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With any of these operating systems, you have a choice: you can
upgrade to Windows 2000 Professional, or you can perform a
clean install of Windows 2000 Professional. (If you have a
different operating system - including Windows NT Server,
Windows NT Workstation versions earlier than 3.51, or Windows
3.1 - or if you're installing onto a new, blank hard disk, your only
choice is clean install.)
If you choose to upgrade, Setup replaces your existing Windows
files, but it preserves user settings, such as desktop appearance,
color schemes, network connections, and so on. More important, it
retains the programs you have installed and all their settings.
(Some programs that work in earlier versions of Windows do not
work with Windows 2000, however. The upgrade report described
earlier in this unit identifies many such programs.) Therefore, after
you complete the upgrade installation, you're ready to pick up right
where you left off before installing - with the added features of
Windows 2000.
In a clean installation, Setup installs Windows 2000 in a new
folder. All Windows preferences and options will be set to their
default settings, and you'll need to install the programs you use -
even if you had already installed them under an earlier version of
Windows. Although the programs' files might still be on your hard
disk, the shortcuts, registry entries, and shared components that
each program requires to run will not be. Be sure that you have
available the original installation media for all your applications
before you pursue this course.
Even on systems that meet the requirements for upgrading, a clean
install has a significant benefit: it doesn't retain the detritus that
accumulates on a computer over time as you install and uninstall
programs, surf the Web (acquiring assorted applets along the way),
and simply use the computer. Unused (or worse, maleficent) regis-
try entries, multiple DLL file versions, .ini files, temporary files,
and file fragmentation act like grains of sand in the gears of your
well-oiled machine. A clean install-particularly if you go all the
way and start by formatting the disk - can restore your computer's
inner workings like no ordinary oil additive can. (During a clean
install, you'll have the option of formatting the disk or leaving the
current information intact). If you're not afraid to get your fingers
dirty, performing a clean install can be worthwhile.