Lesson 4:Upgrading Earlier Versions of Windows to Windows XP Professional | MCSE Training Kit(c) Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Exam 70-270 2001)

You can upgrade many earlier versions of Windows operating systems directly to Windows XP Professional. Before upgrading, however, you must do the following:

Ensure that the computer hardware meets the minimum Windows XP Professional hardware requirements.
Check the HCL or test the computer for hardware compatibility using the Windows XP Professional Compatibility tool. Using compatible hardware prevents problems when you start the upgrade on a large number of client computers.

You can upgrade computers directly to Windows XP Professional if they are running earlier versions of Windows that use compatible hardware. If your Windows 95 and Windows 98 client systems are using incompatible or insufficient hardware, you can still take advantage of the Active Directory service functionality provided by a Windows 2000 Server domain by installing the Windows 2000 Server Directory Services Client on these systems.

After this lesson, you will be able to

Upgrade earlier Windows client operating systems to Windows XP Professional

Estimated lesson time: 25 minutes

Identifying Client Upgrade Paths

You can upgrade most client computers running earlier versions of Windows directly to Windows XP Professional. However, computers running some earlier versions of Windows (including Windows 95, Microsoft Windows NT 3.1, and Microsoft Windows NT 3.5) require an additional step. Table 2.5 lists the Windows XP Professional upgrade paths for various client operating systems.

Table 2.5 Windows XP Professional Upgrade Paths for Client Operating Systems


Upgrade from	Upgrade to
Windows 98	Windows XP Professional
Windows Me	Windows XP Professional
Windows NT Workstation 4.0	Windows XP Professional
Windows 2000 Professional	Windows XP Professional
Windows 95	Windows 98 first, and then upgrade to Windows XP Professional
Windows NT 3.1, 3.5, or 3.51	Windows NT 4 Workstation first, and then upgrade to Windows XP Professional

Windows XP Professional also upgrades all released service packs for Windows NT Workstation 4.0.

Generating a Hardware Compatibility Report

Before you upgrade a client computer to Windows XP Professional, ensure that it meets the minimum hardware requirements by using the Windows XP Compatibility tool to generate a hardware and software compatibility report. This tool runs automatically during system upgrades, but running it before beginning the upgrade should identify any hardware and software problems and allow you to fix compatibility problems ahead of time.

Generating the Report

To run the Windows XP Compatibility tool and generate a compatibility report, perform the following steps:

Insert the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive.
At a command prompt, type d:\i386\winnt32 /checkupgradeonly
d:\ represents the drive letter of the CD-ROM drive
Press Enter.
Generating the upgrade report can take several minutes. The tool checks only for compatible hardware and software and generates a report that you can analyze to determine the system components that are compatible with Windows XP Professional.

Reviewing the Report

Winnt32 /checkupgradeonly generates a report that appears as a text document, which you can view in the tool or save as a text file. The report documents the system hardware and software that are incompatible with Windows XP Professional. It also specifies whether you need to obtain an upgrade pack for software installed on the system and recommends additional system changes or modifications to maintain functionality in Windows XP Professional.

Upgrading Compatible Windows 98 Computers

For client systems that test as compatible with Windows XP Professional, run WINNT32.EXE to complete the upgrade. To upgrade a Windows 98 computer, complete the following procedure.

To perform the upgrade follow these steps:

Insert the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
The AUTORUN program on the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM displays the Welcome To Microsoft Windows XP screen.

If you do not want to use any switches with WINNT32.EXE, click Install Windows XP and follow the prompts on your screen. These steps are the same as Practice 2 in Lesson 2.
Run WINNT32.EXE with any appropriate switches.
Accept the license agreement.
If the computer is already a member of a domain, create a computer account in that domain. Windows 98 clients do not require a computer account, but Windows XP Professional clients do.
Provide upgrade packs for applications that need them. Upgrade packs update the software to work with Windows XP Professional. These packs are available from the software vendor.
Upgrade to NTFS when prompted. Select the upgrade if you do not plan to set up the client computer to dual boot.
Continue with the upgrade if the Windows XP Professional Compatibility tool generates a report showing that the computer is compatible with Windows XP Professional. The upgrade finishes without further intervention and adds your computer to a domain or workgroup.
If the report shows that the computer is incompatible with Windows XP Professional, terminate the upgrade process, and then upgrade your hardware or software.

Upgrading a Windows NT 4 Client

The upgrade process for computers running Windows NT 4 is similar to the upgrade process for computers running Windows 98.

Verifying Compatibility

Before you perform the upgrade, use the Windows XP Professional Compatibility tool to verify that the systems are compatible with Windows XP Professional and to identify any potential problems.

Upgrading Compatible Systems

Windows NT 4 computers that meet the hardware compatibility requirements can upgrade directly to Windows XP Professional. To start the upgrade process, complete the following procedure.

To perform the upgrade follow these steps:

Insert the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
The AUTORUN program on the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM displays the Welcome To Microsoft Windows XP screen.

If you do not want to use any switches with WINNT32.EXE, click Install Windows XP and follow the prompts on your screen. These steps are the same as Practice 2 in Lesson 2.
Click Exit to close the Welcome To Microsoft Windows XP screen.
Click Start, and then click Run.
Type d:\i386\winnt32 /switch (where d is the drive letter for your CD-ROM and /switch represents one or more switches that you want to use with the WINNT32 command), and then press Enter.
The Welcome To Windows page appears.
In the Installation Type drop-down list, select Upgrade and then click Next.
The License Agreement page is displayed.
Read the license agreement, click I Accept This Agreement, and then click Next.
Setup displays the Product Key page.
Enter your 25-character product key, which is located on the back of the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM case.
Setup displays the Upgrading To The Windows XP Professional NTFS File System page.
Click Yes, Upgrade My Drive and then click Next. The Copying Installation Files page appears.
The Restarting The Computer page appears, and the computer restarts. Then the upgrade finishes without further intervention.

Lesson Review

The following questions will help you determine whether you have learned enough to move on to the next lesson. If you have difficulty answering these questions, review the material in this lesson before beginning the next lesson. The answers are in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers."

Which of the following operating systems can be upgraded directly to Windows XP Professional? (Choose all that apply.)
1. Windows NT Workstation 4.0
2. Windows NT 3.51
3. Windows 2000 Professional
4. Windows NT Server 4.0
How can you upgrade a computer running Windows 95 to Windows XP Professional?
Before you upgrade a computer running Windows NT 4, which of the following actions should you perform? (Choose all that apply.)
1. Create a 2-GB partition on which to install Windows XP Professional.
2. Verify that the computer meets the minimum hardware requirements.
3. Generate a hardware and software compatibility report.
4. Format the partition containing Windows NT 4 so that you can install Windows XP Professional.
How can you verify that your computer is compatible with Windows XP Professional and therefore can be upgraded?

Lesson Summary

Before you upgrade a client computer to Windows XP Professional, ensure that it meets the minimum hardware requirements.
Use the Windows XP Professional Compatibility tool to generate a hardware and software compatibility report.
For client systems that test as compatible with Windows XP Professional, run the Windows XP Professional Setup program (WINNT32.EXE) to complete the upgrade.