On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:22:45 -0800, dk_ <nobody@spamless.com> wrote:

> Ken and all (so far),
>
> Thank you very much for the information!


You're welcome. Glad to help.


> It sounds like the Home Upgrade version is what I should go for.


Yes, that's what I thought.


> The one remaining question is:
>
> ...Will the 'Home Upgrade Edition' doing a clean install be able to verify a
> previous Windows installation (onto a newly formatted hard drive in this
> machine) by using the IBM disks that came with the computer??? (These disks
> are not stand alone Windows 98 install disks AFSIK.)



Do you mean that you have a Windows 98 restore CD, rather than an
installation CD? If so, it's a little more complicated, but it *can*
be done. First restore from the Restore CD. Then run the XP upgrade CD
from within that restored system, and change from Upgrade to New
Install. When it asks where, press Esc to delete the partition and
start over.




> The reason for upgrading is mainly because I have had very poor luck using
> Wireless PC cards. I have tried several, and have had a difficult time
> getting an IP address from a router. The cards see the available networks,
> the sofware shows I make a connection to the wireless network, but I can
> almost never get an IP assigned. ...No difference if using WEP or not. The
> same senario with any available access point.


I'm not an expert on wireless connections by any means, but I'm not so
sure that changing operating systems will fix that problem. Somebody
else here may be able to address your specific situation better than I
can.


> I have two of these old machines and they both behave the same with the
> wireless connections.
>
> I am hoping that the Wireless connections will work well with XP.
>
> I have been able to use wireless, but only rarely on these machines. It has
> nothing to do with signal strength or encryption.
>
> The hard drive I will use will be 120 GB, so plenty 'o room.
>
> It's a spare computer used mainly when traveling. I'm not expecting high
> speed, but if I can use the wireless connection when traveling it will be
> much, much faster than the painfully slow-speed dial-up connections I've
> been using.
>
> I will have to do a clean install, because the current hard drive in the
> computer is small and is of course formatted to FAT32.


The fact that it's FAT32 is not relevant. Windows XP supports FAT32
without a problem. Or, after installing XP, you can convert from FAT32
to NTFS.


> I will install a
> larger drive.


If you replace the drive, you *can* do a clean installation, or you
could clone the old drive to the new one (using software such as
Acronis True Image or Ghost) and do an upgrade.


> I will have a Ghost backup of the current drive. Not worried about data loss.


OK, then there may be little downside to a clean installation for you.


> I'm also curious about the option to move the 'Upgrade version' to a
> different machine in the future. How is that done legally?


Same as a Full version. There's no prohibition about moving to a new
computer, except for OEM versions.


> Info greatly appreciated!!!
>
> Thank you.
>
> -Dennis
>
> --
> Dennis Kessler
> http://www.denniskessler.com/acupuncture
>
> ----------------------------------------------
>
> In article <p9efo3pkprtmiqrk9se9dn542v2co791ts@4ax.com>,
> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote:
>
> > On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:09:11 -0800, dk_ <nobody@spamless.com> wrote:
> >
> > > I have an old IBM laptop A20m running a Celeron 500MHz with 512 MB RAM,
> > > running Windows 98SE.
> > >
> > > The laptop is a hand-me-down and it is not actually registered to me in any
> > > way. I do have the original IBM disks.
> > >
> > > I would like to upgrade to XP.
> >
> >
> > Three points here:
> >
> > 1. Why do you want to upgrade? I'm not trying to talk you out of
> > anything, but I think it's important for you to have a clear idea of
> > what you want to accomplish. It will help you (and any of us trying to
> > help you) answer other questions about what to do.
> >
> > 2. Depending on what apps you run, 512MB is probably good, but you
> > need to recognize that a 500MHz will be a poor performer. You may find
> > it adequate, again depending on what you use it for, but don't expect
> > very good performance. In general, every new operating system requires
> > more and faster hardware than its predecessor.
> >
> > 3. You didn't mention the size of the hard drive. How big is it, and
> > how much of it is free?
> >
> >
> >
> > > Here comes the dumb questions...
> >
> >
> > Not dumb at all.
> >
> >
> > > Do I purchase an upgrade, or a stand alone XP full version?
> >
> >
> > You *can* buy either. Since the Upgrade is cheaper, and since you
> > qualify to use it, you should clearly buy the Upgrade; buying the Full
> > version would just be wasting money. Note that both of these will do
> > either a clean installation or an upgrade installation, although to do
> > a clean installation with the Upgrade version requires that you have
> > your Windows 98 CD available to insert as proof of ownership when
> > Setup prompts you to do so.
> >
> > Although many people will tell you that formatting and installing
> > cleanly is the best way to go, I disagree. Unlike with previous
> > versions of Windows, an upgrade to XP replaces almost everything, and
> > usually works very well.
> >
> > My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's much
> > easier than a clean installation. You can always change your mind and
> > reinstall cleanly if problems develop.
> >
> > However, don't assume that doing an upgrade relieves you of the need
> > to backup your data, etc. before beginning. Before starting to
> > upgrade, it's always prudent to recognize that things like a sudden
> > power loss can occur in the middle of it and cause the loss of
> > everything. For that reason you should make sure you have backups and
> > anything else you need to reinstall if the worst happens.
> >
> > Also note that there is a third type of CD, an OEM version. But it has
> > the following disadvantages as compared with the retail version:
> >
> > 1. Its license ties it permanently to the first computer it's
> > installed on. It can never legally be moved to another computer, sold,
> > or given away without the computer.
> >
> > 2. It can only do a clean installation, not an upgrade.
> >
> > 3. Microsoft provides no support for OEM versions. You can't call them
> > with a problem, but instead have to get any needed support from your
> > OEM; that support may range anywhere between good and non-existent. Or
> > you can get support elsewhere, such as in these newsgroups.
> >
> > It's disadvantage number 1 above that's the deal-breaker
> > for a generic OEM version, as far as I'm concerned. An OEM version
> > usually costs only slightly less than a retail Upgrade version, and I
> > think the Upgrade is worth that slight additional cost to get rid of
> > that restriction.
> >
> >
> >
> > > And what about
> > > which service pack#?
> >
> >
> > Anything you buy today (unless it's bought used) will come with SP2,
> > and that's fine. If you somehow got one without it, you'd have to
> > download it, but that's not a big problem (unless you have a dial-up
> > connection).
> >
> > Also note that SP3 will probably be out soon, so you'll want to
> > download that when it's released.
> >
> >
> > > And Home Edition or Pro?
> >
> >
> > That depends entirely on your intended use. Based on what you've said
> > so far, almost certainly Home will be just fine, and Professional
> > would be overkill--but you, not us, have to make that determination.
> >
> > XP Home and Professional are identical except that Professional
> > includes a few features (mostly related to security and networking)
> > missing from Home? Most home users don't need and would never use
> > these extra features and will see no benefits by upgrading.
> >
> > For details go to
> >
> > http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase...p_home_pro.asp
> >
> > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp>
> >
> > http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/h.../choosing2.asp
> >
> > Also note another point, not included in any of the above:
> > Professional allows ten concurrent network connections, and Home only
> > five.
> >
> >
> > > Where is the best legitimate place for making the purchase? What should I
> > > expect to have to pay?
> >
> >
> > Google and look around on the Internet. As a starting place, an XP
> > Home Edition Upgrade (which is probably what you should buy) is $94.99
> > US at Amazon.com. You can probably find it a little cheaper if you
> > hunt around.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
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