MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-270): Installing ...

21-28 Chapter 21 Installing Windows XP Professional (1.0)
Objective 1.3
Upgrade from a Previous Version
of Windows to Windows XP
Professional
Often, Windows XP Professional is needed on systems that already have a version of
Windows installed. The best way to minimize the impact on the applications running
on that system is to perform an in-place upgrade to Windows XP. In-place upgrades
can be performed on systems that have Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT
Workstation 4.0 with Service Pack 6, or Windows 2000 Professional. Although this process
is much more complex than performing a clean installation, the Windows XP
setup procedures include many tools to make this process as painless as possible.
Systems running older Windows operating systems can also be upgraded, but not
directly. For example, Windows 95 cannot be upgraded to Windows XP Professional
simply by running Winnt32.exe; it must be upgraded to Windows 98 first. Similarly, a
computer with Windows NT 4.0 and Service Pack 5 or earlier installed must be
upgraded to Service Pack 6 before the Windows XP Professional setup routine can be
run successfully.
In addition to verifying that the system’s hardware resources meet the minimum
requirements of Microsoft, you also need to verify that all applications installed on the
system are compatible with Windows XP. To facilitate this process, Microsoft provides
the Windows Application Compatibility Toolkit, which is available online at http://
msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/list/appcomp.asp.
If you have ever replaced your personal desktop or laptop computer that you have
been using for months or years with a new one, you understand how challenging it can
be to copy all your data and user preferences over to the replacement system. Windows
XP Professional includes two methods for migrating users’ configuration settings
and data between systems. The Files And Settings Transfer Wizard (FSTW) is
intended for home users, small office users, and lightly managed users in an enterprise
environment. The User State Migration Tool (USMT) is a command-line tool created
for migrating large numbers of users in a corporate setting.