Upgrading to Windows7

I have been asked a few times recently about upgrading to Windows7.

I will try to address a  few queries about this.

Unfortunately you can only upgrade to Windows7 from Vista, and it then has to be like for like with respect to the version. By that I mean from Vista Home Basic to Windows7 Home Basic. However, there is no problem if you wanted to upgrade to a better version of Windows7 but you would have to pay for it. If you bought a Vista pc recently then you were probably given the chance for a free upgrade to Windows7. I haven’t done this as we never had a Vista pc build, we kept our XP and waited for Windows7. That system will be built around August this year and you will be able to read and see each step.

As with all installations of new operating systems, it is always wise to copy all your important data onto CD’s or DVD’s before you install the new system. With Vista you will probably find that all your peripherals will work with Windows7 as the drivers should be the same. I haven’t tried it but Windows7 should tell you that if there is a windows system already on the pc then the windows folder will be called windows.old.

Now onto Windows XP. This is a different kettle of fish, metaphorically speaking of course.

To upgrade from XP to Windows7 you have to do a “clean install”. You will also need an extra partition on your drive, or just another drive as Windows7 wants somewhere to copy all it’s files to first before it installs the operating system.

Before you jump in and buy windows7, it might be wise to check that your pc has all the requirements to run this system. Click here to download the  Windows7 upgrade advisor, and here to check out your hardware and software compatibility.

Is everything ok ? then you can begin to install, but before you do that, sit down and consider the options open to you. You have two choices of Windows7, a 32 bit or a 64 bit system. Both should be on the DVD you bought and of course you have already chosen what version you want. Most people will be happy with Home Premium, and that is the one we will be installing in August. With a 64 bit version you now can have more than  4GB of memory. As long as you have a 64 bit processor under the hood then this would be a wise decision to go for.  With Vista it was always a problem finding drivers but not any more with Windows7. When I installed the “beta” version it told me it had found hardware but did not know how to use it and went off on it’s own on the internet to find the drivers and load them. Smart stuff that. As with the Vista install, if it finds another operating system already on the load disc then it will rename it windows.old. The other way to install windows7 on a XP system is to have it completely format the partition and really do a clean install, but it is up to you.

One thing that might concern you if you go the 64 bit route, and many people have asked that question, is my old system software programs, which were 32 bit  and this is 64 bit, will they run on 64 bit? A valid question and one that is answered thus. On Windows 64 bit operating systems, there is Microsoft software  called WOW. Which stands for Windows On Windows and is there so that you can run 32 bit software on 64 bit systems without having to worry about it.

One final thing about Windows7 and it is that you can now have your own home network if you have Windows7 on each computer. Most homes now have more that one computer, be it desktop or laptop so sharing files or whatever between them could not be easier.

If you have any questions then please feel free to ask via the comments field.

Also, if this is your first time on this blog, have a good old read of previous entries there is much to discover and enjoy.