<font color=skyblue>
If you could please, I will be buying XP this coming week, and I have heard that it is not the most user-friendly thing to do. I will be getting the Home Edition, Full Install. This is not the mere upgrade...I am wiping my Hard-drive out to put in the new OS.

To save me $75 for installation fee...can anybody just post here on how to do it, then I can print it out. I have already burned to CD my important personal files like the address book, favorites foder, several documents, and saved info from NWN...stuff like that. </font>

put the cd in and you will for all intents and purposes get a step by step guid from Microsoft. Honestly you will be able to figure it out, it is so simple its not even funny. Installing windows isnt like it was in the days of 3x and Dos or command line instalations of Linux module by module lol

[ 09-07-2002, 11:59 PM: Message edited by: Hesperex ]

<font color="lightblue">Boot from the CD.
When it prompts you, delete all partitions and continue the install.
When it asks for the CD key; it`s on a label on the box.

AFAIR, that`s all the interactive bits of the install. [img]smile.gif[/img]
You might want to format before you boot from the CD; but you don`t strictly have to. [img]smile.gif[/img] </font>

<font color=skyblue>What do you mean by Format before I boot?

And...if it is so easy...why do the chumps at Best Buy charge so much money for it?</font>

Because they want as mutch money they can from you Larry.
If you run win 98 no problem only put in the cd then it ask you if you want to upgrade to win xp say yes then it will ask you to make a partition like NTFS OR if you want to use your fat32 file system. First of all you CAN use the old fat filesystem if you want but i recomand you to make a NTFS partition to XP because it will be more stabile with this. So the innstalation program fix all this for you Larry so decide how big you want the NTFS partition to be it will be best to have the size to at last 10 gig. Then when you have done that the instalation will go on to it is finnished that is no problem at all then it also make a "boot" menu so you can choose what os you would like to use WinXP or Win98!

You got it right with the "Chumps at Best Buy"!

When I was last out of work I applied for a job there as a Computer Technician. When they saw I was A+ Certified, they were overly impressed. They asked me a bunch of "simple" questions and were impressed some more. They imediately set up a 2nd interview and offered me a job.

Didn't take it, it was: 3 dollars less per hour than my previous job, 2 paid holidays, not much vacation/sicktime, 3 of 4 Sundays a month and days and nights mixed in (no fixed schedule). So I turned them down. I don't believe they have the best techs there (never said I was the best, though ;) ).

Sorry for rambling!

Mark

[ 09-08-2002, 06:08 AM: Message edited by: skywalker ]

<font color="lightgreen">To format before you install it, go to dos prompt, type format c:
BUT you don`t strictly need to, because the installer will format for you as part of the process.

And like Megabot said; when it asks how to format; choose NTFS.

And why do they charge so much ?? Because quite simply they want as much money as they can get for doing as little as they can. </font>

<font color=skyblue>Thank you all for your advice...yet you sound like you are teling me how to instal the Upgrade that costs $100.00. I am buying the Full install for $200.00, and will be completely wiping out and starting new, as I am told by others that the full install is the only 100% way of getting it right.
So, I am just asking again...is your advice pertinant to the Full install?</font>

...and if he was telling to how to install an upgrade he would not be telling you to format and create a new file system.

Larry, XP installation is one of the few things ive never done. XP repair yes, a little, but never installed. Was planning to be doing it today actualy, but turns out XP wont run on my current computer.

In general though, upgrades are evil. There will be parts of 98 left all over your system, and the fat32 filesystem isnt all that efficient. Far better to format and start from scratch.

Me, Id run a triple boot system. winXP, win98 and mandrake 8.1 , but thats hardly a normal setup.

On booting from CDs - if your machine is new enough to run XP you will be able to boot from CD - but youll have to go into BIOS (check your system manual, but normally you hit delete during the memory test at poweron) and alter the boot sequence to read "cdrom,c,a" instead of the usual default "c,a,SCSI". I woudnt leave it like that, cdrom boot takes a while and will slow down system start as long as its enabled.

I wouldn't worry about it, with Windows installing from scratch is probably easier than upgrading. When you upgrade it asks you all sorts of questions like what file system you want and what old programs you want to use on the new operating system etc.
I haven't actually installed XP but I've upgraded to Windows 2000 from 98 then I've later created another partition and reinstalled 98 on it to run old DOS programs. The installation of 98 from scratch was much simpler than the upgrading...everything has instructions that a 6 year-old could understand. The installation fees charged by people are for customers who have no experience at all and are scared. Just the fact that you have been a member on this board shows you have at least some experience using PCs so I doubt very much that you need help. If you want to be really safe then just back up all data that you need then go to DOS prompt type "format c:" as people have said. Follow instructions. This will wipe your whole hard drive. Now boot from the CD as someone else said, setting the boot sequence first. Follow the on-screen instructions.
The NTFS file system that windows XP will offer you is best as it stores data more efficiently so uses up less hard disk space than the same data on a FAT32 partition. It also provides an indexing service allowing for faster searching. The only time you wouldn't want NTFS is if you had win 98 or older installed on another partition and you wanted it to see the NTFS partition, cos it can't.

If you want to mess around with partitions, more than one OS, then I suggest you get Partition Magic 7 which allows you to easily create/resize/move/delete partitions.

I can't give you any XP specific help cos I haven't bothered to install it yet. You say it's $200??! I'm glad I get it free from university....just haven't been bothered to get it yet. Can anyone give me any reason to install it instead of a Windows 2000/98 dual boot system?

[ 09-08-2002, 02:31 PM: Message edited by: Vaskez ]

For someone running 2000/98 DB already, no, except that in theory XP can run anything 2000 or 98 can, so in theory according to Microsoft you woudnt need to dualboot at all, which saves a little space. Plus if you dont have 98 around you can use NTFS throughout. And you dont have to consider 98s little quirks like slowing down with more than 512Mb RAM and suchlike.

<font color=skyblue>By the way...I have my 40 GB harddrive already partitioned into three separate and equal drives...one for programs, one for games, and one for school work. Can I keep those partitions in place?</font>

Yes. Ish. Problem will be that any programmes in those partitions will have to be re-installed under XP.

My preferred method would be to backup data files, format all three partitions (And no doubt swear a bit as format starts and you remember that last important file), install XP (choosing NTFS filesystem thorughout) and reinstall programmes. Then simply replace the data files and any patches you had installed.

Okay here we go again you DONT need to format the hd!!!! but if you want to do that press f8 before windows start and at the dos prompt type: format c:
Thats all about that. You can use yor full install cd to uppgrade to Win xp but if you want to install it manualy go in to your bios and change the boot thingie to boot cdrom, c,a and so on then save and exit bios now you should have the xp cd in the cdplayer and when it boot it boot from the cd and the install begin and select NTFS as your filesystem!!!!!
Then it is to wait for the instalation are finnished!
And one more importen thing is when the instaltion is finnished you must go in to your bios again and change the boot thingie back to c,a, cdrom and so on, then your computer should run perfectly! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[ 09-08-2002, 03:34 PM: Message edited by: Megabot ]

For someone running 2000/98 DB already, no, except that in theory XP can run anything 2000 or 98 can, so in theory according to Microsoft you woudnt need to dualboot at all, which saves a little space. Plus if you dont have 98 around you can use NTFS throughout. And you dont have to consider 98s little quirks like slowing down with more than 512Mb RAM and suchlike.</font>[/QUOTE]Yeah I thought that too. Just wasn't sure if XP could run old DOS programs like 98 can. And I do have 640MB RAM... I was also putting off the upgrade because it's a lot of hassle backing up files, worrying about forgetting something then reinstalling all my applications...

The full install version of XP is exactly identical to the upgrade, the only difference is the license verification section of the installer, don't buy the full install if you have a legally licensed and qualifying product already.

You can use the upgrade on a "cleanly formatted" system. The installer will ask you to insert the cd of the product you used before (as a way to prove you qualify for the upgrade). I've done this a number of times with no problems (upgrading from NT to 2000 or XP)

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?! You mean they charge 75 dollar for something you can do yourself in an hour?! We have the profesional edition here, and we managed to install it in no time. Just press a few buttons and fill in a few forms....