have programs that are 98 based and will not run in
compatible mode. 512 is really not enough for xp (yes it will work) but Ram for older machines is cheap.
I would recommend upgrade to 1 gig if you can afford it.(and your motherboard supports it)
Since you seem to have a bit of disk space I would look at a dual boot option. If your C drive is big enough then you can install xp as a second system option. This allows you the best of both worlds.
I would look for Xp Pro - I still only use SP2

Cheers
Peterm

This post has been edited by peterm: Nov 29 2008, 01:02 AM