Upgrade Guide: Upgrade to Windows Me

Consider a Clean Install

If you've been using your computer for a while, your Windows folder is probably chock-full of unused files, partially uninstalled applications, and bad Registry entries. Upgrading to Windows Me won't solve those problems. In fact, it could make them worse.

Erasing all the files on your hard drive and installing Windows Me from scratch will let you start afresh. But this approach has a downside: You'll have to reinstall all your applications. And backing up all your data files before you start is even more important.

Before embarking on a clean install, check to see whether your PC can boot from the CD-ROM drive. Open your PC's setup program (in most cases you access this by holding down a particular key at start-up; check your manual if necessary), and look for a setting that instructs your PC to attempt to boot the CD-ROM drive before trying the other drives. If that option is available, you can set your PC up to boot from the Windows Me installation disk.

If your computer won't boot from your CD-ROM, use the Windows Startup floppy disk created by Windows 9x to boot your PC. It contains drivers needed to access your CD-ROM drive from DOS.

If you do a clean install, you'll need to use your original Windows 9x CD-ROM at one point in the process. Windows Me will ask you to insert it during setup to confirm that you're actually upgrading from a prior version of Windows.