bad 98SE-want XP "upgrade" advice

I have a 600mz-w-256 ram "Inteva" computer that has been giving me fits. I had a prob-w-not being able to use IE and after trying 8hrs worth of advised "fixes" I finally called MS and they got it back online for $35.00. I have never called their tech line but was glad I did at that point. Anyway now the computer has started locking up almost every time I use it. I have heard good things about XP Home and would like advice on upgrading. My fear is having to gathere all new drivers and not being able to get back running w/o spending much good coin on new XP compatible software. Another thing is this machine came-w- Office 2000 but w/o the disks so I am out of luck-w-these programs I think. I do have a D partition so could I put items on this prior to upgrading and get them later. Also can XP do a complete format/install.
Thanks all

 

Yes, XP's CD will do a complete reformat/reinstall. That will mean, of course, that you'll lose Office 2000 since you really do have to have those install disks to re-install it. I've tried software that claims to be able to migrate programs from one drive to another and learned the more complex the program...and MS Office Suites are about as complex as they get...the better the chance of failure.

XP is amazingly good at finding and installing hardware but to be on the safe side, you might want to have the hardware identified and the necessary XP drivers downloaded and saved to disk before you start.

XP does have a feature through which you can run software in "compatibility mode" for other versions of Windows. I've not had to use it in the year or so I've been running XP, so unless the software you're worried about is truly ancient (16 bit), you shouldn't encounter many, if any, problems. I've only had to get an XP patch for one program.

 

Thank you for the input. Nothing is too basic for me from an advice standpoint. I cring at the idea of upgrading this computer so any help is welcome. I have purchased Office XP for another computer I own and thought I could install it on the "problem" computer once I upgraded the OS but a friend of mine said it will only go on one PC??? I am not one to advocate software piracy however to allow only one installation per purchased program is loony IMO. What if the computer I have goes south and I get a new one? Do I have to buy anothwer $400.00 bundle?
Oh well - I hope I can gather enough info to make this upgrade tolerable. Keep the pointers comming!