Upgrading to Vista and i386 folder

Question

Hi..

So I got my Vostro 1000 with a 64bit AMD processor. At the time I tht it might be best to stick with the tested and tried XP (its better to be with the devil you know then the devil you don't know) so I ordered Dell to install XP. However I am one of those adventurous sort :D and it didnt take me long to start thinking of going Vista.. (my system supports it.. i have already dl and run the upgrade adviser from MS site) I have also bought Vista Ultimate edition :P :P cost a fortune so I'm hoping its worth it and asked also MS to send me 64 bit version. Which they did.

OK.. so before I continue... I do NOT need advice on booting side by side... not possible as its my PC and only I use it.. i do NOT need 2 OS so dont bother telling me to install side by side.. NOW.. I have already backed-up all my data and want to install Vista..

So the questions i have are..

a) is it better to upgrade XP to Vista or format the harddisk and clean install Vista?
b) can i format the harddisk on my Vostro1000? I mean does this affect Dell Diagnotics software?
c) if i upgrade.. can i del the i386 folder that came with win XP? What will be the result of me deleting this folder before installing Vista?
d) if for example it doesn't work out for me and i want to return to XP.. if i have deleted the i386 folder for example can i use the system restore that came with Dell and resets the system to factory settings?

Hope thats not too much to ask.. but i want to be 100% knowledgeable before i start the process.

GioAguilar · Answer

a) is it better to upgrade XP to Vista or format the harddisk and clean install Vista?

The Best is to install clean
b) can i format the harddisk on my Vostro1000? I mean does this affect Dell Diagnotics software?

You will format only partition C: not the diagnostic one, it should still working. And you also should have the Drivers and Utillities CD, diagnostics are there too.

c) if i upgrade.. can i del the i386 folder that came with win XP? What will be the result of me deleting this folder before installing Vista?

Yes, you can, no problems should come because of that. Vista will create its own system files so the i386 will be useless (not sure I didn't upgraded)
d) if for example it doesn't work out for me and i want to return to XP.. if i have deleted the i386 folder for example can i use the system restore that came with Dell and resets the system to factory settings?

"System Restore" is for Windows, "PC Restore" for Dell, you will need to fix the recovery partition, and make it work again, or you can install XP clean with the disc you must got from Dell

de111aptopuser · Answer

@GioAguilar wrote:

a) is it better to upgrade XP to Vista or format the harddisk and clean install Vista?

The Best is to install clean
b) can i format the harddisk on my Vostro1000? I mean does this affect Dell Diagnotics software?

You will format only partition C: not the diagnostic one, it should still working. And you also should have the Drivers and Utillities CD, diagnostics are there too.

c) if i upgrade.. can i del the i386 folder that came with win XP? What will be the result of me deleting this folder before installing Vista?

Yes, you can, no problems should come because of that. Vista will create its own system files so the i386 will be useless (not sure I didn't upgraded)
d) if for example it doesn't work out for me and i want to return to XP.. if i have deleted the i386 folder for example can i use the system restore that came with Dell and resets the system to factory settings?

"System Restore" is for Windows, "PC Restore" for Dell, you will need to fix the recovery partition, and make it work again, or you can install XP clean with the disc you must got from Dell

First of all thanks GioAguilar for a super quick response.

abt my question.. thanks for correcting me.. i meant "PC Restore" d).. let me rephrase

d) So if it doesn't work out for me and i want to return to XP and have deleted the i386 folder for example can i use the "PC restore" that came with Dell and reset the system to factory settings? Can you plz explain how i can fix the recovery partition? And i only plan to format C (if need be) so how can i damage the recovery partition?

GioAguilar · Answer

Here you'll find how to restore the PC Restore partition Check this thread for some additional information Honestly, I've never did that, but some people says it worked for them   The PCRestore partition doesn't damage, it is boot sector that changes after Vista is installed, that's why you need to fix the boot sector, not the PCRestore partition it self, sorry, i didn't explained properly.

de111aptopuser · Answer

Thanks again GioAguilar! So I will download this program in advance and install Vista later today :P Cheers

Windows General

Upgrading to Vista and i386 folder

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