I recommend a clean install of all
operating systems to a newly formatted hard drive. Although, upgrading
is possible in accordance with the following information, a clean install is
always best. Unplug ALL USB devices except for USB keyboard and/or mouse
before installing or upgrading any operating system.
UPDATE THE BIOS
Many existing systems require a
BIOS update to properly run Windows XP
The Bios must be updated before Windows XP is
installed.
Install the OS
Upgrading to Windows XP
should be done
in accordance with the following Microsoft Knowledge Base criteria:
Please Note:
Unplug ALL USB devices except for USB keyboard and/or mouse before upgrading
to Windows XP. If your system has existing
USB problems, simply upgrading to WinXP
will NOT repair them.
Clean Install
A clean install of a new Windows operating
is always the preferred method of upgrading. To completely avoid some of
the user reported USB problems associated with updating Win9X systems to
WinXP, I recommend a clean install.
When clean installing or upgrading your operating system,
always unplug all USB devices except
for USB keyboard and/or mouse. Follow the
Clean
Install Guide here to ease the pain of a clean installation and safely
backup your valued personal data and settings.
Like all new operating systems
Windows XP has it's own unique set of quirks and problems.
I have received quite a few USB / Windows XP problem
reports.
As
issues are resolved with this new Operating System, I will post solutions, tips,
tricks, and information here.
USB 2.0
The more USB devices installed the slower the
boot up. Windows
XP slow boot up issues have been experienced here
in our lab and reported by our readers. Although, all systems are
susceptible, VIA based motherboards appear to be more vulnerable.
Installing Windows
XP to a drive that is formatted FAT 32 has proven
to be the best way to reduce boot up time.
The
following information from
Microsoft describes issues and solutions for achieving fast system start
up and a tool to trace your boot up process.
