Need some XP installation advice

[WalterK]

Well, my 15 year old son has gotten me into another Christmas dilemma. (Last year, it was the Xbox Live, which of course required broadband, which meant learning to set up a home network, etc, etc).

This year, it's the iPod, which requires Win XP. His system, which is the main computer on the wired home network (the one connected to the router), is the PC I'm gonna put XP on. What I need to figure out is the best way to do this, hopefully without losing his stuff (games, mainly; Adobe Photoshop, I think; some other programs which may or may not have installation CDs that still work) or screwing up the network.

I've gotten, through my older son, a Win XP CD that says "Windows XP Pro English Student Media CD w/SP2." I bought a new 200 GB Seagate HDD, and I have a Promise Ultra100 PCI card. Another new hardware item he's getting is a Lite On DVD burner.

The present OS he has is Win98SE, to which I have the original installation CD.

Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to do the XP install? Thanks for any help!

[Panama Red]

Is that XP CD a Microsoft Orginal and do you have a Product Key for installation?

[WalterK]

Yep, the CD says Microsoft Licensing, and there's a yellow Product Key sticker on the CD sleeve with 5 groups of letters and numbers.

[WalterK]

What I'd really like some advice about is whether to do a clean install on the new hard drive and then somehow try to transfer my son's existing stuff from the old drive to the new, preserving his programs as they exist and not interfering with the network setup....or should I just do an upgrade installation over Win98SE?

The former option sounds like the way to go, but how do I do it?

[Confused]

I would do a clean install if it was me. Put in the new HD, disconnect his current HD and boot up with the XP CD.

Programs will have to be reinstalled on XP in order to work so backups of files associated with them should be backed up first. Files such as music and picture can be accessed by XP by hooking up his current HD.

Or you could set up a dual boot system. Leave the current HD with WIN98 in and install the new HD. Boot with the XP CD and point the installation to the new drive. It will see the WIN98 and set up the boot loader for you.

Either way I would not do a upgrade.
Chas

[Statica]

Yes it is always recommended that you do a fresh install; though the upgrade path from Win98 -> XP is always there; your system will be devoid of any issues if you start afresh.
To install XP, the first thing to do is backup your data; there isn't too much point to backing up your programs, you will need to reinstall them.
The next step is to insert your CD while Win98 is running and do the task for CHECK COMPATIBILITY. It will look at your hardware and running software and analyze whether you are going to get a successful installation. (Alternately you can download and run it from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en )
To setup Windows XP, you need to go into the BIOS and set your CD to be the first boot device. Once you have booted from CD follow these directions: http://www.blackviper.com/Articles/O...tallxppro1.htm

[WalterK]

I like the idea of a dual boot system. I'm wondering exactly how to create it.

Right now, the new drive is in the box, unopened and of course unformatted for anything. If I kept the old drive in place, set up the new one as a slave, and booted from the XP CD, could I then partition, format, and install XP on the new drive, ultimately resulting in having the option to boot into either 98 from the old drive or XP from the new one? What, if anything, should I do about the network?

[Statica]

You will have to configure your home network in XP. How is your network laid out? It's pretty straight forward in XP .. creating a network is all wizard driven; so takes the jargon and complication out of creating or joining a home network.

[WalterK]

The network consists of a total of 3 Win98SE computers. The primary one, the one that'll have XP on it, is connected to a Netgear RP614, v. 2, router. The router has a cable modem hooked to it, along with a Netgear 4 port switch. The main PC, an Xbox, and one of the satellite computers are also connected to the router, with the other computer being connected to the switch. All has worked well for the last year, and I REALLY don't want to screw it up!

I'll read up on setting up an XP network; any help or advice about configuring what I have that anybody can provide while I'm reading will be welcomed! Thanks!