Trying to upgrade Windows 98SE to XP, but no luck

More weirdness

Charles - the weird thing about all this is that I have two Windows XP Home Edition with SP2 disks here that my brother got from the same eBay vendor. The first to arrive had no Product Key sticker, so I couldn't setup XP with it.

The vendor sent another disk, and it gave all the file error messages which I assumed for about 3 weeks were a problem with something in my computer and only yesterday realized was a problem with the disk being damaged.

However, I was able to copy the i386 folder and its files from the first unuseable disk (the one with no Product Key) to my hard drive, to supply the uncopyable files of the second unuseable disk (the damaged one) so that I can setup XP using the damaged disk.

I just tried starting my computer with a Windows 98 startup floppy which has added to it Smartdrv.exe, per Microsoft's advice to overcome "File copy error during Setup ". The starup process then asked where were my i386 folder files, and I responded, on my hard drive in the i386 folder. Then a very rapid file copying process started and my hard drive sounded like a bumble bee, it was copying so fast and so much. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately -- we'll see -- I had forgotten to copy one file from the first XP CD to my hard drive, and had to interrupt the setup process to copy that file from to my hard drive from the XP CD without the Product Key.

Next I was told to remove the floppy disk (the Windows 98 startup disk) and reboot. The damaged XP CD was in the CD drive all this time, if I remember right. (I have a very short memory span when it comes to computers.) If I had elected to continue with the setup, I think the upgrade to XP might have been successful, but at the moment I am a little nervous about continuing because the scan of my computer done a few days ago said my modem might not work after I upgrade and if it doesn't work, I'd have Windows XP, but might not be able to get on the Internet. It's identified as a "56K PCI Voice Modem SF-1156IV+R9A" and has a Conexant chip.

As a matter of possible interest to other sufferers, this setup using a file on the hard drive taken from an XP CD and using a Windows (fill-in your Windows Version here) startup floppy disk is called "Windows XP Personal Setup" by the Setup program.

 

XP is setup and working!

I forgot to post the outcome of all this. I copied the single file that I had forgotten about, and XP setup with no hitches, and I am now using the new program. At the moment I find it a little confusing for doing things like copying files or programs by dragging from window to window like I did in Windows 98SE, but it seems to mostly be a matter of learning where Windows Explorer is now.

Thanks to everyone who posted responses.

 

Congratulations Tom, glad you got it squared away

Regards - Charles