[barneyhelper]

Getting ready to upgrade my Win98SE operating system with a XP Pro upgrade CD. My system was originally Win 3.1 which I upgraded to Win98 using upgrade CD and then upgraded to Win98SE. I have two physical Hard drives, both of which are FAT32.

I haven't been able to find much info about upgrading other than the literature that came with the CD so I have a few questions that maybe someone who has gone thru this can help me with:

I would prefer to install XP Pro and maintain the FAT32 file system. Any problems with this?

I have two users on my system now. Will XP Pro maintain these during upgrade process or will I have to re-build them after upgrade?

Is XP Pro as stable on FAT32 as it is on NTS platform?

I have run anti-virus software (Norton), Ad-Aware SE Plus and Spybot on my system and it says it is clean. Any other checks I should make before upgrading?

I have backed up my operating system partion ("C") and other partitions using Norton Ghost so waiting to hear from somebody that its OK to proceed with upgrade or do some more preparing.

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Hi barneyhelper...

First, make sure that your system will support XP. Minimum Requirements

FAT32 Yes, XP supports FAT32 and seems just as stable with this file system as with NTFS. NTFS is a little faster.

I am not real sure how the upgrade will do with the multiple user issue, but as XP does support multiple users, I would assume it would retain them. If not, it is very easy to set up user accounts in XP.

It wouldn't hurt to run Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter (from System Tools) before AND after the upgrade.

Hope this helps...

wannabe1

[wannabe1]

Hi barneyhelper...

First, make sure that your system will support XP. Minimum Requirements

FAT32 Yes, XP supports FAT32 and seems just as stable with this file system as with NTFS. NTFS is a little faster.

I am not real sure how the upgrade will do with the multiple user issue, but as XP does support multiple users, I would assume it would retain them. If not, it is very easy to set up user accounts in XP.

It wouldn't hurt to run Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter (from System Tools) before AND after the upgrade.

Hope this helps...

wannabe1

[barneyhelper]

Thanks wannabe1

I did run disk cleanup and defrag before backing up harddrive with Norton Ghost. Just looking for something I may have missed before I take the "plunge" and run the upgrade to XP Pro. If there are any "surprises" I should be aware of, please let me know. Hopefully XP Pro should be more stable than Win98SE.

[wannabe1]

As long as your system is up to it...being above the minimum specs...you will be in for a good experience. I would personally recommend a minimum of 256MB of ram to run XP Pro. You will undoubtedly run into some driver issues and some older hardware and applications have a little trouble with XP, but most of these issues can be overcome fairly easily. When you begin the install XP will tell you of any problems you may have with hardware and software on your machine...a very nice option.

Win98SE was/is one of Microsofts most stable operating systems...XP is even more so. I have run every operating system since before 3.1 and think XP is the best OS to date.

If you'd like to post your system specs for me, I will give you a more informed opinion...

wannabe1

[barneyhelper]

Hi wannabe1,

I'm running an AMD Athlon 750Mhz processor on a Tyan motherboard with Matrox AGP video card and 384Mb Ram. Plenty of hard drive space (10Gb) on "C" partition. This should be equivalent to a PII system. Also running broadband DSL via phone connection with ethernet card and router, Logitech PS2 scroll mouse, Logitech Web camera, older 5 disk CD-Rom player and newer Sony CD burner.

Anything else you need to know? I appreciate the help.

[wannabe1]

You should have a very pleasant experience. The only possible exception would be with the older cd-rom, but even that should be supported with XP's onboard drivers.

Have fun!

wannabe1

[barneyhelper]

Hi wannabe1,

Well I took the "plunge" and ran the XP Pro upgrade CD. I ran the compatibility program first and stopped after I got the report (see attached). Apparently, I've got some issues to take care of before running the upgrade. The mouse driver doesn't bother me because there is a XP driver on the mouse CD. The printer and scanner driver issues will have to be looked at closer. I was surprised that the Logitech Quick-Cam was incompatible as it is the newest device installed.

Attached Files

•  upgrade.htm   7.88KB   6 downloads

[wannabe1]

barneyhelper...

XP is good about warning you about issues before installing...as I said before, a very helpful feature.

The report is based on XP's imbedded drivers...which is extensive, but not all encompassing. The software/hardware vendors should have the drivers available on their sites.

Visit the website for each device and software application and see if they have updated drivers or patches for XP. You'll find that most do. I have an old Canon scanner that came up on that report and the XP drivers were avialable from their website. Same with the version of B's Clip I have (although I haven't used it since installing XP...haven't needed it). I think you'll find this is true for nearly all the hardware. I'll bet the webcam has drivers available, as well.

There is also a feature in XP called "Compatability Mode" which will allow you to run some older software that is not properly supported. I've never had to use that, but I know folks who have and it works pretty well for them in most cases.

wannabe1

Edited by wannabe1, 16 January 2006 - 07:56 AM.