Installing
Windows 7 On An XP System
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| If you haven't
already done so, read the "What Does
'Upgrade' Really Mean?" article before you
embark on installing Windows 7 on your XP
system. While the word 'upgrade' is still
used when moving from XP to Windows 7,
understand that the move is a clean install
and involves many more steps than what the
term 'upgrade' has implied in the past. This
isn't just me playing semantics. Read the
label below which is a photo of a label that
appears on every retail package of Windows 7
upgrade product. |
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| Now that's out
of the way we can go ahead and get to the
business of changing over an XP system to
Windows 7. Let's get going. I understand
full well that when the time comes to
install an operating system the stress level
rises and users fear they are going to turn
a perfectly usable system containing all
their data, photos, music and other
essentials into a brick or boat anchor.
That's a fear that's well founded. It has
happened millions of times before Windows 7
arrived and it will happen many more times
in the future. |
| There are a
series of steps that absolutely need to be
followed. I'll admit it, they are a pain in
the butt and draw out the process of moving
to Windows 7 far more than what we would
like, but in the end the chances of a
successful migration will be greatly
enhanced. |
| For the
purpose of this guide I'm going to use an
old HP Pavilion laptop that has Windows XP
Professional SP3 installed. Even though it's
a few years old, it's still a perfectly
serviceable machine that performs very well
in its current state. I imagine there are
literally millions of similar machines
currently in service that are being
considered for an upgrade to Windows 7. |
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Step One |
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| Not every
system is suitable to be upgraded to Windows
7. It's far better to find out first thing
if the system under consideration is
actually upgradable. Secondary to that
knowledge, even if the system is upgradable,
is it going to perform well enough afterward
to make the upgrade worthwhile. Microsoft
has provided the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
that will answer the first question.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to
answer the second question. |
| Go to the
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor page and
download the advisor. Save it anywhere [the
desktop is the easiest] and when the
download is complete run the installation
program. The Upgrade Advisor will install.
In addition to scanning the basic computer
system it's essential to plug in and turn on
any USB devices, scanners, printers,
external hard drives, cameras, or anything
else you use with the system so all the
devices can be evaluated. Once they are all
plugged in and powered on, launch the
Upgrade Advisor from the desktop shortcut or
from the Start Menu. |
| After the
Upgrade Advisor completes you'll be
presented with a report [Fig. 02] detailing
any issues found that need to be addressed.
Notice at the top of the report there is a
32 and 64 bit tab. Make sure you are looking
at the report that matches the version of
Windows 7 that will be installed. |
Fig. 02 |
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| A few comments
about items shown in the above report. |
- Right off the bat the first item
states a custom installation will be
required and mentions the necessity of
backing up all your files and
reinstalling programs after the
installation of Windows 7 has completed.
That's to be expected since there is no
direct upgrade path to move from XP to
Windows 7.
- In the 'Devices' section the RealTek
Ethernet NIC issue could be substantial
since it will impact internet access. By
all means, this is the type of issue you
want to get resolved before deciding to
proceed with the upgrade. The rest of
the devices have green check marks and
will just require updating once Win 7 is
installed.
- In the 'Programs' section there are
programs listed with known issues in Win
7. If anything shows up here you need to
investigate to find out if updates are
available for Win 7 compatibility or if
you can live without the program. Just
because a program is listed in this
section it doesn't necessarily mean it
won't function at all, but all the
features it contains may not be
available or functional.
- The last section refers to XP mode.
As it says, this is only offered as a
part of Professional and Ultimate
editions, but you can use the advisor to
find out if the machine supports XP
mode.
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| Obviously the
more devices attached and programs installed
on the system, the more extensive the report
that is generated. Some issues might be
enough to instantly kill any thoughts of
installing Windows 7. Other issues might be
mere annoyances that can be worked around or
overlooked. At any rate, run the Upgrade
Advisor as the first step in considering
installing Win 7 to get a better idea of the
obstacles you may be facing. |
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| Step Two -
Backup Files and Settings |
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| Assuming
things went well with the Upgrade Advisor in
step one and you've decided to proceed, the
next order of business is getting your data
files and settings backed up before the
Windows 7 installation. There are a lot of
ways to go about this process. I'll run
through a few of the options you have
available for migrating the data and
settings. |
- Microsoft has developed a program
called Windows Easy Transfer that can
help in migrating your files and
settings. Note that this is not the same
as the 'File and Settings Transfer
Wizard' that comes with XP. It is a
distinctly different program developed
to work with Windows 7. You need to
download it from Microsoft making
sure to select the appropriate 32 or 64
bit version.
- There are a number of programs
available that image a hard drive or
allow you to copy files to the medium of
your choice be it a network, internal
hard drive, CD, DVD, external hard
drive, or USM flash type drives or keys.
The critical point here is to make
absolutely sure you don't put the copied
files on the same partition that is
going to be used when you install
Windows 7. I've used and tested Acronis
Tru Image for this purpose and it
performed flawlessly. Norton Ghost is
another possibility, although I haven't
tested it in quite a few years.
- You can also copy all your files and
data without the aid of any outside
programs. The same destination options
[DVD, CD, external hard drive, etc] are
available whether you use a third party
program or not. Again, the critical
aspect to make sure you don't miss any
files and you test the copy to make sure
the files copied correctly.
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| I always get
asked which method I use or which one I
trust the most. Truth is, when working on my
own systems I always do a manual copy first
and then use Symantec Ghost as a safety net.
How successful you'll be with a manual copy
is really a function of how organized you
are in storing your files, and in my case I
know exactly where everything is stored
because I never use default locations. As
far as settings are concerned, I don't ever
bother saving those. When the applications
are reinstalled I just reset them manually.
The same applies for desktop, taskbar,
background, and other cosmetic settings.
Another advantage of backing up manually is
I always find a few items I'd kept
previously that are no longer of any use,
and this is the perfect time to send them
off to bit and byte heaven, never to clog up
a system again. |
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| Step Three -
Install Windows 7 |
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There is nothing difficult about
installing Windows 7. The process has been
simplified and streamlined to make it just
about as easy as is possible. Drop the Win 7
DVD in the drive and let the install screen
appear.
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Clicking 'Install Now' will set the
process in motion. |
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As
long as you're connected to the
internet, there is no downside to
getting the latest updates. |
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There is no way to proceed unless
you accept the license terms. |
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Select 'Custom' as the installation
method. Yes, you can click on the
'Upgrade' option, but in this
installation scenario it will do
nothing but display a screen
reminding you that there is no
direct upgrade path from XP to
Windows 7. |
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This
is where you select the
drive/partition where Win 7 will be
installed. Be careful and make sure
you select the location you planned
on using. In this example there are
two installed hard drives. The first
[Disk 0] contains two partitions,
either of which could be used to
install Win 7. The second drive
[Disk 1] is a single partition and
could also be used for the
installation. Most people would
choose Disk 0 Partition 1 (C:) where
the current XP operating system is
installed. That's fine. Windows 7
will install there without any
issues. |
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Because I selected Drive 0 Partition
1 (C:) in the previous screen
capture I now get this screen
warning me there might be a previous
operating system [XP] installed in
that location. If so, the files and
folders will be moved to a
Windows.old folder that can be
accessed after the installation
completes. There is also a warning
the old XP operating system will not
be accessible if you proceed with
the Win 7 installation. |
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From
this point on you just sit back and
wait for the Windows 7 installation
to complete. |
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| Step Four -
Transfer Files and Settings |
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| How you go
about getting the files and settings back
onto the new Windows 7 installation depends
on the method used to save them initially.
If you saved them manually it's a simple
process to bring them back in whatever order
and locations you choose. I explained how I
go about the process on the
Windows Easy Transfer page, but
basically it consists of creating a bare
image of the new operating system with
drivers installed, installing trusted
applications, another image, then adding
non-trusted applications and utilities
followed by a final image. |
| If you used
Windows Easy Transfer, visit the link in the
preceding paragraph and the complete
walkthrough for importing the files and
settings into Windows 7 is available. If you
used an imaging program like Acronis or
Norton Ghost then it's unlikely you need me
to tell you how to use the image and get the
system into working order. |
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| The Bottom
Line |
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| That's it for
moving a system from XP to Windows 7.
Truthfully, it's never the actual install of
the new operating system that eats up the
time. It's the backup and preparation that
takes forever. That applies whether or not
you're upgrading or doing a clean
installation. |
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