Re: XP Home Edition issues

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

Dave C wrote:

I am frustrated by people contradicting one another.


Sorry, I understand your frustration, but life is like that. Not everyone
has the same viewpoint. It's no different with computers from what it is
with religions, political parties, choice of automobile brands, or anything
else. The only real difference with computers is that the world is
*especially* full of self-proclaimed computer experts who really know very
little.

However with computers, you have the advantage of having resources like
these newsgoups, and here you have an advantage that you don't have
everywhere else: the best way to get good information here is to hang around
for a while, and take note of who are the people who consistently give good
advice. It doesn't take very long before you find out who to trust and who
not to trust.

On the other hand, if all you do is drop in once in a while and ask a
question like "which anti-virus program should I get?" and you get fourteen
replies recommending nine different products, you're no better off than when
you started.



In this case,
most people prefer clean installs, it seems, but when you think
that's settled, you get individuals who state upgrades are the way to
go.


Note that that's not exactly what I said. My point is that upgrades
*usually* work very well. My recommendation is that you prepare for a clean
installation by having backups of everything you need for one, but *try* the
upgrade first. If it works without problems, you're home free. In the
unlikely event that you have problems, you can *still* do the clean
installation; all you are out is the extra hour or two it took for the
upgrade and finding out you had a problem.

Contrast that with how much work there is with the alternative: install
cleanly, reinstall your backups, reinstall all your programs, set them up
and customize them the way you like them etc. Depending on how much software
you have, and much much customization you've applied, there's a potential
savings of several days work.

My point is that at least trying the upgrade is betting an extra hour or two
of work against an extra several days of work. It's the prudent way to go.

But it's your choice. I can't make it for you, and you may believe whomever
you want.



For most of us who just want to use our PCs and are not
interested in the technicalities of how to get from A to B, it makes
a confusing picture, which (for the beginner) is the last thing you
really want.


Although I certainly understand your point, please realize that it's not
possible to make an intelligent technical decision without understanding at
least something of the technology underlying it. It's like bringing your car
to the mechanic and his saying "I have to replace the framus, the
intergulator, and the frotbooster, and it will cost you $1,300." If you just
say OK and pay him, you're going to find that life will be very expensive.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup


"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote:

Dave C wrote:

I have been advised that I should start the process of switching
(not upgrading) from 98 first edition to XP Home Edition from
scratch. Save all my files then wipe clean the hard drive then
stick in the XP Home Edition disc.


Poor advice, in my view. Although many people will tell you that
formatting and installing cleanly is the best way to go, I disagree.
Unlike with previous versions of Windows, an upgrade to XP replaces
almost everything, and usually works very well.

My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's much
easier than a clean installation. You can always change your mind
and reinstall cleanly if problems develop.

However, don't assume that doing an upgrade relieves you of the need
to backup your data, etc. before beginning. Before starting to
upgrade, it's always prudent to recognize that things like a sudden
power loss can occur in the middle of it and cause the loss of
everything. For that reason you should make sure you have backups
and anything else you need to reinstall if the worst happens.


But someone said that this is all done for me when
I insert the XP disc. I don't need to worry about how to wipe clean
my hard drive, for example, since the XP disc does this for me. Is
this how it goes?


That's correct. Just boot from the Windows XP CD (change the BIOS
boot order if necessary to accomplish this) and follow the prompts
for a clean installation (delete the existing partition by pressing
"D" when prompted, then create a new one).

You can find detailed instructions here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm

or here http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm



Also, I am getting broadband at the same time. But it has (the
broadband service) something called PCGuard. Some sort of
protection program. Will this interfere with the anti-virus and
firewall installed on XP Home Edition? I have a feeling they would
conflict.



There *is* no anti-virus that comes with XP. Whther it will
interfere with XP's firewall, I don't know, since I've never heard
of PCGuard.

Didn't I answer this question yesterday, perhaps in another
newsgroup? If so, please do not send the same message separately to
more than one newsgroup (called multiposting). Doing so just
fragments the thread, so someone who answers in one newsgroup
doesn't get to see answers from others in another newsgroup. And for
those who read all the newsgroups the message is multiposted to,
they see the message multiple times instead of once (they would see
it only once if you correctly crossposted instead). This wastes
everyone's time, and gets you poorer help than you should get.

If you must send the same message to more than one newsgroup, please
do so by crossposting (but only to a *few* related newsgroups).

Please see "What is the accepted way to share a message across
multiple newsgroups?" at http://smjg.port5.com/faqs/usenet/xpost.html

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup


.

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