Re: FAQ for newsgroup? Plus several questions

From: R. C. White (rc_at_corridor.net)
Date: 11/22/04 

Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2004 09:44:03 -0600

Hi, Gordon.

Welcome to the 21st Century! ;^}

I'm not aware of a FAQ, as such, but there are tons of information on the
net, in the bookstores, etc., on WinXP, as well as here in the newsgroups.

In my opinion, based on experience, the most important thing in making the
transition to WinXP is to shift from the MS-DOS/Win9x mindset. Don't expect
everything to work the way it did before, even though many things will.
WinXP is not built on MS-DOS. There's no way to boot to MS-DOS, unless you
hang onto a boot floppy (or let WinXP make a new one - there's just enough
of MS-DOS here to do that). WinXP handles hardware much differently
(through the HAL - Hardware Abstraction Layer) than MS-DOS (and Win3x/9x),
so any device driver that worked in Win98 almost certainly won't work in
WinXP. The WinXP CD-ROM includes drivers for nearly all hardware except the
very new, the very old and the exotic. These drivers will get you started,
but you will want to visit the websites for the makers of your peripherals
to get the latest, most full-featured drivers for each device (modem,
printer, graphics card, and so on).

There are 3 ways, generally speaking, to transition from Win98 to WinXP:

1. Upgrade - Start with Win98 only and end up with WinXP in the same
volume. WinXP Setup will attempt to migrate each of your device drivers and
applications to WinXP; this attempt is usually successful, but not always.

2. Clean install - WinXP Setup will offer to repartition and reformat your
HD; Win98 will disappear and WinXP will be installed "from scratch". Before
you do this, back up all your data (pictures, financial data, etc., that
don't exist anywhere in the world except in your computer). Don't bother to
back up Win98, because you won't need this anymore. Don't bother to backup
your applications, because you will need to install them in WinXP; even if
you preserve the executable files, you will have to run their Setup programs
so that they can make the proper entries in the WinXP Registry.

3. Dual boot - Start with Win98 only; end up with both Win98 and WinXP in
separate volumes. This was especially useful when Win2K debuted, because it
took a year or more for many Win2K device drivers to arrive; booting into
Win98 allowed me to use my printer (and ADSL modem) before the Win2K drivers
were available. WinXP has drivers for just about everything now, so dual
booting is less popular. If you DO choose dual booting, you will need to be
sure that the "system partition" (almost always Drive C:) is formatted
FAT32, and that any other volume that will be accessed by Win98 is also
FAT32, because MS-DOS/Win9x cannot read, write, boot from or even SEE an
NTFS volume. If you choose to dual boot, just leave Win98 in place (or
reinstall if you choose to reformat), then boot from the WinXP CD-ROM and
tell it to clean install WinXP on a different volume from Win98. WinXP
Setup will detect Win98 and create the dual-boot menu that will ask you to
choose each time you reboot. If you don't plan to install Win9x/ME on this
computer, then go NTFS all the way - except see below.

To partition or not? How big? You'll get lots of different opinions.
Here's my preference:

Only one primary partition; everything else in logical drives in an extended
partition. "Drive" letters actually are assigned, not to drives or even to
partitions, but to volumes, which can be either primary partitions or
logical drives in an extended partition. The first partition on the first
physical drive (Drive C:) must be primary and Active (bootable), but can be
quite small (under 1 GB; maybe the 8 MB minimum; mine is 715 MB and that's
comfy). Format it FAT(16) for maximum compatibility with all operating
systems. Nothing goes in here but the "system files" (NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM
and Boot.ini for WinXP; add io.sys, msdos.sys and bootsect.dos if you are
dual booting Win98); there's room for a few gut-level MS-DOS programs, such
as the older Norton Utilities, if you still have them, BIOS flash files,
etc.

The first logical drive (D:?) should be at least 5 GB; 10 GB if you have
plenty of room. Install WinXP here (the system files will ALWAYS go into
the Root of the System Partition (C:\)); Setup will create the "boot folder"
(\Windows, by default) and this (D:) will become the "boot volume". Yes,
it's counterintuitive; as many writers have pointed out, we boot from the
system partition and keep the operating system files in the boot volume.
:>{

Create one or more other volumes to fit your own way of doing business. I
like to put applications (MS Office, Quicken, games, etc.) on E:, while
keeping their data on F:.

Only the System Partition (C:) and Boot Volume (if different) need be
created during Setup. One of the first things you should do after getting
WinXP installed is to find Disk Management (type at the Run prompt:
diskmgmt.msc). This tool (which first appeared in Win2K nearly 5 years ago)
replaces the old FDISK and Format.com utilities from MS-DOS, and the disk
letter assignment function from Win98's Device Manager. Use Disk Management
to, well, manage your disks. Use it to create partitions and logical
drives, delete them, format them, and assign drive letters of your choosing
so that WinXP won't be tempted to shuffle them each time you reboot. Also
read the Help file from here; it explains many disk mysteries that even
experienced Windows users have often wondered about. Disk Management can't
do much with the System Partition and Boot Volume, but it handles the rest
of our disk chores.

Post back with any further questions. I think you'll like WinXP, as soon as
you get over the mindset threshold. Enjoy!

RC 

-- 
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
rc@corridor.net
Microsoft Windows MVP
"Gordon Abbot" <gabbot@mmo.net> wrote in message 
news:EpWdnUJGjNUoRzzcRVn-oQ@suscom-maine.net...
> 1.4gig athelon, 384 megs mem, 80gig (w/C:, E:, F:partitions) and 120gig 
> (D:,G:,H:) hds.
>
> Fairly computer literate.
>
> I have only been lurking a short time. I still have 98se on my computer 
> and XP in the box, waiting for me to get a bit more up to speed.
>
> If there is a FAQ, could you point me there?
>
> I intend to do a clean install. Some questions on this-
>
> What size should the XP partition be? I usually install all the most used 
> programs on the C: drive with the OS, but My Documents, Mozilla profiles 
> and any other "volatile" info on another partition for easy backup and one 
> more level of protection. I am a experimenter, so the C: drive can get 
> cluttered with "new, exciting" programs that sit around for a while, often 
> forever, since I find a better program to do the job of the old one, but 
> keep the old one, "just in case". Which is the main reason for the clean 
> install. (Yes, I do "uninstall many of them, but only after a while.)
>
> What is most secure method of installing XP (does not have SP2 so will 
> have to install it too along with all other upgrades)? (I intend to 
> disconnect my cable modem until I can install ZA, spybot and adaware, then 
> go for updates. What is best way to do this- since I do not know what 
> issues may result with XE during the install?)
>
> What is XP method of shifting My Docs to another partition?
>
> That is a start. Interesting that most issues I have seen on this NG are 
> virus/spyware/trojan related, which is also what I get most calls from 
> others asking for my help on 98se. I give them the same advice you give 
> for XP- I like free stuff so, Grisoft, lavasoft, spybot websites and shift 
> to Moz/FF. Any other freeware in this category that is essential for 
> secure XP?
>
> GA

Relevant Pages

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  • Re: FAQ for newsgroup? Plus several questions
    ... | In my opinion, based on experience, the most important thing in making the | transition to WinXP is to shift from the MS-DOS/Win9x mindset. ... Clean install - WinXP Setup will offer to repartition and reformat your | HD; Win98 will disappear and WinXP will be installed "from scratch". ... | To partition or not? ... "Drive" letters actually are assigned, not to drives or even to | partitions, but to volumes, which can be either primary partitions or | logical drives in an extended partition. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics)
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