A.2 Upgrade vs. Clean Install

If your PC currently runs an older version of Windows, the next big question is whether or not you should upgrade it to Windows XP.

A.2.1 About the Upgrade Installation

You can upgrade to Windows XP Professional from Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows NT Workstation 4.0, Windows 2000 Professional, or Windows XP Home Edition. If your PC currently runs Windows 3.1, Windows 95, or Windows NT Workstation 3.51, you can't upgrade to Windows XP Professional at all ”you have to perform a clean install , as described in the following pages.

Upgrading the operating system retains all of your existing configuration settings and data files. Your desktop colors, font choices, and wallpaper all remain the same, as do some more important elements, including your Favorites list and the files in your My Documents folder.

Upgrading might seem like a convenient option because you don't have to go back and redo all your preferred settings. Unfortunately, upgrading can bring along some unwelcome baggage, too. Outdated drivers, fragmented disk drives , and a clutter of unneeded registry settings are just some of the things that Windows preserves when you upgrade. If all this artery-clogging gunk has already begun to slow down your computer, upgrading to Windows XP will only make things worse .

Furthermore, following an upgrade installation of Windows XP, you may find that some of your software doesn't run as well as it used to, and various other system glitches may pop up from time to time. That's not to say that your software won't run well on Windows XP ”only that it would prefer to be installed fresh on the new operating system. In short, upgrading can save you some time and aggravation now, but you might end up paying for it later.

A.2.2 Buying Windows XP

If you do decide to upgrade your existing version of Windows, you can save some money. As with other versions of Windows, XP is available in both an Upgrade version and a Full version.

The Upgrade Edition can only install Windows XP Professional on a computer that already has Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows NT Workstation 4.0, Windows 2000 Professional, or Windows XP Home Edition on it. If your computer is currently running any other version of Windows, and you want Windows XP Professional, you have to buy the Full version and perform a clean install.

Here, too, there's a caveat: If you upgrade your computer to Windows XP Pro using the Upgrade Edition, and some time later, a computer catastrophe wipes out your hard drive, you'll have to reinstall Windows XP the second time the same way you did it the first time: by first installing the older version of Windows, and then running the XP upgrade installer on top of it. Here again, you can pay now, or risk having to pay later.

A.2.3 About the Clean Install

The alternative to an upgrade is the clean install of Windows XP. During a clean install, you repartition and reformat your hard disk, wiping out everything on it. The over whelming advantage of a clean install is that you wind up with a fresh system, 100 percent free of all of those creepy little glitches and inconsistencies that have been building up over the years . Ask any Windows veteran: the best way to boost the speed of a system that has grown sluggish is to perform a clean install of the operating system and start afresh.

A.2.3.1 Backing up

The drawback of a clean install, however, is the work it will take you to back up all of your files and settings before you begin. If your computer has a tape backup drive, that's not much of a problem. Just perform a full backup, test it to make sure that everything you need has been copied to tape and is restorable, and you're ready to install Windows XP.

If you have a CD-R or CD-RW drive, backing up is almost equally easy. If you have a second computer, you can also consider backing up your stuff on to it, via a network (Chapter 18). And, of course, you can always buy a Zip drive or external hard drive. In any of these cases, you'll probably want to use the new Files and Settings Transfer Wizard for this purpose, which is included with Windows XP Professional. It's described later in this appendix.

Even having a full backup plan, however, doesn't mean that a clean install will be a walk in the park. After the installation, you'll still have to reinstall all of your programs, reconfigure all your personalized settings, re-create your dial-up networking connections, and so on.

NOTE

It's a good idea to spend a few days writing down the information you need as you're working on your computer. For example, copy down the phone number, user name , and password that you use to connect to your Internet service provider (ISP), and the user names and passwords you need for various Web sites you frequent.

Performing a clean install also means buying the Full Edition of Windows XP. It's more expensive than the Upgrade Edition, but at least you can install it on a blank hard disk without having to install an old Windows version first.

Overall, performing a clean install is preferable to an upgrade. But if you don't have the time or the heart to back up your hard drive, wipe it clean and re-establish all of your settings, the upgrade option is always there for you.