Upgrading Windows XP Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Upgrading Windows XP - Term Paper ExamplePreparing Your PC for an Upgrade origin each(prenominal)y you start upgrading your PC, you need to know and record the existing challengingware and software configuration of your PC and then perform the following tasks 1. Know your climb way Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000 Professional and Windows NT 4 Workstation are the operating systems that can be upgraded to Windows XP Professional directly. 2. Know the hardware requirements A Pentium processor with 233 MHz is call for or three hundred MHz or higher processor speed is recommended. Minimum 64 MB RAM or higher is recommended. Minimum hard disk required is 1.5 GB or higher. An SVGA monitor is candid enough or you can stir a higher resolution monitor as well. (Donald & Chellis, 2005, p. 96). Windows XP is very demanding. Hence, in the beginning an upgrade, the aforementioned hardware requirements should be met to facilitate the installation process plus to prevent any post instal lation hardware failures due to incompatibility. More dilate regarding the hardware requirements are discussed as follows a. Processor In todays computers, a 2 to 3 GHz processor speed would be efficient to run Windows XP. On checking your current processor configuration and if it is not at least 233 MHz, you would need to buy a new processor and install it as an upgrade. b.Random access retentivity Once you have upgraded your PCs processor, you are required to upgrade the RAM as well. RAM is the volatile memory that allows your computer to execute current programs and processes. Increasing the RAM size of your computer, makes the computer run faster and better. For Windows XP, you need to have at least 64 MB of RAM. This is a minimum amount of money. Ideal would be to have a 128 MB of RAM. Today computers come with a 256 MB RAM so this is perfect amount to run the Windows XP on your system. c. Hard disk position During and after installation, the Windows XP requires some hard disk space for storage. Hard disk is the non-volatile memory in your computer. It is sufficient of storing data and information permanently. It saves the operating system in it also. In order to upgrade your PC, you need to be sure that you have 650 MB free hard disk space to allow Windows XP to store its files. If you do not have enough free hard disk space, you need to make free space by deleting files, application programs and the like which you no longer need in your PC. d. Other requirements You need an SVGA or higher resolution monitor, CD-ROM or videodisk ROM drive, a keyboard, and a mouse. You can also upgrade your internet connectivity speed and upgrade to a faster internet connection. You need to have good sound card, video card and speakers. If you have chosen to connect to a LAN, you would need a network adapter card upgrade. Furthermore, you can also get a tuner card to be able to watch television on your computer. These are options that can be considered after the i nstallation but wistful over these before installation is a better option. (Simmons, 2005, p. 379-381). Whenever you are upgrading your operating system, you need to be sure of your data which you do not intend to loose. If the upgrade takes place in a smooth manner, then your entire data is still safely residing on your hard disk memory. However problems may formulate during upgrade which can cause your data to get lost. Therefore, in order to be safe and careful, make a back up copy of all the important data residing in the hard disk of your computer. Using the back-up