Upgrading ME to XP Pro

[kev7555]

Never done this before. Customer insists on using upgrade version instead of new clean install. Any issues here?

I have never liked upgrades...


-Kev

[Panama Red]

Use the upgrade disk just as you would a new install. Don't do an over the top upgrade. Too much of a mess. Backup the files he wants to keep in advance and do the reformat/clean install. ME upgrades are a pain. You'll have that thing back every other week for nusiance problems. JMO

[pam123]

Like Panama Red says, you can back him up and do a complete new install with the upgrade disk, if he has the ME/98 cd (I've heard, contrary to published info., that 95 will also work.)
I did the same thing with 98se on my computer and with 98/ME on a few others.
The upgrade will ask you to put the old cd in the drive, while it checks that you do have a previous version, and then it will return to the install (put the XP disk back in.).

[kev7555]

I didn't want to hear that.

He doesn't have the ME disk.

This is a business computer with huge amounts of data that must not be lost.

I tried slaving his hard disk into my XP computer and it would not read it. Kept saying : "this disk is not formatted, would you like to format it now?". Of course I said no.
Also, his OS (ME) when booted would not see any of my external back-up drives. I backed up as much as I could to CD's and began the upgrade version. If it turns out as bad as you say, I may have to do it all over again.

-K

[pam123]

I wince in sympathy.
Do you have a Knoppix cd you can use to send his files to your backup drives?
Is usb enabled on that computer?
Do you have a ME/98/95 cd that isn't installed on anything just now?

[kev7555]

Yeah, USB is enabled. I was using an external Netgear USB fast ethernet adapter to connect this thing. It just will not see any external USB drives. Not even in device manager.

I hate ME....

The upgrade is just about complete so we'll see what kind of mess I have in a few minutes.

[pam123]

Youch!!...
Keep us posted.

[kev7555]

OK, back from the weekend. Upgrade went well and now it now sees all of my USB devices.

One minor glitch though. This old Gateway is using an NEC PCI ATM network controller to connect to the internet (looks like a PD65946 GD). XP did not have the drivers and I have had no luck with the manufacturer, Gateway, driverguide, google or anywhere else trying to locate a driver for this thing. I am not familiar with this particular card. It looks as though it uses a regular phone cord to connect via DSL (as opposed to ethernet). She has an external DSL modem.

What is a suitable substitute for this card?

Thanks!

-Kev

[glc]

The phone line connects directly into it? Is the external modem connected to anything?

[kev7555]

Phone line from wall goes directly to external modem then from modem to this controller.
Does that sound right? Or should the wall line go directly to this card?


On this card, it says "wall" and "phone" somewhat like a regular dial-up modem.


-K

[pam123]

VErizon uses Netgear 311 cards and I've had no problems with them.
As a rule the phone line cord connects the modem to the wall phone connection and the 'black' phone line(the one that looks different) connects the modem to the pc.

[kev7555]

Thank you, Pam123.

I am not on sight right now. I have the customer's tower here at the shop, but that sounds right.
This customer IS using Verizon so I will try the Netgear 311.

-K

[glc]

Are you sure that's a RJ-11 phone jack on the card? External modems should connect to the computer with RJ-45 (CAT5) to a standard NIC or with USB. Any standard NIC should be compatible - you don't have to stick with Netgear.

If it *IS* a RJ-11, I don't know WHAT the heck you have there. What's the exact model of the external modem?

[kev7555]

The card is just an Intel pro DSL, does have an active link led on it.

Here is all the info off of the NEC chip on the card:

740368-002
PD65946GD-072-LML
NEC
9952KU007


As I stated earlier, I am not on the sight right now so I don't have info on the rest of the set up. I just went and retreived the tower and brought it back to the shop to do the upgrade. I can't remember exactly what configuration they had there as far as modem, phone lines, etc. but I am certain that there were no cat5 connectors involved. This card is set up with regular phone jacks like a dial-up modem.

Came in an old Gateway Performance 733 MHz., but I don't think this card was stock with it. No mention of it on Gateway support site.

Device manager just sees it as "ATM network controller".

[glc]

Wait a minute - the machine has an onboard Intel Pro RJ-45? You need to go find out exactly what the DSL modem plugs into. If it plugs into that with CAT5, you can toss the card - it may be left over from a previous DSL installation. I really would like to know the model of the external DSL modem.

[kev7555]

No, the PCI card is an Intel Pro. The Gateway has no other provisions for LAN other than low-speed USB ports. This IS the card that the DSL line was plugged into.

[pam123]

The external modem is Westell (they're still handing them out for free) for home hook-ups.
The business models differ though, is this a home computer he keeps business records on or is this one he keeps at the office?
If you ask him what his business DSL plan is Verizon will tell you what modem they gave him (or he can always just look at it and tell you).

[kev7555]

Ok, I'm headed to the parts distributor with PCI card in hand to see if they can come up with something to replace it with. I'll post back later with all the particulars.

[glc]

Kev, you are thoroughly confusing me. You say that they have an external DSL modem, but the DSL line was plugged into this card? Not to be disrespectful, but you need to make up your mind!

Are you sure they don't have a T1 or something - not DSL?

[pam123]

"ATM Network controller"?
That's usually in a networked business computer.
Did the guy just pull the computer from a network and tell you something like "here upgrade this" with no other info ?
It starting to sounds like he just dropped off the "orphaned" office machine at your place.

[kev7555]

Sorry for the confusion, but as I stated earlier, I WAS NOT on site when writing to you and was dealing with a computer-illiterate customer. They actually had all of their data backed up to an Iomega external hard drive but they didn't even know where it was in the office. So I COULD have formatted and done a clean install then re-installed all their data from the Iomega.

It turned out to be an Intel Pro 2100/2200 internal DSL card. Older cat DSL phone line plugs directly into the card. To make matters more confusing the card was bad. Maybe I zapped it or something.

So... a new card was installed, finally found drivers for it on the Qwest website (turns out the customer was on Qwest, not Verizon) and all is well.

Thanks for all the responses.

-Kev

[glc]

Sorry to give you a hard time, but I was kinda hinting you should go on site and look at things yourself. I can totally relate to dealing with computer-illiterate customers, it's frustrating and a waste of time. My eyeballs can tell me more in 2 minutes than a customer can tell me on the phone in 2 hours.

[kev7555]

Yeah, me too. Unfortunately, this was a site that is quite far away from my shop and (travel time being a consideration) I was having to depend on some crumby information.

I doesn't help that I'm working about 12 hours a day, seven days a week either. A lot of business is nice, but juggling twenty customers at a time is taking it's toll. I need a vacation...