After using win 98 since.....well 98

[catmandu57]

I'm about to go to xp, do I leave 98 loaded until the xp is loaded or can I delete it before instalation and not lose any files or software I have loaded in my computer?

[Cassandra]

1. No idea since my old computer wouldn't support XP but...

XP is quite a bit more fun. The search function is way better, as is the display. When I open up My Documents I see the picture files as pictures rather than having to click and waiting for them to load along the side. The included games are better, too. ;-)

[trotsky]

2. Upgrading can be problematic.

I've had some that go clean as a whistle, others... well, not so much.

The BEST way to do it involves some technical expertise. You buy a new hard drive (which you should get anyway, if you've been using the same drive for more than a few years), and then either:

1) Install XP onto the new drive, put your old drive in the computer as a "slave" or secondary drive, then copy your files off of it, and reinstall all your software from the original media. (A "fresh install.")

2) Duplicate your old drive onto the new drive using a disk cloning product like Symantec Ghost, then attempt an upgrade to XP on the new drive - keeping the old drive safe. If it all goes to pot, you can still go back to the old drive and try method #1 instead.