How to do a Windows 98 upgrade to a newer operating system
As of June 2004, no-charge support for the Windows 98
operating system ends. Microsoft says after that date you can still
pay for support at about $35 per incident.
A Windows 98 upgrade to a newer version of the operating system is
now due or overdue.
The articles and tips found on this site will help you do a Windows
98 upgrade painlessly to the 2000 Professional, XP, or later version.
Windows Upgrade is a Plus
Not only is an upgrade from the 98 version now necessary, it is a
better thing to do.
- You will improve security of your system and data.
- Have a more efficient file storage and retrieval system on your
hard drive.
- You will be able to take advantage of newer technology built
into newer software now available.
- Technical support for other programs running on your PC will be
more readily available. Software makers will also cut their support
of the old operating system - just as they have done with programs
that used the DOS operating system.
Windows Upgrade - Where to begin
Begin by securing backup copies of your important documents -
things you know you just won't be able to do without.
You can get important ideas about backing up your hard drive on
this site.
Click here for important
reminders before you backup your hard drive.
I suggest you take sometime to go through all the 'stuff' you have
stored. I usually take at least a day to consider all that I may want
to keep before I
format my hard drive.
This is an important step.
System upgrade reminders
Here are a few operating system upgrade reminders. Be especially
aware of these before you launch any upgrade.
-
Make sure that your hardware can support the new operating
system (OS). For example, Windows XP requires more hard drive space,
more memory, and higher category of processors than Windows 98 does,
naturally.
-
Some programs may not work across different operating systems.
Data types and processing algorithms, for example, might change from
one version of an operating system to another. You may need to get
newer versions of some software.
-
A clean install of a new operating system is usually better than
upgrading (or installing) over an old one. For example, I would not
upgrade my Windows 98 system to a Windows 2000 system. There are
huge differences between the two technology and this could cause
problems.
-
Before you do a Windows 98 upgrade (or any upgrade, for that
matter), consider hardware compatibility issues. Microsoft
recommends you check the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) on the
new system installation disk before you launch your upgrade. Why?
Some of your hardware may not be supported by the newer OS version.
Consider hardware upgrade
As you plan a Windows Operating System upgrade, you might want to
think about a hardware upgrade as well.
You should at least make sure that you have the hard drive
capacity, the amount of memory (RAM), and that you will not be
creating a lame system with lots of bottlenecks.
Look at some important
computer components you need to check out before you do an
operating system software upgrade.
Finally, the benefits of a well-planned upgrade are worth the
effort. Plus, you learn a whole lot about how your system works.
If you have never done a system upgrade before, try to learn as
much as you can before you dive in. And when you do, enjoy the breeze
of riding on newer technology.
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