How to Upgrade to Windows 2000 From Windows ME

Windows 2000 can be installed as in "in place" upgrade, preserving your personal files and programs.

Microsoft terminated support for the Windows Millennium operating system in July 2006. If you are still running Windows Millennium, you are missing out on several years worth of security fixes and updates. If this is a concern for you, consider upgrading to Windows 2000. Windows 2000 is supported by Microsoft until July 2010, is compatible with more recent software, and runs well on older computers. Upgrade your Windows Millennium computer to Windows 2000 to gain access to these features without losing the data saved on your computer.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Insert the Windows 2000 CD into your computer after the Windows Millennium desktop is fully loaded. If the installation program does not launch automatically, double click the "My Computer" icon, then double click your CD or DVD drive icon. A message will be displayed explaining that the CD contains a newer version of Windows than the one installed on the computer.

2. Click "Yes" to perform an upgrade.The Windows 2000 setup wizard will appear.

3. Select the radio button labeled "Upgrade to Windows 2000 (Recommended)" and click "Next."

4. Read the license agreement for Windows 2000 carefully. If you agree to the terms of use for the operating system, select "I accept this agreement" and click "Next."

5. Click the "Click here" link to open a Web browser and read information posted on Microsoft's website about compatibility with Windows 2000. When you are finished reading the information, click "Next."

6. Select "No, I don't have any upgrade packs" and click "Next." You will be taken to a screen which will ask if you would like Windows to upgrade your hard drive to the NTFS file system. The NTFS file system is generally considered more reliable than the FAT32 system used by Windows Millennium. However, you should not perform the conversion unless all of the data on your hard drive is backed up. Rather than converting during the upgrade process, you may want to think about whether you would like to convert your hard drive to NTFS after the Windows 2000 upgrade is complete. Click "Next" after making your decision.

7. Examine the list of potential compatibility issues that the Windows 2000 setup program has detected on your computer. If the compatibility issues are software-related, you can likely download updated versions of any incompatible programs to get them to work with Windows 2000. Hardware incompatibilities may require further research before you can continue. Click "Next" when you are ready.

8. Continue clicking "Next" until you reach the screen titled "Copying Files." The Windows 2000 setup program will copy the files needed to install Windows 2000 to your computer. After this, the computer will restart and the full installation program will load. When this process is complete, the computer will reboot a final time and bring you to the Windows 2000 desktop. The computer is now ready to use.

Tips & Warnings

• If it is imperative that you are able to have continued access to all of your programs after upgrading to Windows 2000, check to make sure that those programs are compatible before performing the upgrade. Some very old programs may not run in Windows 2000.

References

• Microsoft Support Website: How to Install Windows 2000 Professional