|  | Upgrading to Windows XP Professional Lesson Overview
You can upgrade most Windows client operating systems directly to Windows XP Professional. If you upgrade instead of doing a new installation, you will not lose the existing settings and applications on the partition. When preparing for an upgrade, you should first complete the tasks listed on the pre-installation checklist that appears in the Planning Your Installation section of this module, and then prepare your system for the upgrade. Preparing for an upgrade consists of these additional tasks: Identifying the upgrade path Preparing your system When you upgrade, you can choose an Express Upgrade, or the Custom option. The Custom option enables you to select the partition on which Windows XP Professional will be installed, and to select special other non-standard options. In this lesson you will learn about the following topics: Identifying upgrade paths Preparing your system Choosing an installation type Upgrading computers running Windows 98 Upgrading computers running Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0 SP 5.0 Installing Windows XP Professional in a dual-boot configuration