Windows 7 Stupid Questions

June 12, 2012 | Self

[zerosix]

Laptop came installed with Windows Vista. Claimed to be able to upgrade to Windows 7 but never able to do it.

[Greysard]

First you download and run the upgrade advisor. If it approves your hardware then you can take the next step - such as buying an OEM DVD of Windows 7. You do not need to upgrade online.

I'm stuck with Vista on this laptop for about 4 years that I own it. Perhaps one day I will upgrade; or maybe the laptop dies first. Win7 is considerably faster than Vista. But you will lose the classic start menu.

[rockrr]

1. I would never do this until I have moved every bit of personal data that I wanted to keep. That includes things like address books and favorites (bookmarks). Once it’s gone it’s gone.
2. I wouldn’t upgrade - I would do a fresh install. Don’t carry over old problems to your new OS.
3. If you don’t have another computer around so you can chase after drivers I would ensure that whatever model of computer you have is compatible with Win 7 and that I had all the drivers I would need before I launched into the project.

Study up before you commit!

[zerosix]

Thanks for the opinion.

[floozy22]

Try going to the following Windows 7 forum:

http://www.sevenforums.com/

..or just search/google "windows seven forums"

The main page has a thread titled, "Installation & Setup"

You'll have to create a login and password if you want to post for assistance. I've had good experiences when using this forum.

[Washi]

Don't extol the values of your Mac

Holy Crap!!!

This thread actually made it to 24 replies without someone doing just that. I would not have thought it possible.

[Boogieman]

You can upgrade Vista to 7 in-place, if you have the upgrade edition purchased. It’s only the non-upgrade edition that requires a clean install, format, etc.

If they sold him the computer with the credit for the upgrade, then he can most certainly upgrade in place. If he doesn’t have the CD, then he’ll have to go to the MS website, find the Download Center, and use his Windows Product Key (from the W7 Upgrade Card) to download it. Then, he should be able to just run it and upgrade it from the file on the hard drive.

[UB355]

I upgraded over Vista using the upgrade designed for windows vista. The process took an hour or more. Worked just fine. System has worked fine for 18 months now.

[Boogieman]

If it’s the MS Website saying it’s not available, then I would try sending some furious emails to the customer service of MS and the computer manufacturer. You paid for a product, and they now refuse to deliver. Put the onus on them to find a way to deliver that product to you. Make a few veiled threats that you will publish your story on a techblog and call a lawyer, and I will bet they get you W7, somehow, free of charge.

[Boogieman]

For #3, it shouldn’t be an issue, since he bought the computer from the manufacturer with the upgrade credit as part of the package. They don’t sell those packages unless the hardware and drivers are compatible with the upgrade, it would be a tech support nightmare otherwise.

[zerosix]

Me neither, obviously that's why I put it in at the beginning.

I assumed a devotee of Mac would begin by telling me to trash my worthless, inferior junk, buy a Mac and solve my problems. Surprised - you betcha!

[UB355]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002DHLUWK/ref=aw_d_iv_software?is=l&qid=1339557767&sr=8-1

[zerosix]

Many thanks for your comments.

I'm the type, when a company informs me of something such as MS did, to apologize for asking.

I need to rethink my approach with MS and demand to be given what I paid for and was promised!

[Fast Moving Angel]

What you said. I upgraded a Dell laptop from Vista to Win7 with no problems — the only difference was, I bought the software. Totally seamless.

[gura]

Let me fix this thread:

[Boogieman]

Definitely rethink that approach, when it comes to Microsoft. They are, as a company, arrogant, and not naturally responsive to customers’ needs. You’ve got to be a bit belligerent and possibly threatening, and then your issue may get kicked up to the supervisors who may realize that tossing you a bone costs them nothing compared to bad public relations and legal hassles.

[Boogieman]

What I mean is, the computer manufacturers do not sell the package including the computer with one OS and an included upgrade to the newer OS, without knowing the upgrade is compatible with the computer. I’m not talking about MS selling upgrade packages stand-alone.

[HangThemHigh]

According to the Microsoft website, you can upgrade from Vista to Win 7, but the options are somewhat limited (from the Win 7 upgrade website FAQ):

“If you’re running this edition of Windows Vista you can upgrade to this edition of Windows 7”

Windows Vista Home Basic-> Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Ultimate

Windows Vista Home Premium-> Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Ultimate

Windows Vista Business-> Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate

Windows Vista Ultimate-> Windows 7 Ultimate

[Billthedrill]

Here's the deal. When you bought your lappy your vendor sold you a version of Vista knowing that the OS was going to be replaced by Win7. To cover you, they said it was upgradable, which it is. But you have to get the media from the vendor, not from Microsoft. They're the ones making the guarantee and they're the ones who have to honor it (or not).

Talk to them - Sony, Dell, HP, whatever. If the offer is still open, they'll send you a disk with the OS in an "upgrade" version, meaning it requires a sign on the disk that a licensed Microsoft OS was once installed there. Upgrade licenses are generally cheaper than "full" installs, a thing you will need to know if your vendor does not honor the offer, because you can purchase an upgrade OS separately from another vendor.

You will not have to reformat your hard drive. What you will find when you run the install is that the old OS is saved in a Windows.OLD folder on the C: drive, which takes up space but is your lifeline back if the upgrade goes sour. If it doesn't, and it usually doesn't, then running the Disk Cleanup tool later will allow you to remove the old files safely.

An alternative plan is to purchase a "full" version of the OS, usually a bit more expensive, format the hard drive during the installation, and proceed from there as if you have a brand-new box. The upside is that this is "cleaner", meaning that you don't have stuff like the Windows.OLD folder hanging around. The downside is that it costs more.

So, here's what I would do:
1. Contact the hardware vendor and try to get upgrade media from them.
2. If you do, just install it over the top of the old OS.
3. If you can't, get an "upgrade" license from a vendor such as New Egg or TigerDirect, or whoever, and install that.
4. If you want a complete clean install, purchase a "full" license, BACK YOUR CURRENT DATA UP - there's a utility called Windows Easy Transfer that will allow you to save your data to a thumb drive or another location and bring it back into your new OS.

Understand that there are some downsides to that "clean" install - it doesn't bring over your installed applications, which will need to be re-installed if you have the original distribution media. If not, you lose them or have to buy them again. I find it infuriating that vendors these days don't generally include installation media for bundled apps. Once upon a time they used to.

The downside to the "upgrade" pathway is that if a disaster happens - a hard drive replacement, maybe - that media will be expecting a sign that a previous OS installation was done, and it won't be there. There are options when this happens, but the best thing to do is to back up your system regularly with the backup app included with Win7. Do an image level backup. Create a "rescue" disk. Then if your HD is toast and you get a new one, the rescue disk will bring the disk image back from your backup. PLEASE back up!

Best to you.