Upgrade from W2K to XP Pro clean

[Toonah]

I have an older machine with W2K Pro and SP4. My expert adivsors at office say if I build a new box I can install
XP Pro upgrade on the new box with no other OS on it. They said it might ask for an earlier Windows CD to check the serial number, but not every time. Can I do this??

 

[bcastner]

As with earlier versions of the Windows operating system, an Upgrade installation requires that you have a previous version to serve as a “qualifying product.” However, this time around you will not be able to use the Upgrade from Windows 95. Windows XP requires Windows 98 or newer to qualify.

NOTE: By design, Win95 should not work as a qualifying product. However, there is a bug in the Setup program on Windows XP CDs (both Home Edition and Professional). Apparently, Microsoft will not be fixing this bug. As a result, though you will not be able to perform an upgrade installation from a Win95 install, the following operating system CDs will suffice as “Qualifying Media” for a clean install:

Windows NT Workstation, Versions 3.51 & 4.0
Windows 2000 Professional
Windows 95
Windows 98 (Original & Second Edition)
Windows Millennium Edition

Also, the old question remains of whether an OEM CD or “Restore Disk” supplied by your computer manufacturer will “qualify.” The answer is that not all will work for this purpose, mostly because the Windows CAB files are not in evidence. Check with your computer manufacturer to confirm that your copy qualifies, or buy your Upgrade copy directly from them. Presently, the only company that I have confirmed all their OEM CD’s will “qualify” is Dell. I talked to a Dell Representative during the XP Launch in New York City on the trade show floor who confirmed this and stated that they understood the importance of keeping it that way.

So what do you do if your OEM CD or Restore disk does not work as qualifying media? One neat new feature of XP allows one to get around this problem. First, start the XP clean install from within an existing qualified install rather then from the XP CD or from a DOS prompt. When you see the screen that ask what type of install to do, change “Upgrade (Recommended)” to “New install.” You can then select the existing partition, format it, and do a Clean Install, never having to insert your qualifying product CD.

As in the past, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) copies, which can be purchased with a qualifying piece of hardware, cannot be used to Upgrade. They will allow only a clean install, and all support is the responsibility of the seller. Microsoft will provide no support for OEM copies of Windows.

faq779-4004

The bulk of the above, I am quoting from Jim Eshelemen's notes.














A new XP Upgrade license, rather than the "Full" retail license will ask during a clean install for "qualifying media."

Your Win2k CD will qualify.

 

[Toonah]

Mr. Castner,
Thanks for reply. My W2K Pro cd is real thing. If I build new box and put in XP Pro upgrade cd, (new in box) will it always ask to check the W2K cd for verification? Some seem to think it won't ask every time one trys this. OR....will I have to have a most basic W2K O/S installed on new machine with no Service Packs or no extra drivers before I utilize the XP upgrade? Thanks for clearing me up on this.
Joe