Has anyone ever removed a C drive completely, replaced it with a new freshly formatted drive, then installed a new operating system? I'd like to do that when upgrading from 98SE to XP Pro. Then I can use old drive as an external USB, remove needed data, eventually reformat and use it for backups, etc. Is there a reason this cannot or should not be done?

Absolutely no reason it should not be done. On the contrary, it is preferrable if you intend to install XP, to use the new drive from day one. Because XP requires product-activation, and if you change the boot drive at a later date you may find that you would have to activate a second time, and you are only allowed so many hardware changes with XP. What's more, XP will thank you for putting it on to a new, freshly-formatted disk rather than being added as an upgrade to an existing OS. A 'clean' install is always the best way to maximise stability and avoid conflicts. Just be aware of a few caveats:

1. XP cannot be installed from DOS. The XP CD is 'bootable' (which automatically starts the install console), but your system must be able to boot from a CD (check the BIOS to see if it's an option). Failing that, you can download a small utility from Microsoft which creates a set of boot floppies to install XP from the CD.

2. XP and 98 are radically different operating systems and, as such, they require different hardware device-drivers. Any devices you have (scanner, printer, modem etc) which don't have XP drivers, will not work with XP. However, don't assume your stuffed just because XP drivers aren't on the driver CD you got with your printer or whatever. Do what I did and visit the manufacturer's website before switching to XP,
and see if they have posted new XP-compatible drivers there. That's what I had to do
for my Epson scanner and printer which were bought just before XP came out.
3. Obviously make sure your system has enough processing power and RAM to run XP comfortably whilst leaving enough spare to run applications. If your RAM is less than 256MB, for instance, you will soon tire of the constant waiting for your PC to respond
as it will have to compensate by continually using virtual-memory which is many times slower than the real stuff.

Fantastic advice - thanks Pip22

Cannot adequately express my gratitude for your excellent advice, especially the idea of gathering XP drivers BEFORE switching to XP Professional. Pretty much decided me to make the switch this way. Assume a gig of memory will be enough, but would more, say 2 gigs be better? Best wishes, Stuhodes

Originally Posted by stuhodes

Assume a gig of memory will be enough, but would more, say 2 gigs be better? Best wishes, Stuhodes

That would depend on how much memory your motherboard supports. If it will support 2 gigs I say go for it if you have the spare money. It's been my experience that XP will happily use all of the memory you can throw at it.