Aqua-Soft ForumsI'm using Windows 98 (i know shut up <_< ), so if I install Windows XP, I don't lose any files, right? Sry I'm stupid hahaha.
Question About Installing Windows Xp
why shut up? 98 (se?) isn't a bad os. 
now winme, that's a different matter. 
anyway, if you do an upgrade, you won't lose your files, but you will retain old system files, etc. and your computer will run smoother if you do a clean install of xp.
make sure you do select upgrade, or else you will lose your files.
of course, you could back up your data, do a clean install of xp, and then just transfer your data back onto a clean system. 
ya, you wont loose anything unless you do a re-format...
btw, I like your avatar!!!
:rule: American Hi-Fi!!
Ohhh yea I forgot I had a CD burner. I'll just back up my files, i dunno why I didn't think of that before. I told you I was stupid hahaha.
Yea my friend has WinME and omg I freakin hate that damn thing. I keep tellin him to use my Win98SE CD and install it but he won't do it. But yea it does run fine and it works ok, it's just I can't make it look like OSX!
Edit: Haha thanks, I saw it on a keychain at Spencer's and I just had to make it my avatar. American Hi-Fi is awesome!!
Now you wouldn't want your friend to pirate your copy of Windows, would you? Because that would be wrong. 
Yeah, do a fresh install of XP, it will run much smoother.
Remember though, you cant back up programs, you're gonna have to reinstall those.
yup, but do a backup of the installation files. also, some programs, like miranda or trillian, don't need to be installed again, so you can burn the program folders too.
good luck and welcome to the world of win to mac modding.
Make sure you back up everything first... your mail folders, bookmarks, kazaa downloads etc are usually found in strange places.
@contra...
We always pay money to software companies in order to "upgrade". Shouldn't we get money back if we "downgrade"? 
Actually, one boring day, I read the whole Windows EULA.
Anyway, if you buy an "upgrade" version, then techinically, all you're buying is the NEW pieces of code (even though they give you the whole OS), so you still legally need the older copy.
In fact, if you have Windows95, then upgrade to 98, then to XP, you still legally can't get rid of (sell,give, nothing) any of those older versions, because they are pieces of code that you "need".
Other interesting tidbits: You can't connect a Windows98, ME, or XP HOME machine to a network w/ more than 5 computers. You also legally cant run any sort of server on them.
Other tidbit: You shouldnt use Windows in a nuclear power plant (its in the EULA). Sun does this too, stupid.
Ive got more ridiculous things from the EULA too.
Well, how much smoother will it run if I do a clean install? Will it be that much of a significant difference to even worry about? Sorry I'm just really eager to install this thing and backing up everything is gonna take a long ass time. haha
wow, contra, you were really bored! interesting tidbits, though.
i upgraded to xp once, and things were ok, but it was a little slower than when i did a clean installation. you'll want to do a clean install. it could save you from headaches down the road.
do you have partitions? a secondary hard drive? you could put the data there, then reformat and install xp, and then move the data back.