Windows XP Installation

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 8 Dec 2001 6:25 am

For those conetemplating upgrading to Windows XP, all I can say is it's not for the "faint of heart". I've worked with MS operating systems since DOS3 and the upgrade to XP was the worst of all. I'd give the upgrade procedure an "F-", compared to all the other DOS and then Windows upgrades.

I've done two, one for a friend and my own and neither upgrade went smooth and neither went the same. The first one I did on a PC that had WIN98 asked for varied user input options and then installed like it was a new installation and did not detect any of his previous WIN98 settings or software. This upgrade took over 4 hours (that was just to get the XP upgrade installed, not to get the PC straightened out - which we are still working on).

Mine, which was an upgrade from WIN ME, never asked for any user input except for the S/W Key and bascially did what it wanted to do, except I explicitly followed the on-screen instructions and wound up with a dual-boot and two copies of XP on my drive. (I'm still trying to figure out how to get rid of the dual-boot file on the hard drive - Microsofts instructions don't work). However, my install did pickup all my installed s/w and configurations.

I put this on here for info. I've worked (and managed) a computer help desk, and was Novell (3.12) certified and also worked with OS/2 so I'm not a "novice" at computers or operations and I still had a lot of grief and it took four hours for the upgrade installation procedure to complete (not to get the PC completely straightened out).

Steve Feldman · Post by **Steve Feldman** » 8 Dec 2001 7:26 am

F-, WOW.....

I use my at-home computer only for web browsing, minore word processing and spreadsheet applications, etc., and have been happy with Win98 that came installed when I got it a few years ago. Win98 may be a little buggy (or so I've heard - I've never had any real problems, though), but it works OK for me.

What sorts of apps are you all using that would benefit from upgrading the OS frequently.

BTW, Jack: I'm out of town on business again this next week. Will holler at you RE: VP when I get in.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 8 Dec 2001 8:16 am

Primarily, I wanted the stability of the NT/2000 platform. Plus, I was at the point I was having OS problems and would have had to reload my OS anyway so I thought this was a good time to upgrade.

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 8 Dec 2001 8:57 am

Minor topic drift--
I'm thinking of a new system soon, maybe. I'm seeing the common option of ME (XP ready, whatever that means) or XP. For non-technical needs (nothing more than I already do--light graphics and some music apps) is there any reason, in your opinion, for spending more for XP? I already gather from your story that if I choose XP I'd do best to have it factory installed.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 8 Dec 2001 9:51 am

If I were going for a new PC, I'd go for one with XP installed. Disregarding all the hype, XP is a better system than the previous "consumer" versions of Windows. Also, as new software comes out it will be written to take adavantage of the XP enhancements and some may not even be backward compatible with non XP(Win NT/2K) operating systems.

There shouldn't be any difference in price unless they are "clearing out" discontinued models with ME installed on them. But, "Stoner's Law" says buy overkill and as much as your pocketbook will allow - you have a better chance of the PC not becoming obsolete as fast.

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 8 Dec 2001 11:28 am

I upgraded from 98 to XP and found the process livable. At first I did it and found lottsa compatibility issues so uninstalled it. A bit later I installed it on my second hard drive and worked thru the compatability issues (TV card, Sound card, etc) and then, once satisfied that things were ok- installed it on my primary drive. I like this OS- quite stable- never crashes- use 2000 at work in Terminal Server mode and it's quite stable as well- certainly more so than 98 was. So- Jack- my son also did the migration and had no problems (he's 15 but a bit of a "techie"- sorry you had problems- took each of us about an hour and few problems. Currently working out a real-time video problem- the new Windows Messenger uses a Netmeeting-like environment but doesn't like the Sony Handycam I used to use in Netmeeting when using 98 so I'm gonna get a Logitech Webcam Express USB to try to solve- specific post on this in another post in this forum

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 8 Dec 2001 2:41 pm

Well my old IBM with win95; 233 processor; 3 gig hard drive; 64 meg ram...finally flopped for the 5th time....ha....so my roommate has Win XP professional; and I did a removal of 95 and a clean install of XP professional(which by requirements should never go on this computer). but I installed it and it works dang dang good.
So my Win98 on my laptop....I did a upgrade to XP professional; and it is very very important on the upgrade to preference to partition properly, when it comes to that section of the upgrade.
Yes both installs had capatibility probs if you "check capatibility"....but forget that....just go for it.
It is a superior oprerating system...and I've seen XPhome edition; and the Professional is so much better for the installation process....but there still are bugs in the system cause it's so new......but I have'nt seen any yet...other than my own computers not having a big enough processor or video card....so it's just a little slower loading whatnot(just milli-sec diff)......but like Jack said...pay very very close attention to the install process..and know what proceedures that will come about; to choose from.
Have fun.
Ricky

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 8 Dec 2001 3:15 pm

Just a word of caution......

Do a clean wipe of the hard drive..... I mean like,do the total delete of the drive,and partition off the drive as a new unit. Then install the new O/S. Trying to load a O/S over a existing system, is a invitation to a into hell.

Benn there,done that,have the scares.

I am now using "Windows 2000 Pro". So far,I haven't a singular problem with it !!

[This message was edited by Bill Crook on 08 December 2001 at 03:17 PM.]

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 8 Dec 2001 5:36 pm

If the disk is wiped clean and then the XP install, you can't use the $96 upgrade version. You'd have to use $199 full version. Windows XP upgrade basically wipes out the old version and installs the new version anyway (but does keep your installed program base configuration). It's a lot more than the older 95 to 98 or ME upgrades.

Mark Ardito · Post by **Mark Ardito** » 9 Dec 2001 10:47 am

I have upgraded ALL Microsoft O/S and have NEVER had a problem. This is kind of shocking to hear. I am building a new PC for myself and will be putting WinXP Pro on it, but it will not be a upgrade. I have upgraded Win95, 98, ME, 2000 and no problems. I know that the minimum requirements for XP are pretty steep and there is a lot of software issues, but I am looking forward to the reliability of the new O/S. I use 2000 at work and manage the helpdesk there and I just want something different for at home. I will keep you posted on how it goes with the install.

Mark

Bruce Wutzke · Post by **Bruce Wutzke** » 9 Dec 2001 8:32 pm

Jack,
I had dual boot also.
When I finally got rid of Win 98, I went to Control Panel>System>Advanced>Start Up and Recovery
and made XP the default. I also ran the "time to display operating systems" down
to zero. Win 98 is gone but I don't know how to get it out of the 'choices' list so now it just breezes past the options on boot.
I've also been hearing that a clean install with the full version is more trouble free than the upgrade.

Dan Dowd · Post by **Dan Dowd** » 10 Dec 2001 6:13 pm

Well If I could take the box back to Wal Mart and get my $100 back I would. After installing it and getting a list of compability issues I thought I could work thru I found I could'nt get on the internet with my 3Com dsl modem. I called Bellsouth and told them about this and they told me that 3Com went out of the DSL business and wont support the new drivers for XP. However they will exchange the modem for one that will and uses beta drivers for it.
Then my MIDI stuff would not work. I have a USB 2 in 2 out Midiman going to my Roland 32 Channel Sound Canvas. My sound card makes a loud clicking noise during the boot up.
I have uninstalled XP as there are compability issues with my Epson 880 printer, Lexar media reader for my digital camera,Norton Disk Image-Registry Tracker-Speed Disk, Sound Blaster Platinum and on and on. Now that IM back to my original Windows ME things are working again.
Jack Stoner, the pit opened and I threw $100 at it and it ate it up. When will I learn about these upgrades falicies.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 11 Dec 2001 4:46 am

Dan, I'm not having any problems, other than trying to get rid of the dual boot startup (and I have a workaround for that until I get a permanent fix).

My SoundBlaster Live worked after the upgrade but I intalled the SB windows XP upgrade anyway.

Roxio also had an upgrade for the Roxio CD burning software.

I don't have any MIDI interface stuff so that was not an issue.

I did have to upgrade Norton Antivirus but the 1 year free upgrade period had expired on my old version and I needed a new one anyway.

I haven't found any hardware compatiblity issues, and I have a relatively old Compaq Presario with a 350Mhz PII. I have an older US Robotics ISA bus modem and it was even compatible with XP.

The only device that does not have a complete update package is my HP printer/scanner combo. I have print and scan functions using the XP drivers for the unit but I no longer have OCR capability until HP puts out updated software, which is months away. I don't know how other printer and scanner companies are but HP was not ready for XP.

My biggest complaint is the MickeySoft upgrade process. Following the on-screen directions, exactly, did not result in a "painless" upgrade.

A friend that also upgraded to XP followed the instructions that was presented after XP did a scan of his hardware and software and he wound up with a total mess (the upgrade list told him that the Roxio 5.02 needed to be uninstalled and then reinstalled after the upgrade was finished (wrong) which he did but the installer on the Roxio Platinum installation CD is incompatible with XP and he can't reload that software package. Had he ignored the MS instructions and left the Roxio alone he would have been OK and all he would have had to do was install the XP update, as I did.

Such is the magical world of computers....

Dan Dowd · Post by **Dan Dowd** » 11 Dec 2001 9:51 am

Jack I found most of the updates for the printer,Roxio, and The MIDI stuff along with the update for the new DSL modem Bellsouth is going to send me. They are in a Folder on my HD. I should have done this before I upgraded to XP but I would still have had a modem problem. I will try again when the new modem arrives. There may still be some pgms that wont run with XP but I will cross that bridge later.

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 11 Dec 2001 7:07 pm

I also found that, though the XP install said that my sound card (Awe32) and my printer (Epson 880) had compatibility issues (I suggested a counselor)- after the XP install I manually loaded the drivers and they worked fine~~

Mike Dennis · Post by **Mike Dennis** » 19 Dec 2001 5:59 pm

Tech news C-Net.com users opinions of Windows XP
http://www.cnet.com/software/0-806340-1218-6534881.html?tag=st.sw.806340-1204-6534881.urev.806340-1218-6534881

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 20 Dec 2001 4:27 am

I've been running for about two weeks now on XP and no bugs have shown up. I fixed the final minor problem I had about a week ago (PC not powering off when I went to windows xp "turn off computer").

I find most of the on-line forums such as the C-Net one mentioned are primarily posted by those that don't like something or are having problems (many self inflicted). If someone is happy with something they generally do not seek an outlet to vent their problems.

There are minimum hardware requirements and some people, who's h/w does not meet all the requirements choose to ignore that and install anyway then bitch because it doesn't work or work correctly. Same way with the software, there are some old legacy programs that will not operate under XP and some that will work but not 100%. That has to be realized going in or there will be problems. Another point of contention for some is their hardware vendor will not provide them support for XP (e.g. I have a Compaq presario model 5170 that was delivered with WIN98. Compaq will support WIN98 problems but if the customer wants to upgrade to a different operating system they are basically on their own and that pisses a lot of customers - I've seen the same thing with other vendors, they will support what they originally delivered).

Marketing hype has to be ignored too. The ads for XP make it sound like it will transform any computer into a magic box. Right.

Now that I have the bugs out, I'm perfectly happy with the upgrade. But, going in I knew that my hardware more than met minimum hardware requirements and I knew which software would not work or required upgrades to work. Nothing was a surprise.

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 20 Dec 2001 6:36 am

If Gateway calls me again about XP I think I will hang up on 'em.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » 21 Dec 2001 10:21 am

****Check MS for patch on XP. Seems that there is a MAJOR security problem with both versions of XP. They found out about it 5 weeks ago, but just released the patch****

You guys are scaring me away. My Dell 4100 with ME may stay intact for awhile longer.

Allen

------------------
Allen Harry
Mullen D-10, 8 & 6
Nashville 1000

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 21 Dec 2001 10:30 am

My XP was automatically downloaded yesterday morning with the patch (and the patch installed).

Although this was an "oversight" that shouldn't have been, it was fixed and there hasn't been any reports that I've read of anyones system actually being compromised. Really no different than any other product with a potential security problem. I wouldn't be surprised if several more potential problems arise with XP.

Bob Shilling · Post by **Bob Shilling** » 21 Dec 2001 2:19 pm

Well, last weekend I bought a new 'puter with XP home edition already installed. Yesterday I heard about the buffer glitch, so I downloaded and installed the patch. Pretty painless. BUTT...while trying to install the driver for my ancient Colorado Tape Backup, I got a message that the software was not XP "approved" or somesuch, with a very strong warning that this driver installation may screw up my new OS.

Anybody know what's up with that?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 21 Dec 2001 3:25 pm

A lot of the older software (and some hardware) is not compatible or supported by XP.

I suggest you try to find NT drivers for that tape drive. They should work with XP

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 21 Dec 2001 4:34 pm

I have seen the Microsoft disclaimer as I've installed older software as it not being Microsoft certified but have yet to experience a serious problem as a result- usually it either does or doesn't work- mostly it's fine. My guess is that the disclaimer is a Cover Your A#$ statement. If it screws up the OS- it's not like it's gonna smoke the hardware- reinstall the OS if something goes awry. My $.02 worth.

Bob Shilling · Post by **Bob Shilling** » 21 Dec 2001 4:44 pm

Thanks for the comments.

Jack,
I checked the HP web site. It's a bit vague, but they seem to think it should install automagically. But it didn't.

Jim,
That's not a bad idea. I don't have much set up time invested in the new machine yet, so a re-install would not set me back much, time-wise.

I actually only want to use the tape backup to transfer files to the new machine. Once there, I'll prolly use the CD-RW for a back up system.

------------------
Bob Shilling, Berkeley, CA--MSA S10, "Classic"

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 22 Dec 2001 3:54 am

Have you thought about the PC to PC transfer facility in XP? I don't know how it works, but it's there. May be easier than the slow tape.