upgrading a laptop to windows xp

[apac]

Alright my mom has an 800mhz Compaq laptop that's been running craptacular windows ME for some time. I've offered to upgrade the computer to windows XP using an extra copy that came with a friends computer, but there are a few issues I'd like to clear up first.

I plan to do a clean install, but I don't have the recovery CD any more, so I don't have any original drivers for any of the laptops hardware. Having never owned one myself, is there any specific software it needs? More specifically, it has a swappable drive bay between a dvd rom/cd-rw drive and a 3.5" floppy. Does this require any additional software to work correctly in windows XP? Right now it's using a program called BaySwap.

Oh and does the touchpad need drivers too?

 

[RickH]

Better check the laptop makers web site to see if drivers for XP are out there. Our IT department spent days trying to get a Compaq that came with ME to work with XP. They ended up putting ME back on it. R

 

[apac]

Think windows 2000 drivers would be compatable with XP?

 

[Ionizer86]

2k drivers are usually compatible and tend to work well. Of course, always use XP drivers if they exist.

 

[apac]

nonexistant :/. I think compaq stopped making them when they merged with HP.

 

[corkyg]

Don't do a clean install unless you have to. I upgraded a 750 MHz laptop from ME to XP Pro and it went perfectly. All the right drivers, etc. Clean install has some benefits for technies, but it's a lot of work unless it is necessary.

 

[johnjkr1]

XP usually has all of the drivers, for the most part....dont worry about the swapable drives..i've done this on tons of laptops (usually dells) and they just come up as normal cd's and floppies...some processors need speedstep to be installed, starting around the 650 pentiums...so yours just might need that...also, i always say go with the clean install...but that's just me..

 

[OJ]

I did a clean install on my Presario 2347 (AMD 400Mhz) with minimal problems, I used Win2K drivers from different sources on the net.

And yes, Compaq will most likely not have much for your laptop.

What is you model?