What to expect during an XP migration

By Jeffrey Schwartz, TechRepublic, 5 April, 2002 13:39

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Not worth the effort for some Some users, however, do give up on an XP migration after hitting hurdles--especially when they can't get XP to work on a network. Some have actually chosen to uninstall the new OS and revert back to the previous system. That's exactly the path Steve Begley, president of media presentation and training firm Begley Consulting, took after attempting to migrate to XP. "I gave up. I threw it out, reformatted the disk, and put in Windows 2000," says Begley, who tried upgrading a PC on a small network of five Windows 98-based PCs. Begley also attempted to upgrade an HP Pavilion running Windows Millennium Edition, which he says was working fine on the network prior to the upgrade. He notes that before installing the software, he ran the compatibility test to make sure his system and network could support Windows XP. However, once he installed Windows XP, the PC could no longer see the other computer--despite picking names recommended by Microsoft. Begley insists the other PCs were all logged in to the network correctly. "I couldn't get on. I couldn't use Internet Connection Sharing; then I went around with the disk and put the client side of Internet Connection Sharing on the other computers, and then it screwed them up as well," he laments. He tried replacing hardware, as well as working with Microsoft's technical support staff to try different registry settings--all to no avail. "I was really frustrated because I had done all the things that they had already suggested," he says. Other tech professionals report varying levels of success when attempting to connect to networks via XP. While many situations involved connecting peer-to-peer networks with multiple systems, even those trying to connect to file and database servers report big hurdles. One IT consultant says he had to map individual drives, folders, and specific files, and then bridge all the connections. Even then, the system behaved sporadically, the IT consultant reports. Remote access an XP plus Yet not every XP experience is a nightmare tale. Some XP converts are embracing the new OS features. Remote access had always been "kluge" for Nova Scotia-based DDA Computer Consultants Ltd., but thanks to XP's Remote Desktop, principal Patrick d'Entremont can now access his office system from home--and essentially from anywhere else--if he has the XP setup CD on hand. To make a remote connection from home via XP, all d'Entremont needed, in addition to the XP OS, was a secure static IP address. When d'Entremont isn't at home, he can access his workstation from any other PC hooked to the Internet--even if it's running an older version of Windows. All he has to do is put the XP setup CD into the non-XP machine, and instead of installing the OS, choose to create a remote desktop. In just about two minutes, he can then access his own PC via the Internet. "I just take over my computer remotely, so I find that really works well," d'Entremont says. Where XP meets .NET Those considering the XP migration should be forewarned that some situations may require upgrades to Microsoft's new .NET server platform, due out later this year. For example, if a company is using Windows 2000 server to apply group policies, there are components of XP that are not managed by Windows 2000 Active Directory Group policy objects, IDC analyst Gillen points out. "For example, if you wanted to manage the personal firewalls included in XP, you can't do it from Windows 2000 server," Gillen explains, as the latter doesn't support that function. Likewise, if you wanted to block someone from running real-time video conferencing on demand, you can't manage that from Windows 2000, either, he adds. As a result, "there's no group policy object you can check off that says 'prevent instant messaging' or 'prevent someone from running a video conference,'" Gillen says. "The reason that's important is an IT manager might want to prevent people from gobbling up corporate bandwidth." That complication is less likely to surface, Gillen says, for companies that are not in a Windows 2000 Server and Active Directory environment. "It's easier because you don't have to deal with these group policy issues at all," Gillen said. Jeffrey Schwartz is a longtime technology editor and writer who specializes in Microsoft coverage and technologies.

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hi,
i am looking to upgrade a network of over 1000 pc workstations from windows 95/98 to XP Professional.could you advice me on possible hardware and applications software i may need and procedures to follow to conduct the migration. you as Professionals, Would you please advise me on possible timescales to conduct this migration. Any advise offered would be highly appreciated.
Thank you.
Your website is highly informative

via Facebook 8 February, 2005 23:26

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