Hardware Tips: Is Your Old PC Ready for a Windows XP Upgrade?

Match your system's specs to XP's requirements before you upgrade; check your PC's internal temperature; get better sound from your notebook.

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When it comes to PCs, procrastination isn't always a bad thing. Wait a while and you'll likely pay less for new technology and experience fewer problems. However, if you've been putting off your upgrade to Windows XP, you've waited long enough: The price has gone down (a little), and the biggest bugs have been squashed.

Of course, it isn't like you didn't have a reason to postpone the upgrade: Windows XP has its share of security and performance problems, although XP's Service Pack 1 addressed the most serious of these when it was released over a year ago. (Unfortunately, some people report a performance problem because of SP1; for more on this, read "A Big Microsoft Mess--Patches Gone Bad," Stuart J. Johnston's August 2003 Bugs and Fixes column.)

Microsoft claims that XP's Service Pack 2--due by mid-2004--will address many other bugs and security holes, but if you're already using Windows XP, you don't have to wait. Visit windowsupdate.microsoft.com to download the latest bug fixes, or click here to learn all about the patches scheduled for inclusion in Service Pack 2.

For all you folks still using Windows 2000, Me, 98, and even 95, it's time to consider updating to XP. (One big exception: A version of Windows 2000 updated with all available service packs and patches has many of the most important security and file-management features of Windows XP, though it leaves out XP's candy-coated interface.)

The easiest way to upgrade to XP is also the most expensive (of course): Buy a new PC with Windows XP preinstalled. On the other hand, what with the holiday season's assault on your bank account, it may make more sense to upgrade your current PC's OS. Before you go the XP route, however, make sure that your old PC has the hardware to handle it.

Find Out What XP Needs

Microsoft's department of Eternal Optimism reports that the minimum system requirements for running Windows XP are 1.5GB of free disk space, 64MB of RAM, and an Intel or AMD CPU running at 233 MHz or faster. Yeah, right.

Though XP will run on a PC using a Pentium II-233 CPU, you'll have plenty of time to practice your deep breathing exercises between each mouse click. If your inner peace depends more on jolts of caffeine than on the soothing waves of a mantra, you'll need at least a 600-MHz Pentium III CPU or its equivalent. Anything less will feel sluggish running XP.

PC Pitstop's Windows XP Readiness Test evaluates your PC's CPU, memory, BIOS, hard drive, and graphics card (see FIGURE 1

FIGURE 1: Can your PC make the upgrade? PC Pitstop's Windows XP Readiness Test will tell you.

).

If your CPU fails the readiness test, adding more RAM will probably earn your PC a passing grade faster and less expensively than a CPU upgrade would. But if your CPU falls far short, you'll have to upgrade your CPU and/or motherboard, which is time-consuming and expensive. Before you embark on this course, however, you should carefully weigh the effort and expense against the cost of a new PC that ships with XP.

If your CPU is strong enough, but your other hardware components flunk, upgrading them can be worthwhile.

BIOS: Check your system's BIOS to make sure it's suitable for XP. The BIOS in PCs that are more than three years old may not support XP's power-management functions. The Windows XP Readiness Test will tell you whether your BIOS is recent enough, but it's a good idea to check with your system or motherboard manufacturer to confirm compatibility.

If your BIOS isn't up to the task of running XP, look for a BIOS upgrade on the manufacturer's Web site. Also check Wim's BIOS for more information on all things BIOS.

Hard drive: You can free up disk space on your hard drive by moving your data and applications to a second hard drive. A drive that stores 40GB or more costs less than $80. On the other hand, for just a bit more money, offload extra data to a rewritable DVD drive. Remember to back up all your data files before you upgrade.

Memory: Adding more RAM is usually the most cost-effective upgrade you can make to improve Windows XP's performance. Forget running Windows XP on 64MB of RAM, though; 128MB is the bare minimum. And if you run your e-mail, browser, PIM, and other programs at the same time, you'll need at least 256MB of RAM. Power users will find getting 512MB (or more) of RAM worth the investment.

Can Hardware Get Along?

Another headache for Windows XP upgraders is hardware compatibility; Some of your existing devices and components won't work with Windows XP, while others will operate only if you can find and properly install a new driver.

Check the XP compatibility of your PC and peripherals before you spend any time or money on an OS upgrade. Start with your printers, scanners, and other expensive peripherals. If the manufacturer's Web site has Windows XP drivers available for download, you're set. If not, search the Web for alternative drivers. Two excellent sites to check are Drivers Headquarters and WinDrivers.

For example, Canon has no Windows XP drivers for its BJC 5000 printer. But a quick search on Google reveals a number of fixes that relate to Windows 2000 drivers, and even a petition to Canon from stranded owners.

Microsoft maintains a Windows XP Hardware Compatibility List, as well as a guide to identifying XP-compatible hardware and software. Go to the Microsoft Knowledge Base search page and enter the article numbers 314062 and 295322 in the search field.

Next, give your PC a compatibility exam with Microsoft's Windows XP Upgrade Advisor. This program examines your PC's currently installed hardware and software and reports possible conflicts and compatibility problems (see FIGURE 2

FIGURE 2: The first word on the XP compatibility of your PC's hardware is Microsoft's Windows XP Upgrade Advisor.

).

At 50MB, this program takes a chunk of time to download, even if you're using a broadband connection. Alternatively, you can find the XP Upgrade Advisor on the Windows XP CD; simply insert the disc, wait for the autostart menu, and select Check system compatibility.

Even if your system receives a clean bill of health at the conclusion of all these tests, you may still encounter problems when upgrading from Windows 98 or, to a lesser extent, Windows 2000. Interestingly, many of these problems disappear when the installation is performed on the same PC with a clean hard drive--that is, with a drive that has no operating system installed on it. (The Windows XP upgrade disc will ask you to insert a CD holding a previous version of Windows when it fails to find any OS on the blank hard disk.)

Of course, performing a so-called clean installation of Windows XP takes a lot of extra time. You have to reinstall your software, and reorganize and reconfigure your data. Even so, it can be well worth the effort for the fresh start it offers.

Listen Outside the Box

I'd like to watch DVDs and listen to music on my laptop when I'm out of the office. But the sound quality is really bad, even when I use headphones. I've tried adjusting every software setting I can find, to no avail. Is there some clever way to improve my notebook's sound quality?

Harry Towle, Newark, New Jersey

If by "clever" you mean inexpensive, then no, there's no cheap, easy fix. Many laptops come with mediocre sound hardware, and even notebooks with good sound-processing chips are subject to interference and noise caused by the densely packed circuitry found in laptops.

Your best bet is to bypass your laptop's internal sound hardware altogether by using an external sound card such as Creative's $60 Sound Blaster MP3+. This USB device gives your laptop a 10-band equalizer and Smart Volume Management, which automatically corrects for the varying volume levels of MP3 files, among other Sound Blaster functions.

The best sound card in the world isn't going to make a poor pair of laptop speakers sound any better. For an extra $30, you can get Sound Blaster Go, which bundles a Sound Blaster MP3+ card with a decent pair of noise-canceling headphones. (The headphones cost $59 on their own.)

If you want to be free of headphones, Creative's TravelSound MP3 is a convenient, one-piece set of speakers that's easy to pack and sounds substantially better than most laptop speakers (see FIGURE 3

FIGURE 3: Share your MP3 music with Creative's TravelSound MP3 speakers.

). Go to Creative's Web site for more on the Sound Blaster MP3+.

Tools to Beat PC Heat

Excessive heat is your PC's greatest enemy; it slows PC performance and accelerates chip and circuit deterioration. Installing a thermal alarm such as the $8 PC Power & Cooling 110 Alert can help your system avoid overheating. Browse to PC Power & Cooling for a description of the product. But to pinpoint the hot spots inside your PC, get the $99 Raytek MiniTemp MT-4. Just aim its laser beam at any surface--apple, pet, beer can, motherboard--and read the temperature.