Before you upgrade, you should shut down all running programs, especially anti-virus software, as their operation could interfere with the upgrade process. To do this, exit any programs present in the system tray (bottom right hand side of the screen on the task bar), as well as any programs you currently have running on the desktop.

Record network information

If your system is connected to a home or business network, you may need to make a note of its current network settings so that you can recreate them if necessary after the upgrade. To do this:

For Windows 98/ME computers, right click the 'network neighborhood' icon on the desktop. You will see a window with the title 'the following network components are installed.' The second entry in the list should be your network adaptor. It will be fairly self-evident, starting with a brand name (Dlink, 3COM, Realtek, SMC etc.) and generally containing the words 'Ethernet adaptor' or 'NIC' (Network Interface Card). It's possible that the network card might not actually end up as the second entry on the list, but look for the keywords mentioned above and you'll be fine. It will always be near the top of the list anyhow. If you have two network adaptors in one of your systems, you will have two adaptors present in this window.

Scroll down to the entry or entries (you should do this for each individual network adaptor installed in your computer) marked TCP/IP -> (yournetworkcardname) and select 'properties'.

Make a note of any specific IP address, subnet mask and default gateway settings. If the adaptor is set to 'receive an IP address automatically' you don't need to record anything further.

Turn off Power Management Settings

As the upgrade installation of Windows XP takes place partially within your old Windows environment, it is important to turn off any power saving features that may be set on your system. Otherwise, they may enable during the upgrade and cause the installation to abort.

To do this:
Go to 'start\settings\control panel' and select 'power management.' Set 'Turn off monitor' to 'Never.'
Set 'Turn off hard disks' to Never' and set 'System standby' to Never.'

Things to consider when upgrading

There are two important things to consider when making the decision to upgrade to Windows XP. First of all, device drivers (the software that allows Windows to use the hardware installed in your system) do not migrate from earlier versions of Windows to XP. This means that the drivers either need to be already supported by Windows XP (The XP CD contains drivers for a large variety of recent and older hardware) or you need to discover if XP drivers for your hardware devices are available from the manufacturer. Secondly, you need to make sure your major software programs are compatible with XP and will work after the upgrade.

Checking your hardware for compatibility is generally a straightforward process except in the case of discontinued unique products like laptop computers, or devices made by companies who have since gone out of business.