In a message dated 11/1/2005 2:24:30 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

I am  running WinXP (upgrade version) which I installed over Win98.  I would
like to reformat the disk and reinstall WinXP.  How do I do this without
installing Win98 first?

I have both original installation disks and  their serial numbers, and two CD
 drives.

Thanks.
David.



Hi,
  Do it just as you describe, format the disk, and reinstall XP. Early  in
the XP install, it will examine the hard drive and tell you it cannot find a
qualifying product (earlier version of windows) to upgrade. At this point,  you
insert your Win98 CD, and it reads some files from it to determine that it  is
legit (your earlier version of windows is on the Win98 CD instead of the hard
 drive). Then it will continue with the XP install, without having to
actually install 98.This way you get a nice clean XP install.
  For this reason, I prefer to buy upgrade editions of  windows. You can
install them as either an upgrade, or as a full version, doing  as I just
described.

HTH,
Peter  Hogan
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