How do I install WinXP Pro on a hard drive that only has files on it?

[rnmcd]

Here's my situation: I have a Win 98SE PC with a master and slave hard drive.

I want to load Win XP Pro on the slave drive (I plan to remove the current master HD, with Win 98SE on it, and plug the other drive into the master cable).

The present slave drive only has files on it (I will copy those files to the current master drive before I install XP Pro). If XP Pro works fine for me I'll make the current HD the slave drive (for files) in the future.

After I have the current slave drive moved over to be the new master drive how do I install XP Pro? Do I need to format, fdisk, or just install XP Pro over the files that exist on the drive?

The reason that I am not just installing XP Pro over Win 98SE is because I am afraid that if I screw something up I won't have any working OS. This way if I can't get the XP install to work properly on the "new" master drive I can always stick the former HD with Win98SE back into the master position.

How do I PROPERLY do a clean/full install of Win XP Pro on a Hard Drive with only files(that I have backed up elsewhere) on it...I want to do this without cutting corners. I want to do it right.

Thanks everyone.

 

[gentobu]

I guess (after you have backed up all the files on the current slave drive) you should remove the win98 drive (so you wont accidently format the wrong drive). After that just boot to the winxp cd and format the drive with fat32 or NTFS (I would use ntfs, but it is not compatible with win98) and start the install. The winxp cd has its own disk partitioning and formating utilities, so there is no need for fdisk and format. After your done, you can put the old drive back on as a slave.

edit: you should make CD-r backups of your most important files, so there is NO chance that you will lose anything important...

 

[Tash]

I would just install without reformatting.

 

[WebDude]

"I want to do it right."
I don't think there's only one "right" or "proper" way. It can be done, and done successfully, in different ways. Do you want to preserve the files that are on the hard drive? That limits your options, but it can still be done easily. However if you want the "simplest" way to do it, just remove the other (currently master) drive from the system, run the XP install program from the CD, reformat the drive (part of the install routine, no prior fdisk or format required), and install. Then add back the other drive as a slave. If you ever want to go back, just switch master and slave jumpers on the drives, or easier yet go into the bios and change the boot order from HD-0 to HD-1.

WebDude