Upgrading & Fixing Laptops DUMmIES

Starting fresh on an old drive ...........................................................

You begin the Fresh Start upgrade with the old drive still in place:

1. Make a backup of all data and important settings.

You can copy this information over an Ethernet to a hard drive on

another machine, copy it to a CD-R, or (if you have no choice) use a

stack of floppy drives to offload the information.

If your machine is connected to a network and at least one of the

machines is running Windows XP Home or Professional, you can use

a utility that is part of the operating system. The Files and Settings

Transfer Wizard collects, just like it seems to promise, files and settings

from applications on one machine and stores them in a file that can be

retrieved and used by a newly installed version of Windows XP.

2. Gather your original copies of applications — word processors,
   spreadsheets, graphics, audio programs, and utilities — and decide on
   a reinstallation sequence.
   Be sure to check that each is compatible with Windows XP. In some
   cases, the programs have to be updated with fresh patches from the
   manufacturer’s web site once installed; in other cases a program that
   worked perfectly well under Windows 95 or 98 may not do its tricks with
   the latest operating system.


3. Disconnect the AC power adapter and remove the battery from the
   laptop.


4. Remove the old drive from the laptop and take it out of its holding
   case. Set it aside on a soft and nonconductive surface.

Chapter 17: Installing a New Operating System or Migrating Upwards 259

Belts plus suspenders

If you are installing a new hard drive to replace
the factory original, you may want to create a
Utility partition on the drive before adding the
operating system and basic applications. In
doing so you replicate the protective measures
taken by the manufacturer that permits you to
easily revert to the default setup for the
machine. In most cases you can accomplish
this by using the original system formatting and

operating system installation disk supplied with

the machine at the time of purchase. It should

work with any new compatible drive, even if it

is from another hard drive maker or is of a much

larger size than the original. You will likely have

to activate your installation of the operating

system using the Product ID code (found on the

installation disk or a sticker attached to the

notebook itself).