Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

[Guest Boris]

Now that XP will be phased out, I'd like to purchase an upgrade

version to have around. I think I'll use it to install on a newly

purchased Dell Vista laptop, because I don't care for Vista. I have

anOEM version of XP that came on a Dell machine that I no longer use,

but I know that I can't use it on a new laptop per the license.

 

I do have a retail version of Windows 95 that is no longer in use.

I've read different articles that say Win95 is not an upgrade path to

XP, and some articles have said that it is.

 

My question is, can I, using an XP Home SP2 Upgrade disc, do a clean,

full install, and insert my Win95 disk when I'm asked for

verification?

 

Thank you.

[Guest philo]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

 

"Boris" <boris-badenough@excite.com> wrote in message

news:836fd99f-21b9-404a-8370-efbb1039203a@v26g2000prm.googlegroups.com...

> Now that XP will be phased out, I'd like to purchase an upgrade

> version to have around. I think I'll use it to install on a newly

> purchased Dell Vista laptop, because I don't care for Vista. I have

> anOEM version of XP that came on a Dell machine that I no longer use,

> but I know that I can't use it on a new laptop per the license.

>

> I do have a retail version of Windows 95 that is no longer in use.

> I've read different articles that say Win95 is not an upgrade path to

> XP, and some articles have said that it is.

>

> My question is, can I, using an XP Home SP2 Upgrade disc, do a clean,

> full install, and insert my Win95 disk when I'm asked for

> verification?

>

> Thank you.

 

 

 

Though win95 is not considered to be a qualifying product

I've seen dozens of posts stating that the CD *will* work for an XP upgrade

[Guest PD43]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

Boris <boris-badenough@excite.com> wrote:

>Now that XP will be phased out, I'd like to purchase an upgrade

>version to have around. I think I'll use it to install on a newly

>purchased Dell Vista laptop, because I don't care for Vista.

 

You'd better be damned sure that Dell has XP drivers for the machine

you're going to buy or you might find yourself up sh*t creek without

a paddle. If you can buy a laptop with XP already installed, you'd be

much better off.

> I have

>anOEM version of XP that came on a Dell machine that I no longer use,

>but I know that I can't use it on a new laptop per the license.

>

>I do have a retail version of Windows 95 that is no longer in use.

>I've read different articles that say Win95 is not an upgrade path to

>XP, and some articles have said that it is.

>

>My question is, can I, using an XP Home SP2 Upgrade disc, do a clean,

>full install, and insert my Win95 disk when I'm asked for

>verification?

>

>Thank you.

[Guest Big_Al]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

PD43 wrote:

> Boris <boris-badenough@excite.com> wrote:

>

>> Now that XP will be phased out, I'd like to purchase an upgrade

>> version to have around. I think I'll use it to install on a newly

>> purchased Dell Vista laptop, because I don't care for Vista.

>

> You'd better be damned sure that Dell has XP drivers for the machine

> you're going to buy or you might find yourself up sh*t creek without

> a paddle. If you can buy a laptop with XP already installed, you'd be

> much better off.

>

 

He's right. If the laptop comes with Vista, the hardware may be totally

XP incompatible. Well, not so much the hardware itself, but the fact

that the manufacturers may not have written drivers for it is more the

issue.

>> I have

>> anOEM version of XP that came on a Dell machine that I no longer use,

>> but I know that I can't use it on a new laptop per the license.

>>

>> I do have a retail version of Windows 95 that is no longer in use.

>> I've read different articles that say Win95 is not an upgrade path to

>> XP, and some articles have said that it is.

>>

>> My question is, can I, using an XP Home SP2 Upgrade disc, do a clean,

>> full install, and insert my Win95 disk when I'm asked for

>> verification?

>>

>> Thank you.

[Guest R. McCarty]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

There is another issue with rolling back a "Native" Vista machine to

XP. That is future peripheral use. While it's still mostly possible to

take a new machine and get XP running. Users need to understand

that any new peripherals they buy over the life-cycle of the computer

will likely not ship with XP drivers. Doing a Roll back may meet the

current needs but somewhere down the road a driver or app may

need to be installed that is not XP compliant.

The terrain is changing. When Vista first appeared it was a lack of

drivers for Vista. Now the reverse is becoming true - Only Vista

drivers or support for running in Vista.

 

"Big_Al" <BigAl@MD.com> wrote in message news:B483k.888$8q2.546@trnddc02...

> PD43 wrote:

>> Boris <boris-badenough@excite.com> wrote:

>>

>>> Now that XP will be phased out, I'd like to purchase an upgrade

>>> version to have around. I think I'll use it to install on a newly

>>> purchased Dell Vista laptop, because I don't care for Vista.

>>

>> You'd better be damned sure that Dell has XP drivers for the machine

>> you're going to buy or you might find yourself up sh*t creek without

>> a paddle. If you can buy a laptop with XP already installed, you'd be

>> much better off.

>>

>

> He's right. If the laptop comes with Vista, the hardware may be totally

> XP incompatible. Well, not so much the hardware itself, but the fact that

> the manufacturers may not have written drivers for it is more the issue.

>

>>> I have

>>> anOEM version of XP that came on a Dell machine that I no longer use,

>>> but I know that I can't use it on a new laptop per the license.

>>>

>>> I do have a retail version of Windows 95 that is no longer in use.

>>> I've read different articles that say Win95 is not an upgrade path to

>>> XP, and some articles have said that it is.

>>>

>>> My question is, can I, using an XP Home SP2 Upgrade disc, do a clean,

>>> full install, and insert my Win95 disk when I'm asked for

>>> verification?

>>>

>>> Thank you.

[Guest Anteaus]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

In most cases they do supply drivers, but since you won't have LAN access on

the XP machine until you install the drivers, best to get them with the

existing machine before you start work. Also, before you flatten Vista, take

a look in Device Manager and jot down a list of the device types, particulary

display and disk interfaces. It's not been unknown for the website to have

wrong info, and being wise to this can save a lot of head-banging.

 

 

"PD43" wrote:

> You'd better be damned sure that Dell has XP drivers for the machine

> you're going to buy or you might find yourself up sh*t creek without

> a paddle. If you can buy a laptop with XP already installed, you'd be

> much better off.

[Guest norm]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

On Sun, 8 Jun 2008 22:29:38 -0700 (PDT), Boris

<boris-badenough@excite.com> wrote:

>Now that XP will be phased out, I'd like to purchase an upgrade

>version to have around. I think I'll use it to install on a newly

>purchased Dell Vista laptop, because I don't care for Vista. I have

>anOEM version of XP that came on a Dell machine that I no longer use,

>but I know that I can't use it on a new laptop per the license.

>

>I do have a retail version of Windows 95 that is no longer in use.

>I've read different articles that say Win95 is not an upgrade path to

>XP, and some articles have said that it is.

>

>My question is, can I, using an XP Home SP2 Upgrade disc, do a clean,

>full install, and insert my Win95 disk when I'm asked for

>verification?

>

>Thank you.

 

I have used W95b(2.1 OEM) as a verification CD when doing a fresh

install of xp with a retail XP upgrade CD. ( I also had XP drivers

that came with the motherboard)

Note: I understand the upgrade will not work if you are trying to

upgrade an existing W95 installation, a new XP install is needed.

 

Hope this helps.

[Guest David Webb]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

Whether you intend to replace the Vista installation on the laptop or setup a

dual boot configuration, there are some major issues you should be made aware

of. The deal breaker in either case is if you can obtain Windows XP drivers for

a system designed for Vista. See issue item 1 below.

 

Here's my standard pitch that I post to those wanting to dual boot:

 

There are some major issues to overcome in order to dual boot with Vista and

WinXP (with OEM Vista preinstalled).

 

They are:

1) Obtaining WinXP System drivers for your system.

2) Finding a Dual boot setup procedure.

3) Loss of System Restore points in Vista when WinXP is installed.

 

For item 1, you'll need to do some research to see if this desktop is a good

candidate for WinXP. Whether trying a dual boot configuration or a clean install

of WinXP, you'll need to have all drivers, which may include SATA drivers, if

required. In many cases of newer systems, the hardware devices were developed

for Vista only and there are no WinXP device drivers available. During the early

transition period, some systems were sold with WinXP installed and the mfg

offered an upgrade to Vista when it was released. This type will/should have

WinXP drivers available.

 

For item 2, see the procedure in the following link.

 

How to dual boot Vista and XP (with Vista installed first)

http://apcmag.com/5485/dualbooting_vista_and_xp

 

Note, you will need a Vista installation DVD or a recovery CD in order to repair

the Vista bootloader and then complete the dual boot section with the EasyBCD

utility.

 

For item 3, see this article for detailed info including some workarounds:

 

No restore points are available when you use Windows Vista or Windows Server

2008 in a dual-boot configuration together with an earlier Windows operating

system

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926185

 

Good luck!

 

"Boris" <boris-badenough@excite.com> wrote in message

news:836fd99f-21b9-404a-8370-efbb1039203a@v26g2000prm.googlegroups.com...

> Now that XP will be phased out, I'd like to purchase an upgrade

> version to have around. I think I'll use it to install on a newly

> purchased Dell Vista laptop, because I don't care for Vista. I have

> anOEM version of XP that came on a Dell machine that I no longer use,

> but I know that I can't use it on a new laptop per the license.

>

> I do have a retail version of Windows 95 that is no longer in use.

> I've read different articles that say Win95 is not an upgrade path to

> XP, and some articles have said that it is.

>

> My question is, can I, using an XP Home SP2 Upgrade disc, do a clean,

> full install, and insert my Win95 disk when I'm asked for

> verification?

>

> Thank you.

[Guest Big_Al]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

R. McCarty wrote:

> There is another issue with rolling back a "Native" Vista machine to

> XP. That is future peripheral use. While it's still mostly possible to

> take a new machine and get XP running. Users need to understand

> that any new peripherals they buy over the life-cycle of the computer

> will likely not ship with XP drivers. Doing a Roll back may meet the

> current needs but somewhere down the road a driver or app may

> need to be installed that is not XP compliant.

> The terrain is changing. When Vista first appeared it was a lack of

> drivers for Vista. Now the reverse is becoming true - Only Vista

> drivers or support for running in Vista.

>

> "Big_Al" <BigAl@MD.com> wrote in message news:B483k.888$8q2.546@trnddc02...

>> PD43 wrote:

>>> Boris <boris-badenough@excite.com> wrote:

>>>

>>>> Now that XP will be phased out, I'd like to purchase an upgrade

>>>> version to have around. I think I'll use it to install on a newly

>>>> purchased Dell Vista laptop, because I don't care for Vista.

>>> You'd better be damned sure that Dell has XP drivers for the machine

>>> you're going to buy or you might find yourself up sh*t creek without

>>> a paddle. If you can buy a laptop with XP already installed, you'd be

>>> much better off.

>>>

>> He's right. If the laptop comes with Vista, the hardware may be totally

>> XP incompatible. Well, not so much the hardware itself, but the fact that

>> the manufacturers may not have written drivers for it is more the issue.

>>

>>>> I have

>>>> anOEM version of XP that came on a Dell machine that I no longer use,

>>>> but I know that I can't use it on a new laptop per the license.

>>>>

>>>> I do have a retail version of Windows 95 that is no longer in use.

>>>> I've read different articles that say Win95 is not an upgrade path to

>>>> XP, and some articles have said that it is.

>>>>

>>>> My question is, can I, using an XP Home SP2 Upgrade disc, do a clean,

>>>> full install, and insert my Win95 disk when I'm asked for

>>>> verification?

>>>>

>>>> Thank you.

>

>

 

The OP stated he was going to get a laptop, and this kinda implies a

lack of customization, unlike a desktop. Do you still think this is an

issue? I only ask in that I too have a laptop running XP, but it was

designed for XP. Your comment seems to point at me too that any future

hardware might be an issue, and other than IDE drives becoming an issue

more and more today, I don't see any hardware I want in here. Course I

bought bluetooth,firewire,usb,G wireless, so what more can I get in

here. :-)

[Guest R. McCarty]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

XP support will be around for a while, because of it's huge installed base.

As far as I know, the only forthcoming technology "Leap" is USB 3.0.

 

I just mentioned the peripheral issue because I get calls frequently on

buying a new machine with Vista and reloading XP. I try to inform the

customer on what issues are involved with doing that. One big area is

notebooks for college use. Since XP's support will diminish over the 4

years of college use I try to discourage purchasers from rolling back a

Vista machine to XP if it is being purchased for college.

 

"Big_Al" <BigAl@MD.com> wrote in message news:DM83k.900$8q2.618@trnddc02...

> R. McCarty wrote:

>> There is another issue with rolling back a "Native" Vista machine to

>> XP. That is future peripheral use. While it's still mostly possible to

>> take a new machine and get XP running. Users need to understand

>> that any new peripherals they buy over the life-cycle of the computer

>> will likely not ship with XP drivers. Doing a Roll back may meet the

>> current needs but somewhere down the road a driver or app may

>> need to be installed that is not XP compliant.

>> The terrain is changing. When Vista first appeared it was a lack of

>> drivers for Vista. Now the reverse is becoming true - Only Vista

>> drivers or support for running in Vista.

>>

>> "Big_Al" <BigAl@MD.com> wrote in message

>> news:B483k.888$8q2.546@trnddc02...

>>> PD43 wrote:

>>>> Boris <boris-badenough@excite.com> wrote:

>>>>

>>>>> Now that XP will be phased out, I'd like to purchase an upgrade

>>>>> version to have around. I think I'll use it to install on a newly

>>>>> purchased Dell Vista laptop, because I don't care for Vista.

>>>> You'd better be damned sure that Dell has XP drivers for the machine

>>>> you're going to buy or you might find yourself up sh*t creek without

>>>> a paddle. If you can buy a laptop with XP already installed, you'd be

>>>> much better off.

>>>>

>>> He's right. If the laptop comes with Vista, the hardware may be totally

>>> XP incompatible. Well, not so much the hardware itself, but the fact

>>> that the manufacturers may not have written drivers for it is more the

>>> issue.

>>>

>>>>> I have

>>>>> anOEM version of XP that came on a Dell machine that I no longer use,

>>>>> but I know that I can't use it on a new laptop per the license.

>>>>>

>>>>> I do have a retail version of Windows 95 that is no longer in use.

>>>>> I've read different articles that say Win95 is not an upgrade path to

>>>>> XP, and some articles have said that it is.

>>>>>

>>>>> My question is, can I, using an XP Home SP2 Upgrade disc, do a clean,

>>>>> full install, and insert my Win95 disk when I'm asked for

>>>>> verification?

>>>>>

>>>>> Thank you.

>>

>>

>

> The OP stated he was going to get a laptop, and this kinda implies a lack

> of customization, unlike a desktop. Do you still think this is an issue?

> I only ask in that I too have a laptop running XP, but it was designed for

> XP. Your comment seems to point at me too that any future hardware might

> be an issue, and other than IDE drives becoming an issue more and more

> today, I don't see any hardware I want in here. Course I bought

> bluetooth,firewire,usb,G wireless, so what more can I get in here. :-)

>

[Guest Tim Slattery]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

Boris <boris-badenough@excite.com> wrote:

 

>I do have a retail version of Windows 95 that is no longer in use.

>I've read different articles that say Win95 is not an upgrade path to

>XP, and some articles have said that it is.

>My question is, can I, using an XP Home SP2 Upgrade disc, do a clean,

>full install, and insert my Win95 disk when I'm asked for

>verification?

 

You can't use a WinXP upgrade disk on a machine that's running Win95,

that won't work. But Win95 is a "qualifying product" for the upgrade,

and you can insert a Win95 disk when the WinXP install process asks

for a qualifying product.

 

--

Tim Slattery

MS MVP(Shell/User)

Slattery_T@bls.gov

http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

[Guest Detlev Dreyer]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

"Tim Slattery" <Slattery_T@bls.gov> wrote:

> You can't use a WinXP upgrade disk on a machine that's running Win95,

> that won't work. But Win95 is a "qualifying product" for the upgrade,

> and you can insert a Win95 disk when the WinXP install process asks

> for a qualifying product.

 

Did you try this out, Tim? In that case we should ask the MSKB content

manager to correct this article.

 

"Windows XP supported upgrade paths"

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/292607/en-us

 

--

d-d

[Guest PD43]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

Big_Al <BigAl@MD.com> wrote:

>PD43 wrote:

>> Boris <boris-badenough@excite.com> wrote:

>>

>>> Now that XP will be phased out, I'd like to purchase an upgrade

>>> version to have around. I think I'll use it to install on a newly

>>> purchased Dell Vista laptop, because I don't care for Vista.

>>

>> You'd better be damned sure that Dell has XP drivers for the machine

>> you're going to buy or you might find yourself up sh*t creek without

>> a paddle. If you can buy a laptop with XP already installed, you'd be

>> much better off.

>>

>

>He's right. If the laptop comes with Vista, the hardware may be totally

>XP incompatible. Well, not so much the hardware itself, but the fact

>that the manufacturers may not have written drivers for it is more the

>issue.

 

Umm... I think the definition of "incompatible hardware" would be any

hardware that has no drivers written for it <smirk>

>

>>> I have

>>> anOEM version of XP that came on a Dell machine that I no longer use,

>>> but I know that I can't use it on a new laptop per the license.

>>>

>>> I do have a retail version of Windows 95 that is no longer in use.

>>> I've read different articles that say Win95 is not an upgrade path to

>>> XP, and some articles have said that it is.

>>>

>>> My question is, can I, using an XP Home SP2 Upgrade disc, do a clean,

>>> full install, and insert my Win95 disk when I'm asked for

>>> verification?

>>>

>>> Thank you.

[Guest Tim Slattery]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

"Detlev Dreyer" <detdreyer@flashmail.com> wrote:

>"Tim Slattery" <Slattery_T@bls.gov> wrote:

>

>> You can't use a WinXP upgrade disk on a machine that's running Win95,

>> that won't work. But Win95 is a "qualifying product" for the upgrade,

>> and you can insert a Win95 disk when the WinXP install process asks

>> for a qualifying product.

>

>Did you try this out, Tim? In that case we should ask the MSKB content

>manager to correct this article.

>

>"Windows XP supported upgrade paths"

>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/292607/en-us

 

As I said, the XP Upgrade CD will not upgrade an existing Win95

system. If your machine is running Win95, you'll have to remove it

before installing XP (of course, if your machine is running Win95 it

probably doesn't have snazzy enough hardware to make XP worthwhile).

But AFAIK, a Win95 installation CD *does" work as a qualifying

product. I've found a page that quotes the "qualifying product" prompt

in the XP Upgrade install:

 

<quote>

"Please insert your Windows NT 3.51 Workstation, Windows NT 4.0

Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 95, Windows 98, or

Windows Millennium CD into your CD-ROM drive."

</quote>

http://www.duxcw.com/faq/win/xp/clean.htm

 

--

Tim Slattery

MS MVP(Shell/User)

Slattery_T@bls.gov

http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

[Guest John John (MVP)]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

Tim Slattery wrote:

> "Detlev Dreyer" <detdreyer@flashmail.com> wrote:

>

>

>>"Tim Slattery" <Slattery_T@bls.gov> wrote:

>>

>>

>>>You can't use a WinXP upgrade disk on a machine that's running Win95,

>>>that won't work. But Win95 is a "qualifying product" for the upgrade,

>>>and you can insert a Win95 disk when the WinXP install process asks

>>>for a qualifying product.

>>

>>Did you try this out, Tim? In that case we should ask the MSKB content

>>manager to correct this article.

>>

>>"Windows XP supported upgrade paths"

>>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/292607/en-us

>

>

> As I said, the XP Upgrade CD will not upgrade an existing Win95

> system. If your machine is running Win95, you'll have to remove it

> before installing XP (of course, if your machine is running Win95 it

> probably doesn't have snazzy enough hardware to make XP worthwhile).

> But AFAIK, a Win95 installation CD *does" work as a qualifying

> product. I've found a page that quotes the "qualifying product" prompt

> in the XP Upgrade install:

>

> <snip>

 

Gary Woodruff also confirms this here:

http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm

 

John

[Guest Boris]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

On Jun 9, 4:11 am, Anteaus <Ante...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> In most cases they do supply drivers, but since you won't have LAN access on

> the XP machine until you install the drivers, best to get them with the

> existing machine before you start work. Also, before you flatten Vista, take

> a look in Device Manager and jot down a list of the device types, particulary

> display and disk interfaces. It's not been unknown for the website to have

> wrong info, and being wise to this can save a lot of head-banging.

>

> "PD43" wrote:

> > You'd better be damned sure that Dell has XP drivers for the machine

> > you're going to buy or you might find yourself up sh*t creek without

> > a paddle. If you can buy a laptop with XP already installed, you'd be

> > much better off.

 

Hi,

 

The laptop is an Inspiron 1420, with Vista Home Premium, to be

delivered this week.

 

I just checked the Dell site, and they do have both XP and Vista

drivers available for download for the Vista laptop I have ordered.

 

I've had a Vista desktop since October 2007. I used it for about a

month, and then gravitated back to my XP machines. The 1420 was a

Dell outlet buy, at a good price, with Vista already installed. I

didn't have a choice of OSs.

 

I'm not one of these people that has strong feelings about Vista, pro

or con, I'm just more comfortable with XP. On the other hand, I don't

enjoy the chore of moving from Vista drivers to XP drivers, I may just

bite the bullet, and become proficient with Vista. I hear it's good

to challenge the brain. <g>

[Guest Detlev Dreyer]

Re: Upgrading to Windows XP Home from Win95

 

"John John (MVP)" <audetweld@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

> Gary Woodruff also confirms this here: http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm

 

Thanks guys. I've sent a change request to the MSKB content manager.

 

--

d-d