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Hi
im planning on upgrading from windows 98 to windows me. i have some pretty old devices, do you think my devices/drivers and software would still work after upgrading?
p.s. i already checked the microsoft site for the drivers that are compatible with me, and some of my drivers aren't listed.
The change from any older Windows OS to ME is not an upgrade, it is a downgrade.
If the drivers are not listed, then DO NOT install ME. Upgrade to WinXP instead.
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Everything should work, as ME is based on 98. I personally do not think of ME as an upgrade. I had ME that came installed on a new Dell Computer(did not realize what it was at the time). My experience of an upgrade was uninstalling ME and going back to 98se. All the best!
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I STRONGLY agree with the above, though I'd specify Win98SE for the time being. Windows 2000 might also be an option, though you'd likely run into more incompatabilities.
Upgrading to Windows XP will be inevitable, but I'm waiting for "Windows XP SE!" myself.
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What Sterling neglected to pass on to you in his haste to denigrate ME, is that if you have older devices you are going to be in one big heap of trouble trying to upgrade to XP !! Either go to ME (which I have on my laptop, and like) or stick with 98SE.
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98SE is fine ME blows and 2000 is probally your best choice on a system that is npt hot off the press. ME is 98 without half of the tools. XP "can" be an issue, but now you can update drivers via websites and use compatibility mode off of properties on your software.
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Also, 2000/XP offer something I like to call STABILITY...meaning none of that blue screen crap..lol.
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Curious, Matt -- just which "half" of the tools are missing in ME? I only ask just in case I am using some of those that are supposed to be missing... (I haven't missed any...)
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To my understanding, sfc was "replaced" with system restore a HUGE resource hog. There are others, but I have had a number of people complain to me about it being another verison of 98, with a down turn.
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I have to go, however I have been told time and time again that 2000 is simply the way to go being it is a NT file set up.
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I agree with all of what is said above that is against the unholy monstrosity that microsoft call Millennium.
All I have to say is: do NOT install it, you WILL regret it. Windows XP is your best shot. It will install alongside win98 enabling you to revert back if you experience problems.
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why do you want to upgrade? Are there any other features that you wish to be available to you. I personally would not upgrade to windows xp, drivers can be a headache to get working, many older games do not work with it. I would keep win98, possibly upgrade to SE.
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Having purchased a PC just before [month] me released.. Current HP built for 98se...
I found several problems finding drivers that were me compatible. The modem soundcard combo had to be replaced with a real sound card and i chose an external USR modem.
My point is.. dont expect everything to work. I spent $150.00 in hardware + $50.00 in software to upgrade to winme. I had to chuck norton 2000 for norton 2001. I purchased 2000 a week before me released and already lost it. Luckily my complaints at symantec got me a free copy of 2001 :).
Anyone who would tell a person with older hardware to skip windows me and jump to XP is crazy. Better remind them to chuck the P2 and get a P4 while they are at it. If Drivers were not written for me what makes you think XP has em?
I know people who have XP installed on ancient boxes.. especially laptops and while XP is stable its still slow and i cant imagine trying to install any software. Mostly there just net appliances now.. But it is possible.
My Advice :
1.What are your specs ?
2.Whats your skill level? My brother is new to the world of computers and hes so slow he doesnt notice how much slower XP is to a 9x OS. XP is perfect for newbies.
3.Whats the PC for ? Internet only? I have to admit i love to surf with XP because of some of the toys in it. Besides.. browser windows arent enough to slow it down. Usually.
4.With XP on the market and your hardware getting old... ME being 2 years old.. Why not keep what you have till your ready for a new PC ?
Your best bet would be to upgrade your hardware as you upgrade your Operating System and know that some if not all of your software needs to be replaced during the upgrade process.
This sux and that sux comments doesnt help much. Ive succesfully installed windows 98 thru xp pro on the same PC and all of them work properly. The key is realizing that hardware and software must be upgraded along with the operating system.An example norton 2000.. it said august on the box and i got it in august... caused conflict with windows me a week later. This is when i realized nothing concerning computers makes any sense :).
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Bill Gates owes everyone who purchased ME a refund. Better yet maybe he can give us some of his stock options.
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I use just about all of them.
As SMUOD stated it depends on what the PC is going to be used for.
My personal preference for my Home PC is Win98SE.
As RAC, I have WinME on my Laptop.
I cannot justify paying out the cash to upgrade from Win98 to WinME on my home PC however, if I were building a new PC I would use WinME.Our Server at work has Win2000 Server installed. Sure don't need that on my home PC.
Alot of people want WinXP on the computers I have built lately. I always check to make sure the hardware I install and the software in which they want installed is compatable.
Here is a link to check hardware compatability.Here is also one that will check your bios, CPU, Memory, Disk Space and Software applications.
WinXP READINESS TEST
Determine what the computer is going to be used for and install the operating system that will be best suited for your needs.
All of the operating systems can be tweaked to run well.
Here is a link for WinME users with some good How To's.
Keep your PC cleaned up, and defragmented.
Go to the forum for your operating system and learned some of the tips/tricks to keep your operating system running stable and at it's best performance level.
Good Day!
Mesich
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I upgraded from 98SE to XP with no problems on my old Celeron chip (haha!) which was equivalent to about a PII. of course I have since upgraded to an AMD chip AthlonThunderbird in fact. don't ever tell anyone to get a P4 - they're a waste of money. Get XP and a stick of RAM and you're fine.
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I agree with SMUOD and mesich it depends what a person intends to do with the OS. I have yet to load XP, and have home version and Pro version. I am in no hurry as I want to see the hardware and software compatability problems go real low before I jump on board even though I am now ready for it with hardware upgrades. I cannot be critical of ME as I never loaded that one either, but as it is not readily available at a retail store for purchase I would have a tendenacy to shy away from it. The bottom line is not one of the OS releases was not without some major problems, just the nature of the Bill Gates let the public test it process.
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For those bragging that they are running XP on PCs with an ancient cpu, no one ever said that that was a big deal ! And it isn't, so don't feel so smug. Try running your XP, though, with ancient peripherals, many many of which are not supported (NO XP drivers to be had.) To put XP on my main desktop I'd have to give up my old faithful laser printer and scanner, plus do some software upgrades, all of which I figure would cost me more than several hundred dollars (plus the cost of XP). I'll do it some day, but it's not a priority. (I do have XP running on another machine just so I can understand what it's all about.)
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