How to with WinXP

[Bueyehl]

I have a computer that is still running on Win98. I want to put XP Pro on it without losing any of my stuff. How do I go about taking 98 off and putting XP on?

[EzyStvy]

I would recommend a fresh clean install....But to do what you want, you need to UPgrade from 98 to XP. The upgrade cd is less money too...

[ComputerNut]

I agree, an upgrade is not the greatest method of moving up from windows 98. Its worth a shot, but its never always as effecient as doing a clean install.

HTH

[Panama Red]

Make it 3 votes for a clean install. If you have access to another computer, remove the hard drive containing the files you want to save. Slave it to the other pc and save the My Documents and Favorites and any other files you want to keep.

A couple of other thoughts. You don't need XP Pro unless you'll be in a business/domain environment or if your attending a university that requires Pro. Home is fine for a stand alone or home network based pc. Second, if you do decide to buy an upgrade version of XP, run Disk Cleanup before you upgrade to remove all the temp and unnecessary files. DO NOT compress any old files. Defragment the hard drive first also. You should back up your files like I described earlier in case something goes wrong with the upgrade. And last, convert to NTFS format when the upgrade is finished. Upgrades remain in FAT32 format unless you use the proper command prompt to convert it. Good luck with either method.