Silicon Valley StRUT (Students Recycling Used Technology)

Ugrading Or Installing Windows XP Pro

Your existing computer is running Windows 98SE, Windows 2000 w SP4,  or  Windows XP Home w SP2.  You would like to upgrade your current operating system to Windows XP Pro w SP2 by purchasing Windows XP Pro Upgrade version because you think it will cost less money ,keep all installed software applications intact, and keep all your data files intact.  It is very logical and reasonsable assumption to make and more than likely it true but there are negative consequences.  The negative consequences can sometimes out weigh the positives. 

The negative consequences could be anything you did not expect to happen: system runs very sluggish, system is now freezing all the time, strange message appear on the screen in the middle of your work, etc.  

In the worst case scenario, your system may not boot up after the last time you shut it down.   At this point you start to panick because all your important data files, music files, and video files are trapped inside the hard drive and you can not extract them.  Now you think they are lost for good.  You said you should have backed up the files but it is too late to turn back time.  Don't fet, the good news is that as long as the hard drive is still spinning, the data files are still extractable. 

You have several straight forward options to extract the data files:  One , you need to find a NON-Windows data recovery software that boot from a CDROM drive to recover all your important data files. Or two, attach the corrupted hard drive as secondary drive on another known good system.  You can now copy or move all your data files to a USB flash drive or burn them onto a CD or DVD disc. 

The best scenario is to perform a new FULL Windows installation NOT an UPGRADE installation to avoid any pitfalls you may encounter along the way.  If the installation is for Windows XP Pro, your system needs at least 512 MB of memory (1GB is preferred minimum) and at least 20 GB hard drive. 

Upgrading to Windows Vista?

If the installation is for Windows Vista, your system needs at least 1GB of memory (2 GB is preferred minimum) and at least a 80 GB hard drive.  It is highly recommended that you have at least a dual core processor system. 

Added Pre-Caution

Before doing any Windows upgrade or full installation, be sure to back up all your important data files using a backup software or copy the data files onto an USB flash drive or an external USB hard drive if available.