Windows Tips

Avoiding Compatibility Problems
Many programs originally written for Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me won’t run properly under Windows XP. Likewise, some hardware devices use drivers that aren’t compatible with Windows XP. The worst possible time to find out about either type of compatibility problem is right after you complete the setup process, when you try to use a favorite program or device.

To spare yourself unnecessary headaches
run the Windows XP Upgrade Advisor before installing Windows XP on a system on which a previous version of Windows is already installed. You can start this abbreviated version of Setup directly from the menu that appears when you insert the Windows XP CD—choose Check System Compatibility, and then click Check My System Automatically. If the CD’s opening menu doesn’t appear, type d:\i386\winnt32 -checkupgradeonly (replacing d with the correct drive letter, of course) at any command prompt.

When you start the Windows Setup program on a system running Windows 98 or Windows Me, it asks you to enter the product ID, checks for dynamic updates, and then runs a slightly different version of the Upgrade Advisor, giving you the option to check hardware only or to check all installed programs as well. The full option produces the same report you’d see if you had run this utility on its own. If you discover a serious incompatibility, you can (and should) cancel Setup; if the Upgrade Report lists only minor problems, you can continue with confidence.