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Installing Windows 7
- Upgrade Install
Current Operating System: Windows XP Home or
Professional
New Operating System: Windows 7 [Any Version] |
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| I'm going to make this
quick and easy. Look at the title of this page. It
says an 'Upgrade Install' of Windows 7 when the
current operating system is Windows XP. Read it
again, just so you're clear on what it says. Now
--- read the big red text in the next line. |
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| You Cannot
Perform An Upgrade Install Directly From Windows XP
To Windows 7 |
| Over and over again I
have tried to make this clear. You cannot perform an
upgrade install directly from Windows XP to Windows
7. Yes, it was possible to upgrade directly from
Windows XP to Windows Vista. Yes, it is possible to
upgrade directly from Windows Vista to Windows 7,
but you simply cannot upgrade directly from Windows
XP to Windows 7. There are a ton of reasons why this
direct upgrade path from Windows XP to Windows 7 has
been eliminated, all of which make for boring
reading, but the fact remains that Microsoft chose
to eliminate the direct upgrade from XP to 7 as a
viable option and that's the end of the story. |
| I understand why a lot
of users are upset the direct upgrade path from XP
to Win 7 was eliminated, but honestly I'm not the
least bit sorry to see it given the boot. Upgrade
installs are at their best, chancy and of
questionable value. The chance of an upgrade install
leaving you with a junk laden and underperforming
system is high. The convenience of an upgrade
install versus a clean install just simply isn't
worth the effort. Sure, the clean install is a lot
more work and I'm not naive enough to think that one
of Microsoft's reasons for eliminating the option
wasn't to cut down on the support calls from
consumers with failed upgrade installations, but
doing so will ultimately make for many stable and
well performing Windows 7 installations. |
| A couple of
misconceptions have arisen since the implementation
of this policy that need to be addressed. I've seen
it reported in articles and forums that because the
direct upgrade path from XP to Win 7 has been
eliminated that you will need a full version Windows
7 product. That is simply untrue. I imagine this
misinformation came about because of the use of the
word 'upgrade' and what it has come to mean. You can
certainly 'upgrade' a system running XP to Windows
7; you just can't do it directly. Upgrade media (as
opposed to full version media) is certainly
acceptable. The second misconception is all your
files and settings will be lost forever if you move
from XP to Win 7. This is also untrue. |
Figure 1 |
| As a matter of fact,
the label shown in Figure 1 appears on every upgrade
version of Windows 7 sold. As it says, you'll need
to back up your files and settings, perform a clean
install of Windows 7 (using the 'upgrade' media) and
then reinstall your existing files, settings, and
programs. That one label debunks both of these
misconceptions and makes it clear what steps are to
be taken. |
| How you go about
backing up your existing files, settings, and
programs is up to you. Microsoft has provided a
number of ways for this process to unfold with their
recommended procedure being to use Windows Easy
Transfer. I've put together a walkthrough on
how to use Windows Easy Transfer you may want to
read and see if it suits your situation. Of course
there are many other ways to back up your data so
that it can be restored after the Windows 7
installation has completed. |
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- Important Information -
The Elder Geek sites contain many articles and suggestions for
modifying the Windows operating system. I've tried these
tweaks and tips on many systems. Sometimes they work,
sometimes not. The point is, ensure you have a current,
tested backup of all system and data files and understand
how to restore the system in case something goes very wrong.
You can still yell at me, but I assume no responsibility for
your actions and use of the information and disclaim any
legal responsibility for any consequences of such actions. |
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