I am currently trying to upgrade an old computer that is a pentium 2 to a pentium 3 or 4. I want to use this computer for internet browsing only. I run windows 98 on the system and was wondering if i upgrade my cpu, do i have to reinstall my OS? Also if anyone has done this before I would like to know if there are any problems things i should look out for while upgrading the computer. Thanks

"I am currently trying to upgrade an old computer that is a pentium 2 to a pentium 3 or 4" Do you realize that this will most likely mean swapping the motherboard? You *may* be able to just upgrade from a P2 to P3 using your current board...if that's the case, no changes to the OS will be necessary. But if you DO have to swap the board (a definite for a P4 upgrade), you *should* be able to keep your current installation of Windows intact, provided you take some steps in advance: http://www.windowsreinstall.com/ins... Regardless of which route you take, 64MB RAM isn't enough these days, so consider doubling it at the very least. 256MB would be better, 512MB would be better yet. In fact, a memory upgrade *may* be more worthwhile than a CPU upgrade. It depends on the speed of your P2. A P4 upgrade will require a new board, CPU & RAM at the bare minimum, but a power supply upgrade is a distinct possibility as well. "And that's the fishing line, because Sharkboy said so!"

In addition to the excellent post by jam I notice you have the OS listed as Win98. Is that Win98 original or win98se? If original you would be better off to just buy a newer computer from an OEM like Dell. You would have trouble with drivers and USB support for original Win98 is not good. The cost of the upgrades jam mentioned would exceed the cost of a new computer.

Thanks that information helps a lot, i think that i might just upgrade the memory to improve the performance. One other thing though...if i wanted to change the power supply and fan and upgrade it to a more quiet unit would i run into any problems? Thanks again

I am not sure if P2 systems were AT or ATX. That makes a big difference. Different PSU. Perhaps someone else with better knowledge of P2 systems can tell you.

PSU depends on how far you go with upgrades. If you change the Mherboard, you need to locate a PSU that meets the Power requirements of the New MOBO and any Hardware upgrades. Hard to know till you decide on the upgrades. If you retain the P2 board and just upgrade Ram and basic Hardware you'll need to find a PSU compatible with the Motherboard Form Factor, (AT or ATX} and enough Power to run your system with upgrades. I doubt your P2 Motherboard will accept more than 256mb RAM. A working P3 system, maybe even P4, can be picked up for less $$$ than the upgrades you have in mind. Plus a whole lot less brain work. If you can, get one from someone you know who's upgrading and has the complete package, with Software. Only real value with the P2 would be as a learning experience. Win98 First Edition may have problems with a P3 Motherboard, (hardware Drivers). Upgrade to Win98SE should solve most P3 Driver issues, with some exceptions. Anything missing should be available on the NET. Reinstalling the OS is optional if you are willing to spend the time to work out any bugs, Best advice with a new Motherboard would be a Clean install. Just one person's opinion. There is nothing to learn from someone who already agrees with you.

-Most P2 motherboards (I'd say around 90-95% of them) are ATX. If the board has a 20-pin power connector, it is ATX. If it has two 6-pin power connectors, it is an AT board. --Maximum memory depends on the chipset, the motherboard, and the CPU. Klamath P2s (233-300MHz) can only cache up to 512MB of RAM; Deschutes P2s can cache up to 4GB of RAM. A 440LX board will only take up to 512MB of RAM; a 440BX takes up to 1GB. BX boards with 2 DIMM slots will take up to 512MB of RAM (using two low-density 256MB modules); boards with 3 slots will take up to 768MB and boards with 4 slots will take up to 1GB. -If the motherboard is based around the i440BX (or any VIA 100MHz chipset), then you're only a BIOS update away from putting in a P3. -Avoid Katmai P3s; they're basically P2s with SSE tacked on. The Coppermine was the first real P3. They're much, MUCH faster than the Katmai P3s. You'll need a Slot 1 P3, or a Socket 370 P3 with a Slocket. You'll need to limit yourself to a P3 with a 100MHz bus. -To take advantage of the P3's SSE instructions, make sure that your Win 98FE installation has the latest version of DirectX installed (I believe SSE support started with DX7). Win98SE should have SSE support. -A P4 would require a power supply with a 4-pin ATX12v connector. P4s were crappy processors; if you decide to get a new board and CPU, a new Pentium E board/CPU package would be the best choice. Encoded: 24 Laserdiscs (480p AVC @ 2.0Mbps, Dolby 2.0 @ 224Kbps) 130 DVDs (480p AVC @ 2.5Mbps, DTS 5.1 @ 768Kbps) 47 Blu-Ray (1080p AVC @ 12.5Mbps, DTS 5.1 @ 1.5Mbps) 32 HD-DVD (same as BR