Re: upgrading to xp

Don Schmidt wrote:
Yes you can do it with the upgrade version.


True enough.


I suggest you do a clean install rather than putting xp in on top of 2000.


Why?

Certainly, there are times when an in-place upgrade is contra-indicated:

1) When the underlying hardware isn't certified as being fully compatible with the newer OS, and/or updated device drivers are not available from the device's manufacturer. Of course, this condition also causes problems with clean installations.

2) When the original OS is corrupt, damaged, and/or virus/malware infested. I've also seen simple, straight-forward upgrades from WinXP Home to WinXP Pro fail because the computer owner had let the system become malware-infested. Upgrading over a problematic OS isn't normally a wise course to establishing a stable installation.

3) When the new OS isn't designed to properly, correctly, and safely perform an upgrade.

A properly prepared and maintained PC can almost always be successfully upgraded by a knowledgeable and competent individual. I've lost count of the systems I've seen that have been upgraded from Win95 to Win98 to Win2K to WinXP, from Win3.11 to WinNT to Win2K to WinXP, or other permutations thereof (usually with incremental hardware upgrades over the same time period), without the need for a clean installation, and that are still operating without any problems attributable to upgrades.

Granted, many uninformed people do recommend that one always perform a clean installation, rather than upgrade over an earlier OS. For the most part, I feel that these people, while usually well-intended, are living in the past, and are basing their recommendations on their experiences with older, obsolete operating systems or hearsay. One would save a lot of time by upgrading a PC to WinXP, rather than performing a clean installation, if there're no hardware or software incompatibilities. Microsoft has greatly improved (over earlier versions of Windows) WinXP's ability to smoothly upgrade an earlier OS.


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Will Changing Hardware cause problems
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  • Re: Cant produce qualifying media for XP Upgrade...
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    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)
  • Re: Fresh install
    ... As a computer technician, you'd already know that the WinXP Home and WinXP Pro versions are _identical_ when it comes to performance, stability, and device driver and software application compatibility. ... Granted, many uninformed people do recommend that one always perform a clean installation, rather than upgrade over an earlier OS. ... One would save a lot of time by upgrading a PC to WinXP, rather than performing a clean installation, if there're no hardware or software incompatibilities. ... Microsoft has greatly improved (over earlier versions of Windows) WinXP's ability to smoothly upgrade an earlier OS. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)