Upgrading to XP from 98.....?????s (long)

R

RoyGBiv

New Member
I am going to have to (finally) upgrade my home PC from W98 to XP because a new critical app I need at both home and work does not work in 98. I have some questions for the experts.

First, I know that my computer (built with help from this forum members in July, 05) components should all work. But here is the situation. I have two hard drives (PATA) which are partitioned into 6 logical drives. The first, drive C, is for the OS and apps. The others are used for various data, backups, and one has W98 copied from the CD that I used to install OS. I still have two DOS based programs which I have to use occasionally as there is no windows version. I know from using them rarely at work that they won't run satisfactorily in XP, and when I want to run them, I boot to a C: prompt using the XP emergency recovery diskette. My computer at work has two logical drives. Again, C is for the OS and apps, and all data are on D. C has been formatted NTFS, but D is formatted FAT32. I have found that when I boot with the diskette, it doesn't even see drive C and considers drive D to be C. Obviously all partitions at home are currently FAT32. Now for the questions:

Should I install XP over the current 98 install, or would it be better to re-format drive C and do a "clean install" with XP?

Can I copy the XP disks to my hard drive and install from the hard drive? Doing it this way with 98 it made it much easier and quicker. Would doing XP this way be quicker as well? If so, how much space does it take? With 98 I did it in DOS with the xcopy command. Would I do it the same way with the XP disks?

Should I change the file system to NTFS for any or all logical drives? I know that I will need to keep at least one partition FAT32 because otherwise running DOS, which I will still have to do, from a diskette won't work. If I do make changes, does it matter which or how many of the logical partitions are FAT32 and which are NTFS? How much space does NTFS save? Also, I have some very large video files. Currently file size is limited to 4gigs due to 98's limits. I know that XP has much greater file size limits, but is it dependent on that drive using NTFS or does it just relate to the OS?

Last is there a specific version of XP people would recommend? Should I get the home or pro edition, and is there now a separate media edition? Is it worth it to get any of the upgrades?

TIA

SMK
 
RoyGBiv said:
1)Should I install XP over the current 98 install, or would it be better to re-format drive C and do a "clean install" with XP?

2)Can I copy the XP disks to my hard drive and install from the hard drive?

3)Should I change the file system to NTFS for any or all logical drives?

4)How much space does NTFS save?

5)I know that XP has much greater file size limits, but is it dependent on that drive using NTFS or does it just relate to the OS?

6)Last is there a specific version of XP people would recommend? Should I get the home or pro edition, and is there now a separate media edition? Is it worth it to get any of the upgrades?
Click to expand...

1) Format!!!

2) I'm Not Sure...Wouldn't Bother Though (personally). My best guess would
be that you cannot.
3) You probably should switch to NTFS. Its better for several reasons.
4) Correct me if im wrong but NTFS doesn't save space (at least not any sort
of significant space) Its more for the way data is "filed"
5) Again--dont know--probably OS though.
6) Every version supports people's own needs.

XP Home is obviously for the home user....not too much goin on there, probably non-networked.
XP PRO is for businesses, and features better security, and more networking support.
XP Media Centre (YES, centRE..Im Canadian.) is for people who wish to watch TV on their computer...has support for recodring shows and what not.

I have MCE, for the reason above.
 
davidireland said:
1) Format!!!

2) I'm Not Sure...Wouldn't Bother Though (personally). My best guess would
be that you cannot.
3) You probably should switch to NTFS. Its better for several reasons.
4) Correct me if im wrong but NTFS doesn't save space (at least not any sort
of significant space) Its more for the way data is "filed"
5) Again--dont know--probably OS though.
6) Every version supports people's own needs.

XP Home is obviously for the home user....not too much goin on there, probably non-networked.
XP PRO is for businesses, and features better security, and more networking support.
XP Media Centre (YES, centRE..Im Canadian.) is for people who wish to watch TV on their computer...has support for recodring shows and what not.

I have MCE, for the reason above.
Click to expand...
I would strongly recommend to reformat and install.

As far as i know you cant copy the files to the hard drive, they have to be copied from the CD.

NTFS has much better security, as well as more advanced options, so go with NTFS.

NTFS takes up a bit more space i believe. It's a method of file organizing and managing.

XP Home can be networked at home, it's not meant for business with advanced logon requirements.

XP Media Center is a mix of home and pro, it has a few more advanced features that are from XP Pro, and is best if your computer is also the center of your entertainment center.
 
1. It is ALWAYS better to do a clean install of an operating system instead of recording over an old OS (or using an upgrade version).

2-5. Concur with above said.

6. XP home can be networked, and is perfectly fine for networking. Some of the difference from pro is a built-in remote desktop, added security (individualized access to files for particular users, etc.) , and hosting your own website (and accessing files while offline). An efficient comparison of Home and Pro can be found here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx

Media Center is mainly based on Home with some added media features. This includes loading a DVD without powering on the computer, recording TV, using the computer as a true center of your entertainment electronics. A better description can be found here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/default.mspx
 
Does anyone know the answer regarding FAT v NTFS and maximum file size? I have searched through MS's webiste and read pretty much everything they have there defining the different systems and their pluses and minuses. Nothing was said about maximum file size. The only thing that was mentioned was that W98 only supports hard drives up to 32gb whereas XP can support up to 4 tb. That makes me think it's the OS, but nothing stated it for sure.

Thanks again for the help.

SMK
 
Thanks, Stranglehold. The second URL had the info I was looking for. It seems it is NTFS not the OS that allows files larger than 4 gig.

SMK
 
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