New Install of XP

Hi, hope someone can simlify that for me. I want to Install Windows XP on a 80 Gig HDD that has at the moment Windows 98 Installed the whole 80 Gig is C: I don't want to dual boot just keep all the files that are on the drive only 7.5 Gig are being used at the moment. I have Acronis Partition Expert and could make a new partition for the new OS. I am not sure which way to go, create a new Partition of say 71 Gig or so and then boot with the XP CD if that works, or fix the current C: drive to 10 Gig first and then try to boot from the XP CD and install Windows into the unallocated space, witch will then become the new C:
Also would it be better to install XP as Fat 32 to be able to use the programs that are now there on 98 or install as NTFS and convert the Fat 32 to NTFS.
hawk22

 

Windows XP will see the data on the FAT32 File System, without any problems. If you don't want to dual boot just do a standard install. Once into Windows delete the old Windows directory. Granted there will be alot of overlap files. The easiest way I can think of is create a new partiton install windows. Migrate your data over to XP, then use the partitioning utility and remove the windows 98 partition.

The other thing is you can install XP on FAT32 then when you are done moving your data you can use the XP conversion utility to NTFS.

 

Hi Hawk,

Other ways:

An upgrade install, unless there is something wrong with the 98 installtion. When doing an upgrade, don't boot with the XP CD, just insert the XP cd while 98 is running. XP will take it from there.

A clean install - first create a 2nd partition and move user data to that, then clean install XP on the now smaller C partition as NTFS (the data partition can remain FAT32). This of course entails re installing apps. You also will end up with an OS only partition - probably should be anywhere from 15 to 20 GB big, and a data partition. This config pays dividends in the future for imaging and backups and re installation if need be.

Regards - Charles

 

Hi Charles, thanks; however the owner of that PC does not have all the CD's to re-install the Aplications. And yes the 98SE OS that is installed has a few problems, a clean install I believe is the best.
Thanks Dcrypter, this sounds about the way I think I will have to go, what size should I create the new partition in to make it easy after to use the space of the present system maybe as a backup partition. And creating that new partition would be a "LOGICAL" would it?? I am thinking of creating that with Acronis Partition Expert. It is important for the owner to be able to access all her stuff she on it now. You say it would be better to install XP in Fat 32 transfer the stuff and then convert to NTFS rather than Installing XP in NTFS and then converting the 98 partition into NTFS.
Any more advice is greatly appreciated
hawk22

 

Then you will need to slow down on your thinking becuase those apps are only going to run on W98 and thats means you can't convert that partition to NTFS ever.

 

Hi Hawk,

Maybe I'm missing something - its early morning here , but how are you going to get the current apps to run on XP without re installing those apps? You can't substitute XP for 98 and expect your apps to run.

The only way around that is the Upgrade install.

Regards - Charles

 

All the more reason to attemt an upgrade install. And a proper upgrade install will usually fix most problems. ( has for me any way )

This HD that I am on right now started out as a 40gig Win95 on another machine. It then was upgraded to 98SE. Then copied to an 80gig and is now running XP Pro on this machine and has never been re-formatted yet.

I also did things this way because of the fact of mssing disks for older programs.

But, I have never booted the machine to anything other than the good old fashioned DOS Floppy. Then run setip from the CD. And of course make sure that the install does go into the existing Windows Folder.

The main reason for booting to the DOS floppy is so that we can be more assured that nothing is running in the background during the initial stage of upgrading because IN USE FILES WILL NOT get overwritten properly,

Now. I do need to admit here. "Either I did things right or have been darned awfull lucky. "

I have also been called "A BIG Gambler." But by having an exisiting machine ( ALIAS A BACKUP ) and using a COPY of that HD to build a new machine I had nothing to lose.

But when I did install this new HD in this new machine I DID NOT boot it directly to the HD the first time. Again, I booted to the Floppy and did a Repair install of 98SE then updated the necessary drivers.

BillyBob

 

Something that I forgot.

I never installed 95 or 98 from the CD anyway. I copied the Setup files to a a partition other than C: on the HD and ran setup from there.

So later if I needed a repair all I needed to do was boot to the Floppy and type Something like
D:\Win??\setup.

BillyBob

 

Well I am back now sorry for the delay, I have put the situation to the owner and she told me that she wants what will give her the best results.
Now I have never done a XP upgrade from 98SE, the XP CD will be a full XP Pro version not a upgrade version. When you say not to boot from the CD but insert while 98 is running will this work that way. How reliable are upgrades, I do read here sometimes that it is better sometimes not to upgrade.
The 98 on the PC works it is Virus free but has some Explorer problems and shut down problems typical 98.
Or create a new partition I have Acronis Partition Expert and make a new clean Install of XP.
I would appreciate your opinions and advice.
hawk22

 

The retail version will clean install or upgrade. FYI, the "upgrade" version is the same as the retail version except for the requiremnent by MS of proof of a previous Windows version - moot here.

Yes, it'll work.

My only answer is that you'll have to try it, you can always do a clean install if the upgrade result is too problematic. You wrote that the user doesn't have the source for her apps, so worth a try if that's the case.

If a clean install, you do have to boot with the XP CD BTW.

And if a clean install, the best way to go is to create the 2nd partition while running 98 - lets say D - move user data to it, then install XP on C over the current 98 installation. And to insure that you have all the files from 98, burn out the C partition to a CD for retrieval of any user files that you may miss.

Installing XP on the non C partition will create a dual boot configuration, something you say not wanted. If you do end up with a dual boot, 98 can be deleted later, but that's a complication you may not want. It involves using XP's Recovery Console and re creating the Boot.ini file.

Going back to your 1st post:

Not totally clear on what you mean, but if I'm reading it correctly, that won't work, you can't create two "C" partitions on the same drive. This sort of thing would work if you had a 2nd drive and tried that by un plugging the original C drive, installing XP on the 2nd drive and then booting back and forth by either plugging one or the other drive in or changing the BIOS boot order each time.

I know Whiskyman did that

Regards - Charles

 

I am running Win98SE on one 20GB hard drive and XP on another 20GB hard drive. Both drives are set to Cable Select with the 98SE drive at the end of the cable and XP on the middle. I use a custom boot floppy that surferdude2 showed me. If I want to boot into 98SE I leave the floppy disk out and put it in to boot into XP. It works quite well. I used FAT 32 on both drives so that they can access each other.

http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=52735&highlight=Dual+Boot

Quote from surferdude2

My boot floppy's boot.ini file.

Code:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS= "Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect