Upgrading which is better XP OEM or Upgrade edition?

[phantomtres]

I have an older IBM with AMD 450 mhz processor, 256 RAM, 40 gb HD, 64MB ATI video card that I would like to upgrade to windows XP home edition. Which would be better to use XP OEM or the Upgrade editon. I don't have any important files, ect. that I need to keep from windows 98. Also should the HD be reformatted before upgrading.

[telegramsam]

They are the same thing--except that the upgrade requires the presence of a previous edition of Windows. You can use either--look for the less expensive of the two.

Windows XP will format the disc during install, so you don't need to do it before you install the system.

A word of caution, though, that system is a little light for XP. I've had XP running on a Pentium III 600MHZ, and that was about as slow as I could stand.

PS: Remember that if you end up buying another hard drive if the one you're using crashes, the upgrade will do you no good on a blank drive. I'd opt for the OEM full version instead of the upgrade.

[glc]

An upgrade can be installed on a blank drive - you will need your Win98 CD to put in the drive during the compliance check. A name brand manufacturer's restore CD will not work, you need a full generic CD. The advantage of the upgrade is that's considered retail and can be moved to new computers where OEM technically cannot be.