95 motherboard to XP?

I bought my computer in 1996. It came with a 133mhz processor, 64MB RAM (EDO SIMMS), a 2.1GB HDD, and Windows 95 (with USB support). It is now upgraded to a 400mhz processor, 128MB RAM (EDO SIMMS), a 40GB HDD (divided into five 8GB partitions due to BIOS restrictions), and Windows 98SE (clean OEM install).

Can this computer upgrade to XP?? It is a Windows 98 but the motherboard was still built for a Win 95 computer. Would this cause an irreversible problem if I upgraded to XP Home??

Thank you,
Brian

 

Can this computer upgrade to XP ? yes you can but you will need more memory you need at least 256 megs of ram the best is 512megs.

So you will have to check your mobo to see if it support 256 or 512.

But just to tell you for me i think you are better to stick with windows 98SE...

Because of performance...

 

You may want to run the Upgrade Advisor which will check your system hardware to see if it will be ok for use with WindowsXP.

 

I've seen older upgraded systems like this absolutely puke on XP. Not only is the ram anemic, but there is no way that motherboard supports ACPI or APIC, so that could cause irritation too.

 

I'll bet it maxes out at 128MB of EDO RAM (4 sticks of 32MB). I've loaded XP on similar machines...if you turn off every non-essential service and choose "adjust for best performance" under 'system'-> 'advanced'-> 'performance settings', it'll get along...slooowly but surely. As soon as you load any type of antivirus, you can take the time to get a coffee everytime you boot.

The nice thing about XP is it doesn't rely on the BIOS for HDD information, so you'll be able to format the full 40GB as a single partition, of you so desire.

 

My computer memory is limited to 128MB RAM (4X42) like Wavetar said. So if i turn off all the eye candy, should i see similar performance, or would i be giving up a lot?

 

Imagine molasses.

Then slow it down by a factor of 5.

That will be your performance.

 

Even if you could install more memory, your hardware is too old to benefit from XP. Stick with 98SE.

 

Thanks guys. I guess after 10 years you just gotta know when to let go

I'll just wait it out until i can get my hands on a new Vista! In the meantime, I heard the PS3 is going to have a "Linux". Does anyone know if this is going to be a full Linux OS or is it modded for the PS3? Is it possible to run Windows programs (Word, etc.) or even Windows files off a network in Linux?

-Brian

 

Yep, Win98 will still run much quicker...especially if you keep to the 'stock' software that comes with it. As soon as you load things like "IE 6" and "Windows Media Player 9", performance takes a dive as the later programs are made for more modern machines, and thus take up a lot more of your older system's resources. Same thing goes for programs like Adobe, ICQ, etc. I like to 'match up' the hardware & software of the same era...makes things run much more smoothly. A good source for older program versions can be found here:

http://www.oldversion.com/

 

Well, that's why I thought I could upgrade. I have the latest Windows Media Player 9, IE6, Adobe 7, Microsoft Office 2003, and the latest AIM, and they all run fine even at the same time without stalling or severly slowing down my performance. So it just got me thinking on how far I could take this machine. I didn't really trust the upgrade adviser with its low system requirements so I asked around here. But now i feel I will keep this computer at the amazing performance it has right now in Win98SE.

Plus I guess the extra $100 on a 10 yr old computer would not be a smart investment. I'll just put it toward a PS3!