Planning a Windows XP Professional Installation

A number of preparation tasks should be completed before starting the upgrade of any computer to Windows XP Professional. Performing these tasks will help ensure a smoother installation and prevent the loss of any user data during upgrade. These tasks include:

• Collect networking settings. If the computer is part of a network make sure that you record its name, domain, or workgroup name and any TCP/ IP configuration settings.

• Install additional hardware. Install additional memory or disk space if required to meet Windows XP Professional's minimum hardware requirements.

• Perform backups. Even though an upgrade is not supposed to result in the loss of any data, it's best to make a complete copy of user files just in case something catastrophic occurs during the upgrade.

• Clean up the disk drive. Run either the Windows ChkDsk or ScanDisk disk management utility to clean up any errors on the computer's hard disks.

• Free up disk space. Run Disk Cleanup to free up additional disk space and ensure that you have adequate disk space to install Windows XP Professional.

• Resolve any existing hardware issues. Make sure that everything is working before you begin the upgrade.

• Scan for viruses. Microsoft recommends that you run an antivirus program to ensure that the computer is free of viruses before attempting any upgrade.

• Uninstall third-party utilities. Many third party utilities will not function on Windows XP, including antivirus disk management utilities.

• Uninstall incompatible hardware and applications. Leaving incompatible hardware or software on the computer may result in problems during or after an upgrade.