Upgrading A Computer Running On Windows 98

Hi everyone, My friend has an old computer running on windows 98. she wants to give it to one of her neighbors but would like to upgrade the operating system to Windows XP. I told her that since her computer is running Windows 98 the best other operating system that she can upgrade to is Windows 2000 as I heard that Windows ME really is not that good? am I correct for giving her this information? or can she install a windows XP operating system on her old computer? Thanks, Larry

hi,

in my opinion the best way to install any OS is to do a clean install. reformat the HD, then install the new OS. upgrades which attempt to retain data can set you up for all kinds of headaches. that being said, i really doubt if a upgrade from 98 to xp is possible. if the computer is "old" it may not have the recommended memory, i think the minimum for xp is 256MB, older machines might have 128mb. who knows it might go smoothly, i would never attempt it myself though.

it seems it is possible, from MS
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316639

other opinions/problems:

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windo…g_9xupgrade.asp

http://labmice.techtarget.com/windowsxp/In…in9xupgrade.htm

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=741703

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/1016491234

shelf life

I agree with Shelf Life. And…. I agree with you that Windows 2000 is the best alternative for your friends machine. I've run Windows 2000 on old PII and PIII machines. It runs "OK" with 128mb RAM, and runs "Briskly" with 256mb RAM, if you have 512mb or more that's good too. And…. You should install Windows 2000 Pro SP4 <– you should be able to purchase such an installation CD for about $50 US. You'll need to go to the machine manufacturer's website to download the various device drivers specified for Win 2000 on that machine. Some PCI and specific Devices you may have to go to the Device manufacturer's site for the Win 2000 Driver installation. Best Regards