Question about updating Windows

[gangster]

My mother has a computer with windows 98 and my stepfather just bought a brand new computer today and it came with a windows xp disc so I would like to know if I could update my mother computer with the windows xp disc that came with my stepfather computer. So I just wont to know is it safe for me to use the windows xp disc on my mother computer or will it mess up the computer. Thanks

 

[G35x]

Well, if you use it, it will wipe the whole computer clean, whenever you want to install a new os, you have to "reformat" meaning clean the whole drive, and then install..It might work, it might now, but it should...Because well, xp keys only can be activated once, but Im not sure, it could be 2..

 

[Omar Shamali]

okay...you must format the hard disk...then you can install windows XP or you can install win XP without make format...thats mean your computer will have two windows the first windows 98 and windows XP.

anyqustion i am ready to help you

good luck

 

[~mr mixx~]

My mother has a computer with windows 98 and my stepfather just bought a brand new computer today and it came with a windows xp disc so I would like to know if I could update my mother computer with the windows xp disc that came with my stepfather computer. So I just wont to know is it safe for me to use the windows xp disc on my mother computer or will it mess up the computer. Thanks

you can have two different operating systems on your computer. to do this just use the cd to install the OS, but make sure you make a new partition to do so. once windows installs the OS, windos xp will be the default OS now, and will load up first when you boot up your computer. but if you want the other windows 98 to boot up, just do this:

as soon as your computer logo disappears, just keep hitting the ESC key on the keyboard to bring up your operating systems. it should look like this.
Windows xp home
Windows 98

When your on that menu screen, just use the arrows to highlight the OS you want to load up and hit enter. i have on one of my old pc's two sets of windows xp home.

 

[setishock]

If dad's system is a prebuilt like a Dell or an HP the xp disc is most likely out of a set of disc's. If this is the case then XP has been altered to work with just that model of machine. Check this before you blow off mom's operating system or try to create a dual boot set up. You could run in to some major league problems.
And to my knowledge, it's still one disc, one key code, one machine.

 

[lhuser]

If dad's system is a prebuilt like a Dell or an HP the xp disc is most likely out of a set of disc's. If this is the case then XP has been altered to work with just that model of machine. Check this before you blow off mom's operating system or try to create a dual boot set up. You could run in to some major league problems.

Well, usually, Dell CDs works with standard PCs. The only modification they insert is just some few more files in the $OEM$ directory.

And to my knowledge, it's still one disc, one key code, one machine.

True. You could always use the phone to activate Windows although.

The only way you can activate it more than one time is that your dad has bougt a 3-user licence.