Upgrading vs. Clean Install

Windows XP Professional supports two installation options, as listed below:

• Upgrade. This option is used to upgrade a currently installed Microsoft operating system to Windows XP Professional. This installation option migrates currently installed applications and user and system configuration settings.

• Clean. This option replaces the currently installed operating system without migrating any settings or installs Windows XP Professional on a computer without any operating system.

Administrators currently supporting computers that run other Windows operating systems, which meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows XP Professional, will want to perform an upgrade. An upgrade is the least disruptive installation option for the end user because it transfers all the user's data and most of the computer's configuration settings. However, sometimes it is easier for the user just to start over with a clean slate, in which case a clean install is the proper installation option. A clean install is also the only option for a computer without operating systems or for computers that have an operating system that is not eligible for upgrade to Windows XP Professional.

Windows XP Professional's upgrade option supports any of the following operating systems:

• Windows 98

• Windows Me

• Windows NT 4.0 (with service pack 5 or higher)

• Windows 2000 Professional