Number 253 - June 2004

Dual Systems Upgrading or Clean Install
by Michael Horowitz michaelhorowitz.com The Umbrella, May 2004, Hampton Roads, VA
When considering installing a new version of Windows on a computer, the first issue is whether your computer is fast enough for the new operating system. Microsoft and others publish both minimum and recommended horsepower (CPU speed, installed ram and available hard disk space). You can learn about the horsepower requirements for XP at: howtobuy www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/ howtobuy/ default.asp.    The second issue is whether your software and hardware is supported by this version of Windows. Microsoft publishes a Hardware Compatibility List www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/ default.mspx where you can see if Windows is supported on your computer. In addition, you should check your printer, scanner and other hardware to see if there are drivers for the new version of Windows. This is especially of concern when moving from a Windows 9x family OS to an NT-class version of Windows (NT4, 2000, XP).    Software also has compatibility issues. Not all software runs on all flavors of Windows. Any software that you want to continue to use should be checked to make sure it is compatible with the new version of Windows. Windows XP was the first version of Windows to address this issue. It has a feature that attempts to fake out a program so that it thinks it is running under an older version of Windows.    If you decide to install a new version of Windows, the next issue is how. Most people discuss two options. There are actually four ways to run a new version of Windows on your computer.    A new version of Windows can be installed as either an upgrade of an older existing copy of Windows or on a new empty hard disk. An upgrade install places the new copy of Windows on top of the old copy. A clean install puts the new copy of Windows on your computer as if the old copy never existed. There are pros and cons to each approach. Upgrade installation    Con: You lose the old copy of Windows. It is clobbered by the new copy being installed over it. Should there be any problems with the new copy of Windows, you can't fall back to your tried and true old copy.    Con: Compared to a clean installation, an upgrade install is more likely to cause problems in the future. It's complicated, in a world where simpler is better.    Pro: Your existing applications, data and settings remain more or less unchanged. Clean installation    Con: You lose not only the old copy of Windows, but everything that was previously on your computer - all your data and all your applications. Obviously this requires that you first back up all your data files. Don't forget any files. If you fail to back up a file it is lost forever.	It is easy to forget that email or an address book also needs to be backed up.    Pro: From a technical perspective, a clean installation is simpler and less likely to cause problems in the future compared to an upgrade installation.    Con: It requires re-installing all applications and customizing things from scratch. An upgrade installation is not always an option. It depends on the old and new versions of Windows. The rules for Windows XP are presented later.    Also, you should not do an upgrade installation if the old version of Windows is having problems. If your motivation for a new copy of Windows is to fix problems with the old version, then do a clean installation of either your current version of Windows or a new version.    Further complicating things is the fact that many (most) copies of Windows that you buy in a retail store are not designed for a clean install. They are referred to as "upgrade" copies. Upgrade versions of Windows are much cheaper than "full" versions but are only for people who already own a prior copy of Windows.    For example, the upgrade version of Windows XP Home Edition is under $100, the full version is $200 (as of February 2003). The upgrade version of Windows XP Professional sells for about $200, the full version is about $400. Upgrade versions of Windows are intended to be used to upgrade an old version of Windows. They require proof of ownership of a previous version of Windows. When you do an upgrade installation, the proof of ownership comes from the old version of Windows found on your computer. For a clean installation, you need to provide a CDROM from the earlier version of Windows as proof of ownership. Even though you own a previous version of Windows, you may not have a CD-ROM to provide as proof. Many computer manufacturers stopped providing this years ago. Instead they provide only a recovery CD-ROM.    It is safe to say that both the upgrade installation and clean installation are poor choices. There are two other options that offer none of the downsides previously mentioned. These next two options let you run both the old and the new version of Windows on the same computer.    The downside to these alternative approaches is that they require some technical skill and additional software.    The third alternative lets you run either the old or the new version of Windows, but only one at a time. When the computer starts up (boots) you are presented with a choice of which version of Windows to run. The fourth alternative (next Article) lets you run both the old and new versions of Windows concurrently!
Number 253 - June 2004