Upgrading to Windows XP

[rstehle]

I have an older Dell computer that I am going to use as my show computer. It currently has Win 98 installed, and I want to upgrade to XP, because I have been using a newer computer with XP for a couple of years and I like it much better. I imagine some of the members of this forum have done the same thing in the past. Can someone please advise as to what is the most economical way to do it?
Thanks.

[dmcole]

Randy:

Last February I bought a Compaq Deskpro PIII off eBay for $40, which came with no operating system. I found a number of eBay sellers of Windows XP Home edition for around $90 and bought a copy from one of them.

I also bought a PS2 keyboard and mouse together for $10. And I use a spare monitor I had on a shelf as backup. I added some RAM that I had laying around, bringing it up to 768MB, and had the machine up and running within an hour after it arrived. Did the normal on-line service pack upgrades and all has been well since.

Previously, I had lived in a Microsoft-free environment, but needed a Windows machine to test cross-platform stuff and figured that $140 was a small investment.

Last November I loaded the .NET infrastructure and have been running Vixen ever since, but just in testing mode, as I still am without small components, such as a driver card and/or SSRs.

HTH.

\dmc

[TERBObob]

use the disc for XP that you have already installed on your other PC , and install on the older PC running 98 .

[fkostyun]

use the disc for XP that you have already installed on your other PC , and install on the older PC running 98 .

Please note - that to be in compliance with software licens ing, each PC does need to have its own license. Please note: This is also against the Terms of Use. (See http://www.doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1579 for any questions)

For a PC that you are considering upgrading: I would make sure it has the following:

512mb RAM (I would consider this the most important)
a P3 1ghz or faster
40GB or larger HDD.

[rstehle]

The PC I am wanting to upgrade has a 800 mhz processor, 512 mb ram, 40 gb hdd, new NVidia GeForce Sound card, and a good video card. Do you think that will work, or should I look for something with more horsepower. I want to be able to run at lease 300 channels of Renard.

[TERBObob]

new NVidia GeForce Sound card, and a good video card.

NVIDIA only makes vid cards ... not sound cards ....

Next , yes , what you have WILL run Vixen without any probs .
And to solve the MicroCrap problem ... run LINDOWS or Linux .. :)

or ... if your an office worker , see if your boss will get you a free take-home license . This way ... wha-la , you have a FREE , LEGAL version of XP ( based on , of course , they - the company you work for , has volume licensing for XP - pro )

[toodle_pipsky]

We just upgraded a pc @ work from 2000 to xp and it was easy as. The only thing we did was upgrade the memory - which depending on how old the computer is, was the only thing "expensive" about it. I think it cost us around $100 (aus dollars) to get it to 1gb. However, as someone suggested before, have a look at eBay, an excellent way to get older memory for rather cheap (you might have to be wary though, some people have a tendency to go stupid and bid ridiculous amounts in order to get something).

We were also warned that xp licences and software production will be stopped soon and will be harder to source as vista become the "standard" (despite people still hating it ;-) ). So if you're unable to get an additional licence for your current copy, as suggested, you'll should probably act soon.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/evaluation/sysreqs.mspx - this is the minimum system requirements for xp home, the other versions of xp aren't that much different. You look like you'll be ok if all you're doing is using it to solely run lights/music.

And Microsoft isn’t all bad - xp is much more stable than 98. They just have a tendency to try and reinvent the wheel ;-)

[DJzrule]

I got a student copy of XP so I'm good here.

[omzig]

NVIDIA only makes vid cards ... not sound cards ....Not true...Do a Google search for Nvidia sound drivers and you find many. I think they are mostly integrated with motherboards with nvidia chipsets.

[TERBObob]

...... guess I should have been more specific .... they ONLY make G FORCE GRAPHICS cards ..

[fkostyun]

...... guess I should have been more specific .... they ONLY make G FORCE GRAPHICS cards ..

Nvidia has been making (for several years now) the nForce motherboard chipsets, containing USB, audio, PCI interface, SATA, etc on the mothboard chip.

this is a link to one of there older chip sets, but, it shows what the nvidia chip includes.
http://www.nvidia.com/page/nforce5_specs_intel.html

[Muskogee Gene]

I am running a Dell P3-900 mhz with 512 mb on XP Pro and it runs like a champ. There are some things you can do to optimize XP to run well which includes disabling some of the unnecessary services - especially the server service. This guy is a memory and processor hog and is not necessary unless you are sharing files or printers on your home network. Disable the themes service as this is also a large user of memory. For a good list of ways to optimize XP go to http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm. This guy has it down. I know his url sounds threatening but he is a white-hat.

BTW. I formatted and installed fresh from an XP Pro upgrade version. They just run better than upgrading from Windows 98. You will need an install cd from Windows 98 or 2000 to install from the upgrade. So keep that in mind.

[WWNF911]

I have an older Dell computer that I am going to use as my show computer. It currently has Win 98 installed, and I want to upgrade to XP, because I have been using a newer computer with XP for a couple of years and I like it much better. I imagine some of the members of this forum have done the same thing in the past. Can someone please advise as to what is the most economical way to do it?
Thanks.

I have purchased hard drives from businesses on Ebay that come with a CD that installs XP. This however is not an upgrade but should be treated more like a recovery disc. Bang for your buck this is the way to go especially if you've ever considered increasing the size of your drive. FYI - need to ensure you have the hardware necessary for minimum requirements
(Check around,... your older computer may not be capable of upgrading)

[Tech Christmas]

ok... couple of points....

First, if you go to pricegrabber and find a reputable dealer selling an OEM copy of XP you'll have both a legal and cheap solution.... in fact, that's the cheapest way to buy XP.

But don't do it.

People will give you or sell you cheap whole machines with XP on them already. I had a company give me a dozen machines that I only took for the little sticker on the side. The XP serial number was worth more than the hardware.

(IIRC) and OEM copy of XP is hovering around 60 bucks. For 50 bucks on Craigslist you can get a whole computer with XP already on it and it will out run what you have.

I know it sounds counterintuitive but trust me, you'll be better buying a used machine.

[rstehle]

Just a quick update. Thanks to all who provided info and insight into the upgrade process. Windows XP has been installed on my show computer and it is working great. (got a copy of the upgrade software dirt cheap on eBay) Sorry about the confusion on the NVidia card. It is indeed a video card. Now I just need to start loading some songs into Vixen and begin to plan sequences for 2008. Hope to have 304 dimable channels. The thought of sequencing that many channels is very overwhelming. I'm trying to talk my wife into doing some of it. She is much more creative than I am. Wish us luck!