Help Needed: Upgrading an OS from 98se to W2k pro

Okay ...ye've never let me down -from re-roofing sheds to obliterating evidence to unclogging hairy clogs from a dishwasher -foot.ie and all who sail upon her has gotten me out of some pickles in my time.

Now I'm hoping to get in on the ground floor with this problem.
I have an old Dell Dimension T600 running W98SE ...Windows no longer do updates and it's getting harder to find drivers for stuff like webcams ...any decent new ones -forget it.

So I've obtained WK2 pro on CD and wish to run it.

Here is my plan -the PC has two HDs -it's 20GB master and a 60GB internal storage drive I installed later on. It's mostly audio I work with.

I'm going to copy any further files, audio video, image whatever over to the slave drive and remove it.

Then I'm going to install the w2k on the master drive and reconnect the slave.
Will this work? will it protect my files? will they be safe on the storage drive? Will the new OS detect the drive and files automatically (I'm guessing it should)

When installing the new OS should I just run it or wipe the drive clean first?
If so ...how?

Am I overlooking anything?

I've tried googling this problem btw and wasn't getting the results I was after.

thanking ye in advance.

That will work .

You should get XP tho as W2k is nearing the end of its update cycle.


kdjac

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When installing the new OS should I just run it or wipe the drive clean first?
If so ...how?

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When you start up from an install disc for xp pro you will get to place where you can reformat the hard disk before you install the new os. Don't know about w2k, probably the same.
You have a Pentium3 600 MHz, about 8 years old ? the hard disk could be nearing its end date, a new smallish 200gb ide drive for €70 ? might be in order.

kdjaC is probably right, but make sure you disable all the eye candy in XP if the 600 is representative of the CPU.

adam

Thanks lads. Contacted Dell some time ago and was told the machine (nearly 7 years old now) wouldn't support XP (yes 600 Mhz Processor) and that the motherboard wouldn't take bigger than a 60GB slave (can't think why for the life of me).

Surely the good people at Dell couldn't have a vested interest in furnishing me such info now could they?:confused: ;)

Dell support will always take the easiest way out on questions like that. XP will run on it, it'll just be a bit cranky and it needs to have stuff switched off. But if I was you I'd stick with the original plan and install W2K, or even a Linux distro. Although quite why you're still trying to run on a 600Mhz PC when you can get a 3GHz PC for less than €500 these days is beyond me tbh.

adam

It will run xp pro just fine if you have at least 256mb ram.
It will be too sluggish with 128mb ram.
Do a clean install not an upgrade, format the disk.
I can't remember about installing drivers for modem, video card etc,if they were on the xp pro install disk or not.
If you have an nVidia compatible video card at least you can go to their website and download relevant driver.

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Originally Posted by dahamsta

Dell support will always take the easiest way out on questions like that. XP will run on it, it'll just be a bit cranky and it needs to have stuff switched off. But if I was you I'd stick with the original plan and install W2K, or even a Linux distro. Although quite why you're still trying to run on a 600Mhz PC when you can get a 3GHz PC for less than €500 these days is beyond me tbh.

adam

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That's down to a combination of sheer bloodimindedness and in truth an over-commital of expenditure to other areas. You'll understand when you've kids. :D

While it is networked, all I really need it for is recording and mixing audio so stuff like webcams and games are fluffy extras.

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Originally Posted by geysir

Do a clean install not an upgrade, format the disk.

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How do I do that then? (sorry I have actually done this before ...long, long time ago just). Is it start in DOS, C:\format or something similar?

Xp will run perfect on 32 or 64mb of ram./not gonna go into what you have to do but it will run fine.

From Dos browse the cd drive and go to folder i386 and then type winnt Xp setup will start in Dos.

a:/ type D:/ (whatever cd is )
d:/Cd i386
d:/winnt

Or just force the pc to boot from CD if possible with the motherboard
As for the modem dont even bother with it just network the thing.


kdjac

Using an old machine for mixing audio isn't a good idea. It's quite CPU and RAM intensice.

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Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

all I really need it for is recording and mixing audio

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Mixing audio is quite CPU and RAM intensive.

That much I know. I should've pointed out too that this thing is going into a toolshed so I'd be hopeful it won't meet the burglars needs:D

It runs Audition (and ran it's pre-versions Cool Edit Pro and CEP2) just fine. Little bit pernickity with Cubase at times but I know a lot of people have problems with audio tracks in Cubase -and in tastier machines than mine.

I'm rarely using more than a dozen tracks or thereabouts so it'll be fine for another year or two.

The monitor (17") is the size of a friggin Dyna btw.

Thanks for all the help on this folks. After some initial installation problems WK2 Pro is up and running on it. Now to find my old installation disks....