Appendix A: Installing or Upgrading to Windows XP
What Are Your Installation Options? You can install Windows in one of the following ways:
- From scratch Install Windows on a blank, formatted hard disk or on a blank partition of a hard disk.
- Upgrade Install Windows XP over Windows Me, 98, NT 4.0 Workstation, or 2000, replacing your previously installed operating system. You can't install Windows XP Home Edition as an upgrade to Windows NT or Windows 2000; for that upgrade, you need Windows XP Professional. When you upgrade, you can decide whether to install Windows XP over your existing Windows version, leaving the program and data files intact, or delete everything and start with a clean partition or disk.
- Dual-boot Create a dual-boot installation with Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, or NT, or with Linux, Unix, or another operating system. A dual-boot installation allows you to choose to start your computer in either Windows XP or your previously installed operating system.
Each of these methods is described in detail later in this appendix.
