The answer is that you can install Vista over XP, sometimes.
This chart will help you decide what is best for you. Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista
If you reformat (clean install) you are not risking files (you WILL lose the files)
There is always an element of risk when doing an upgrade. So whether doing an upgrade or clean install it is always best to have a backup of your important files. Of course you should have this anyway. There are just too many ways to loose your data to risk going without a backup.
There is always an element of risk when doing an upgrade. So whether doing an upgrade or clean install it is always best to have a backup of your important files. Of course you should have this anyway. There are just too many ways to loose your data to risk going without a backup.
First, XP cannot be upgraded to Vista. It must be a clean install which will erase all of your data so you will want to back it up first. Second, you must ensure that you desktop can handle Vista and that there are Vista drivers for it. If you post more information about your desktop we can help you further with that determination.
compaq presario SR1500NX. you are right I could not upgrade I had to do a clean install. there was no personal data so backups were not needed. this pc was given to me, and Im just tinkering around with it. tried installing Lubuntu but for some reason it's not working. guess I have to go back to a restore point I saved.
That's because you don't have a powerful enough computer for Vista. You need at least 2 gb of ram to run it and you have at most 1 gb. Keep in mind though that after April of this year your system will no longer be receiving any updates from Microsoft.
