Upgrading to full WinXP Home

[kram 2.0]

Hey,
Can you guys tell me if it is apropriate to upgrade to WinXP Home on this system?:

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-Win98SE
-10.2 GB HD
-348 SDRAM
-Intel Celeron 500
HP Made in 1999.

As you might have noticed, the RAM is unsually high for a computer built in 99 - its been upgraded. Do you think this computer will run smoothly with WinXP Home?

Also, one more minor question I would like you to look at - I noticed the Newegg offers an OEM version of OSes. I looked, but they're all full versions. Will my HD data be perserved with a "restoration of an OS"?

Thanks,
kram

[sdkfz]

If you are happy with thhe 98se I'd leave it alone. You would probably see a little slower system speed with XP just becasue the program is so much larger and needs more ram than 98 (you have plenty for XP - just XP will take a larger piece of it than 98 does).

As for the preservation, NO - OEM software is meant for a brand new machine and does not offer the upgrade option as an install path - the reasoning being how can you be upgrading this brand new PC? You'd need to back up anything you want and then do the install. Now if you have more than one partition then the answer is different - just back up the ative partition where the OS is going.

The OS on OEM is the full OS - note you do lose:

The upgrade install option -you still get the repair option
The nifty box that retail versions come in
The nifty folder that holds the CD that comes with retail
MS support offered with retail (3 phone calls), you get your support from the 'OEM maker' of the PC.