Upgrade vs. Clean Install
If your PC currently runs an older version of Windows, the next big question is whether or not you should upgrade it to Windows XP.
About the Upgrade Installation
You can upgrade to Windows XP from Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition (Me). (If you have Windows NT or Windows 2000, you can upgrade only to Windows XP Professional.) If your PC currently runs Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, you can’t upgrade to Windows XP at all—you have to perform a clean install , as described in the following pages.
Upgrading the operating system retains all of your existing configuration settings and data files. Your desktop colors, font choices, and wallpaper all remain the same, as do more important elements, including your Favorites list and the files in your My Documents folder.
Upgrading might seem like a convenient option because you don’t have to go back and redo all your preferred settings. Unfortunately, upgrading can bring along some unwelcome baggage, too. Outdated drivers, fragmented disk drives, and a clutter of unneeded Registry settings are just some of the things that Windows preserves when you upgrade. If all this artery-clogging gunk has already begun to slow down your computer, upgrading to Windows XP will only make things worse.
Furthermore, following an upgrade installation of Windows XP, you may find that some of your software doesn’t run as well as it used to, and various other system glitches may pop up from time to time. That’s not to say that your ...
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