"Upgrade" to Windows 7 from XP
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Due to something ThomThom wrote, I am now investigating a switch to Windows 7 from XP Pro. One thing that doesn't thrill me is the downtime while I reinstall all the programs I have and set them up. Too much work to do to be able to take my computer down that long. I'm wondering about options that might make this easier. I have a second hard drive in my computer now and could add another. Is there an easy way to migrate the contents of the current C drive to a new C drive? Any other options?
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I'd use it as an excuse for a new PC
A Valentine's Day present
Windows can take everything from XP and install it in 7. Didn't do it myself but it claims it can.
I do a fresh install every 6 months anyway...
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Read the free tutorials
http://www.lynda.com/home/displaycourse.aspx?lpk2=57005 -
I recently upgraded all my machines to Windows 7 from both XP and Vista. All but one were bare machines (basic setup for use as render farm) however my main rig was Vista. I had no compatibility issues with the upgrade, in fact some apps that had issues with Vista like my Scanner drivers (visioneer) now worked much better. It took some time getting used to the new UI, but all in all I am very happy with the change and would do it again without hesitation.
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Hi Rich,
@unknownuser said:
I do a fresh install every 6 months anyway...
I was wondering why you every 6 months installing Windows 7 new (fresh). Or have I misunderstood something? This also means that you have to install any software again? Or is there another method.
Charly
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I have a backup image of my installs and if I need i can restore the whole disk without reinstalling = Windows 7 from Professional and up has this feature built in. David, You can do this with this freeware http://www.oo-software.com/home/en/products/oodiskimageexpress/
Make an image of your Xp if You want to go back= You can mount it as a virtual drive and copy the files from there= -
Hi Charly,
Yes, i go through the whole re-install from scratch. Then re-install all the needed software. Might seem a bit over the top but i swear by having a HDD formatted every 6 months. I do defrag daily and run cCleaner+ and System Ninja also. But i've a tendency to install lots of trial software for testing and most leave behind all sorts of crap.
I use Device Doctor to backup all my drivers. I sync all my important files to Dropbox every night. And backup them up on an External HDD weekly. I never use the
drive for storage. I partition my drives so that the OS is left with no indexing issues etc.Yes, i'm nucking futs!
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Dedmin, thanks for the link to the tutorials. SO far they confirm that I'll have to reinstall the programs which I already knew. I can create a backup image of the programs but if I do this in XP Pro, will I be able to "restore" them after moving to 7?
Rich, I don't think a new computer is in the offing right now. As I said, I could install a new HD in my current machine, though.
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Was almost at the end of post for you and had a power transient so will and try to keep this short so I can off. From the MS knowledge base it looks like you are stuck with a custom install. They recommend you buy an external hard drive to help with transferring and use what they call Easy Install. Hope you have disk and installers for all your programs. It may be worth some time organizing your presents files to help. See this link http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-xp-to-windows-7
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No, You restore the settings and it depends on the program itself - where the settings are - the your personal folder or the registry. You need to install the software, because there is no straight upgrade from Xp to Windows 7. A lot of programs have options to write their settings in the installation directory as an .ini files. That is the beauty of Linux - there is no registry, but simple text files to store the settings. And you can do a dial boot - make a clean install of Windows 7 on the free hard drive and keep the XP.
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Mac1, I saw that thing about Easy Transfer but I am extremely skeptical of things like that due to past experiences with Microsoft products. I've been screwing around with an older computer that also has XP on it. The Microsoft Update repeatedly says it is downloading and installing the same 80 updates (that computer has been off for quite awhile) and then proceeds to lock up. I did a fresh install of XP on that machine and it can't complete the task. I won't go on about that one but as I say, I'm not confident of Easy Transfer's ability to complete the task correctly.
Since XP is still working fine on this machine, perhaps it is better to leave it alone.
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Thanks for your reply Rich
@unknownuser said:
But i've a tendency to install lots of trial software for testing and most leave behind all sorts of crap.
Me too! But until now I had no major problems. Windows 7 is running now one year without Problems. I also have separate data partitions, and regularly use the CCleaner. I also research the registry after uninstalling Software.
Charly
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As far as I know, you can't do what you want to do without reinstalling your applications. Easy Transfer is for your data files, email files, and custom settings/preferences for the OS. It doesn't reinstall applications. Reinstalling applications can be potentially troublesome if an application has an activation key, depending on how the vendor license operates. It shouldn't be a problem with SU, though. Also, the time involved is significant. These are reasons why I have not upgraded to Windows 7.
I'll also say that I haven't any issues with Vista, so I haven't seen a need to upgrade for that reason. The only reason I'd like to upgrade is to move from 32-bit to 64-bit. What is the problem you would have with XP Pro?
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No problem with XP Pro. This started when I gave ThomThom's new CleanUp plugin a try this morning and got a couple of error messages which Thomas thinks is due to my older version of IE (which I don't use as an Internet browser but SU does use) and he suggested I upgrade to IE9. As I said, it probably makes more sense to stick to XP Pro for now. I'll wait until I can justify building a new computer and move to 7 then. I still won't be liking the time involved to install all the software I have.
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@unknownuser said:
Windows Easy Transfer doesn't move your programs, only your files and settings. You'll need to reinstall your programs by hand after Windows 7 installation is complete. Windows Easy Transfer will provide you with a list of programs that you are currently using with Windows XP.
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yes. you can't upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 other than going Upgrade Xp to Vista to Win7.
it's just to much rebuilt in 7's codebase. add in if your going to 64bit 7, even the 32vista would need to be replaced totally.
your best bet is use an app such as Clonezilla (free) to image your XP to a seperate disk as backup, then copy all main files off then wipe and start over with Win7. it's worth the trouble in the end.
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@khai said:
yes. you can't upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 other than going Upgrade Xp to Vista to Win7.
That's not what it says on the Microsoft website nor in the tutorials that Dedmin linked to.
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Dave r
You are a trusting sole. You question Easy Install but still let auto update run.?? Microsoft installed kb905474 under the disguise of a security upgrade but it was really their sneaky way to implement the WGA ( Windows Genuine Advantage) on everyone's computer without their direct knowledge. Ever hear of the WGA nag screen?? I vowed at the time it would be the last windows OS I ever use but have yet to switch to ubuntu => lazy
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@mac1 said:
Dave r
You are a trusting sole. You question Easy Install but still let auto update run.?? Microsft installed kb905474 under the disguise of a security upgrade but it was really their sneaky way to implement the WGA ( Windows Guniue Advantage) on everyones computer without their direct knowledge. Ever hear of the WGA nag screen?? I vowed at the time it would be the last windows OS I ever use but have yet to switch to ubuntu => lasyNot that trusting. I tried various methods for updating XP on that machine but nothing seems to work. I was just trying to squeeze a little more life out of that machine. That was so annoying that if I was living in the penthouse of skyscraper, I'd probably chuck that machine out the window along with a certain gazillionaire.
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Sole???
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