The Ultimate Warp Speed Upgrade: Installing Windows XP
Published: August 20, 2001
By Barb Bowman, Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columnist
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My cousin Dick is a retired industrial engineer who could probably tell you more than you ever wanted to know about nuclear reactors, but he's always characterized computers as close relatives of HAL 9000 who need to be threatened with a hammer before they'll behave even a little. As the family geek, I've been on call to render emergency aid whenever Dick's current version of HAL runs amuck or refuses to behave in a manner that Dick thinks is appropriate.
Last summer, before the release of Windows XP, I suggested that it was a great time for Dick to buy a new computer and install the Windows XP Preview Edition (RC1. I told him that he could upgrade easily to Windows XP Professional when it released.
However, my cousin was convinced this upgrade would take several days and cause great pain and aggravation. The last time he bought a new computer, he had to haul both the old and new computer to a local computer shop and pay a professional to transfer files and programs from the old system to the new one. The professional never did get everything transferred.
Dick thought I was certifiably nuts when I said that we'd turn his old computer into an e-mail and Internet workstation for his wife, and network them together so they could both be online using his dial-up Internet connection at the same time. He really didn't believe me when I said it might take all of two to three hours this time around. But I had a mission and convinced him that my plan was worth trying. He cancelled his plans to install a second phone line and run new wiring.
System Compatibility Testing
This was as easy as inserting the Windows XP Professional CD into the new Dell Dimension computer, which came with Windows 2000 pre–installed, and selecting the last option to check system compatibility.
From the two choices presented, Check my system automatically and Visit the compatibility Web site, he selected the automatic option.
The new system passed with flying colors, but if issues had been found, each would have been listed and a Details button would provide further information on hardware and/or software issues.
From the Old Computer
Dick next inserted the same Windows XP Pro CD into the old computer and selected Perform additional tasks from the first screen, and then selected Transfer files and settings, which launched the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
Dick accepted the default information to transfer because the predefined list was extremely inclusive. (Note that there also is an advanced option so you can customize the files and settings that are prepared for transfer.) Because he had not yet installed network cards and did not yet have his home network running, he selected an existing folder on the old computer and clicked OK.
Networking Hardware Setup
While the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard was running on the old computer, Dick popped open the tool–free case on his new Dell computer and installed a 10/100 network card in an open PCI slot.
After installing the network card in the new computer, he snapped the case around it, and hooked up the monitor, mouse, and keyboard. He turned the computer on and let Windows 2000 detect and install the new network card. In the meantime, the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard had completed its job on the old computer and Dick removed the CD and inserted it into his new computer.
Upgrade Heaven
Dick quickly started the upgrade by selecting Install Windows XP from the CD menu, acknowledging the license agreement, entering his CD product key, and letting the process begin. From this point on, it was strictly a hands–off process as Windows XP sped through the upgrade. There was little to do except tidy up the workspace, install a USB Ethernet adapter on the old computer, plug in a hub, and connect Ethernet cables from each computer to the hub. (With only two computers, he could have used a crossover cable to connect the two machines instead of a hub, but because I planned to plug my laptop in as well, a hub was the best choice.) Thirty–nine minutes later, he saw the Windows XP desktop for the first time. He was amazed!
Instant Networking
Windows XP automatically sets the workgroup name MSHOME in a non-domain environment. Running the Network Setup Wizard creates a disk that can be used in other computers, such as Dick's old computer, to set up the workgroup name and other networking properties. Without a DHCP server supplying IP addresses, autoconfigure set both computers to the same subnet and private IP range. After sharing the folder on the old computer where he'd previously saved the output from the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, he easily copied that folder over the network to the new computer.
Almost Nothing to It
On the new computer, Dick ran the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard and specified that he'd already collected files and settings. (To run the wizard: Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.) After twenty minutes, he was ready to use Windows XP for the first time.
Table 1 The upgrade plan summary
1 | Run the compatability wizard on the new computer, which came preinstalled with Windows 2000 | 06 min |
2 | Run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard from the Windows XP Professional CD on the old computer and save the information to a folder on the old computer | 20 min |
3 | Install an internal network card in the new computer | 15 min |
4 | Upgrade Windows 2000 to Windows XP Professional Install a USB to Ethernet adapter on the old computer (Windows 98) | 40 min |
5 | Copy the information saved by the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard over the new network to the new computer | 02 min |
6 | Run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard on the new computer | 20 min |
| Total Upgrade time | 103 min |
Can I Check My E–Mail Now?
Dick was super excited and wanted to get right into Outlook Express so that he could tell friends and other family members about his new computer and Windows XP. He easily found the Connect To menu and clicked to display the login window for his dial–up Internet connection. He entered his password, and was relieved (and I think somewhat surprised) that "everything just worked."
Dick has named his new Windows XP computer "George" because it's a nice, gentle, friendly name, which just about sums up how he feels about Windows XP. Gentle, friendly, and easy to use.
Coming Soon
In my next column, I'll finish the great upgrade story and explain how easy it was to share the dial–up Internet connection, how much fun Dick has had with the new imaging features of Windows XP, and how it's finally easy to get those pictures from the digital camera into an e–mail message. Dick loves the new Windows Media Player, Windows Messenger video and audio, and he really likes how System Restore protects him. And what about HAL's hammer? It's back on the workbench in the garage for good!
Barb Bowman enjoys sharing her own experiences and insights into today's leading edge technologies. She is a product development manager for AT&T Broadband Internet Services, but her views here are strictly personal.
