Before you stick that Windows XP CD into your drive, you'll need to do some planning and make a few decisions. This section describes the steps to take and information to gather before installation. (You'll need a pen to write things down.) Some steps are only for those of you upgrading from a previous Windows version.
The Windows XP box lists these minimal hardware requirements:
PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended, 233 MHz minimum required; Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
64 megabytes (MB) of RAM supported, 128 MB or higher recommended
1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space
Super VGA (800x600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
These requirements are a tasteless joke by Microsoft's marketing department. Such a minimal machine might "run" XP, but opening the Start menu probably would take minutes. For a tolerable XPerience, your PC should have at least a 1 GHz processor and 256 MB of RAM. (Consider 1 or 2 GB of RAM if you edit digital video, do scientific calculations, or play Doom or Half-Life.) If you're upgrading a PC to run XP, don't skimp on RAM. Lots of memory and a fast hard disk can compensate for a slowish processor.
Installing Plug and Play Devices" in Chapter 8.
Run Upgrade Advisor to get information about potential problems that your computer may have if you upgrade to Windows XP, especially if you're using software designed for Windows 95/98/Me or older hardware. Upgrade Advisor checks the system peripherals and programs, and generates a list of items that may not work correctly with XP.
Windows Setup runs Upgrade Advisor automatically when you upgrade from a previous Windows version, but you're wise to run it manually before beginning installation.
To check system compatibility:
1. Insert the Windows XP CD.
The Welcome window opens. (If it doesn't: Open Windows Explorer; navigate to the CD drive; then double-click setup.exe.)
2. Click Check System Compatibility.
3. Click Check My System Automatically.
4. If you have an internet connection, download the updated Setup files; then click Next.
Update Advisor displays a list of potential problems, if any (Figure A.1 ).
5. For a full problem description and advice, click a problem in the list; then click Details.
6. To save the compatibility information in a text file, click Save As.
7. Click Finish.
Transferring Existing Files and Settings" later in this chapter.
To learn more about dual-boot setups, visit Managing Disks" in Chapter 19.
If your PC is running an older version of Windows, you must choose one of three installation types (Table i.3 in the introduction to see whether your current Windows version qualifies for the upgrade to XP; if not, you must perform a clean install. Upgrading to XP preserves your existing settings; installed programs; and data files, including your personal desktop elements, Favorites list, and everything in your My Documents folder. Windows Setup also attempts to upgrade device drivers to XP-compatible versions. Upgrading saves you from laborious rebuilding of preferred settings but doesn't invigorate your PC the way a clean install does. Following the upgrade, you may find that some programs run poorly on XP and need to be removed and reinstalled, possibly after being updated with a patch from the software publisher's web site.
Dual boot
If you want to preserve your existing copy of Windows and run XP, you can set up your PC to maintain both of them side by side. Each time you turn on your PC, it asks you which operating system to run (Figure A.2 ). Dual booting is useful if you have a critical piece of hardware or software that runs only on the older OS.
Never install both OSes on the same hard-drive partition. It would be a disasterand Microsoft Support doesn't even answer questions about such setups. Instead, take one of the following paths:
Buy a second hard drive, and use it for one of the two OSes.
Partition your existing diskthat is, divide it so that each portion functions as though it were a separate disk, with its own icon and drive letter in My Computer. Windows Setup offers a disk tool that erases as it partitions, but you may prefer to buy PartitionMagic ($70 U.S.; www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic), a friendlier, more flexible utility that creates and manages partitions without wiping out their data.
Tips
The Upgrade version of Windows XP is cheaper than the Full version, but if you ever need to install the Upgrade version on a clean drive, you must first install an older (but qualifying) Windows version and
then install XP on top of it. (This is one reason to take good care of your obsolete Windows CDs, the other one being that you
might need a copy of an old DLL.)
file system is the overall structure in which files are named, stored, and organized. Windows XP offers the choices shown in
FILE SYSTEM
DESCRIPTION
FAT
FAT (file allocation table, 16-bit) descends from the ancient DOS file system and still is used in Windows 95 systems. The largest disk drive (or partition) that FAT supports is 2 GB.
FAT32
FAT32 (file allocation table, 32-bit) is a more advanced version of FAT designed to overcome the 2 GB partition limit. It's used in Windows 98/Me systems.
NTFS
NTFS (NT file system), inherited from Windows 2000/NT, is a robust, secure file system that's far more reliable than FAT. NTFS also manages big hard disks more efficiently than FAT; Microsoft recommends NTFS for all 32 GB-plus drives. Some advanced featuressuch as automatic file compression, encryption, and file permissionsare available on NTFS but not on FAT.
Windows 95, 98, and Me don't recognize NTFS drives. Choose FAT or FAT32 over NTFS only if you're sharing files and folders with a Windows 95/98/Me user.
If you're unsure which file system to choose, use FAT or FAT32. You can always convert a FAT drive to NTFS, but not vice versa.
To convert a FAT drive to NTFS:
1. Choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt.
2. Type convert C:/FS:NTFS and then press Enter.
(Replace
C: with the letter of the drive that you're converting.)
If you're converting the drive with Windows XP on it, the conversion happens when you restart your PC.
Tips
If you plan to dual-boot between Windows 95/98/Me and Windows XP, the startup drive or partition must be FAT.
You can't boot an NTFS drive off a DOS floppy disk. Boot off the XP CD instead.
If your upgrade involves converting your system drive from FAT to FAT32, defragment the disk immediately after conversion. Your computer will run faster.
Some computers with older BIOS (see "Check system compatibility" earlier in this chapter) and drives upgraded to FAT32 won't be able to use XP's Hibernate feature, because they can't read the Hibernate file. The cure is a BIOS upgrade.
Backing up Your Files" in Chapter 19 and "Transferring Existing Files and Settings" later in this chapter.
Make sure that peripheral devices, such as your printer or scanner, are attached to your computer and powered up, so that Windows Setup can detect them during installation.
Installing NonPlug and Play Hardware" in Chapter 8.
If you plan to connect to the internet (Chapter 12) during installation, gather your connection settings beforehand. (You can configure your settings during setup or postpone this step until afterward.) Your ISP's web site will have necessary information, such as IP addresses and access phone numbers; Customer Service has a record of your account user name and password, if you've mislaid them. While you're at it, you may want to write down or back up your user names and passwords for web sites that you visit regularly.
Chapter 17) during installation, gather your connection settings beforehand. (You can configure your settings during setup or postpone this step until afterward.) You will need:
The name of your computer
The name of the workgroup or domain
Your Ethernet adapter and other network hardware should be connected and working properly before installation.
If you're upgrading, turn off your virus checker, lest it interpret Windows XP as a harmful infestation (ha ha). Also, turn off spyware killers, web ad blockers, non-Microsoft firewall software such as ZoneAlarm, and other utilities that load automatically.
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