XP upgrade routine requires careful preparation
You need to take a few careful precautions when planning an XP upgrade. Mistakes made while upgrading can result in data loss
and a late night.
Preparation is paramount
Although the Windows upgrade process has improved, you should never attempt an upgrade until you’ve performed several steps.
For best results, follow this quick checklist to prepare for a Windows XP upgrade:
Verify that the OS can be updated to Windows XP.
Ensure hardware compatibility.
Check software application compatibility.
Delete unused, unneeded, and incompatible applications.
Defragment the partition where Windows XP will be installed.
Close all applications.
Back up all data.
A closer look at each of these steps.
Verify that the OS can be updated to XP
Windows XP Pro upgrade installations can be performed only on the following platforms:
Windows 98 and Windows 98 SE
Windows Millennium Edition (Me)
Windows NT Workstation 4.0
Windows 2000 Professional
Windows XP Home Edition
If you find Windows XP Home Edition on your enterprise, remember that it can update only Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and
Windows Me. Windows XP Home Edition can't be used to perform an upgrade installation on Windows NT Workstation 4.0 or Windows
2000 Professional.
Ensure hardware compatibility
Don’t try upgrading a system to Windows XP before you’ve verified the client machine possesses sufficient system resources.
The minimum system requirements for Windows XP Professional are:
233-MHz Intel or AMD-compatible processor. (I suggest 350MHz P2 and above)
64-MB RAM. (I suggest a minimum of 128-meg)
1.5 GB of free disk space.
Super VGA (800x600) video adapter and monitor.
You also need to ensure that the system’s components are supported. Do so by typing D:\winnt32.exe /checkupgradeonly,
replacing the D with the appropriate letter for the CD-ROM drive holding the Windows XP CD-ROM. The /checkupgradeonly switch
triggers Windows XP’s Setup program, which creates a report listing compatibility issues that will exist when XP is
installed.
For the most up-to-date information, check Microsoft’s Hardware Compatibility List at
http://www.microsoft.com/hwdq/hcl/.
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