Posted on 03/15/2014 7:57:07 AM PDT by tbw2
Need advice on upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7
I didn’t want to install anything without knowing what was best.
It is very easy. You just trash your old box and buy a Mac. You use Parallels to install Windows 7. It runs blazingly fast.
It does however, open you up to malware, viruses, etc.
I’m with those who suggest you just get a new computer with W7 already installed. This will probably also upgrade you to a 64 bit machine instead of obsolete 32 bit. You can get a good laptop with 3rd generation Core processor (Core i3, or i5 followed by 3xxx) for under $400 if you shop around. Delete all the bloat software first, then load up all the most popular free programs that you want all at once at Ninite (ninite.com), load all the other programs you use that are not on Ninite, then transfer all your data files using an external hard drive or network drive. Shouldn’t take more than 3 to 4 hours max, depending on how much data you have. It will go a lot faster if your new computer has a USB 3 port, and the external hard drive is USB 3 compatible. Then keep the old computer around for awhile to make sure that you’ve got everything off of it that you need.
We are in agreement. Build new is the best bet.
Nice handle!!
If you want to stay with Win (and install Win7), back-up all of your important files.. do a fresh install of Win7.
You can control what is or is not uploaded to the cloud. The cloud service in windows 8 is actually pretty awesome. You simply need to take the time to manage your data and what you put on it. You dont have to use a windows live enabled account. When you log in for the first time, just use a local account.
If you want to install 7, do a clean installation. Backup your user data to some type of external hard drive or USB flash drive. The main folders you need to capture are documents, desktop, and favorites. They are located at
c:\documents and settings\*your user account name*
In windows 7 they are in:
c:\users\*your user name*
once you back these files up, just boot off of a windows 7 dvd or prepared windows 7 flash media. If you want to purchase windows 7, you can find it in the microsoft store or at a retail place. If you purchase it online, you will get an ISO file that you can burn to a dvd or use the Windows 7 to usb tool released for free by microsoft. It is super easy to use and requires at least a 4 gig usb flash stick.
When you are backed up and ready, disconnect all hard drives except the one you want to install windows to. Once you boot up off the disk or the flash stick, just accept the eula’s, or read them lol, and you will be asked to format the drive. Delete all partitions, then create new ones, then choose that location to install windows to. It will create 2 partitions, you can only choose to install to the larger one.
Once the install is complete, the system will boot for the first time and you will go through the out of box setup where you create your local user account and name the computer, set update options.
Some tips:
change the control panel view and choose to view by large or small icons
disable user account control in:
control panel, user accounts, change user account control settings
place the “computer” and “control panel” icon on the desktop:
right click on an open spot on the desktop and select “personalize”, click change desktop icons, place check marks on the icons you want, click apply, then click ok
Run windows update, also found in control panel
Once you reinstall all your software like java, flash, adobe apps, winrar, vlc player stuff like that, copy your backed up files back into their appropriate folders. Their location is already noted for Windows 7.
Once everything is wrapped up and ready to go, run windows backup and create a system restore image. There is a check box for it when you run windows backup. It will save your butt if your drive craters or some update or virus smokes your computer. Restoring that image only requires you to boot off of a recovery disk or the installation disk.
I think that about covers it.
Well, does your old machine have at least an i3 CPU, 4GB RAM, and 320GB HD? Because if not, even if you manage to get W7 installed, it’ll run so slow (if it runs at all), that the upgrade will have been pointless.
Your other issue is finding drivers. If your PC is really old, you’ll have a hard time in finding W7 drivers for it, or not find them at all. In any case, you won’t find vendor support, but will have to go to blogs and chip makers to find the drivers.
And yes, you must do a clean install, meaning copy off data first, then recopy data on and reinstall all programs from scratch.
You’d be WAY better off to buy a new Windows 7 Pro x64 Dell Optiplex 3020 with 3-yr Dell factory warranty for $640.00, especially when you consider the cost of retail W7 and any other hardware upgrades you’re considering:
Bookmarking since I face the same situation.
One huge thing i forgot
Make sure you pre-download your network drivers BEFORE you install. Store them on a flash disk, portable drive, or burn them to dvd.
One of the biggest mistakes people make are forgetting these drivers. Most windows installation media will include some network drivers but not all of them and you dont want to be caught with your only pc with no drivers and no network access to download them. There is a box in windows update you can check that allows windows update to download some drivers but not all of them will be found here.
On OEM computers, you can go to the manufacturer’s website and download the latest drivers. If you know what your device is and who makes it, like an nvidia or AMD video card, you can go to their site and download drivers. Intel really makes things easy with the intel driver update tool. This site will cover most, if not all, of your intel drivers .
This bump is 4me...
but the question about how old is you pc is valid because here is the thing.
One is with windows 7 on old system with limited memory and hard disk space you might have a real slug.. say 2 gig mem and 250 gig drive minimum but more far better
And more important you might be able to find a low end new or refurbish pc with better hardware then your old xp box and WITH WINDOW 7 License on it for the same cost as just buying window 7 outright
Try microcenter..there on line but if a store near you the better..look at lease returned referbs..and store return. And look at bundle deals...
then make you old pc a Linux box sell it if you want...even sell you xp license..get another 50 60 bucks out of both
Good point on the network drivers. Shouldn’t be an issue, but why take chances? I had secondary internet access and a big flash drive for such emergencies, but not everyone will be in that boat.
I’m going to try the Windows Update Downloader for my next reinstall, might even slipstream it with the installation. The number of updates for a clean install of W7 SP1 is mind boggling.
If the OP is on a budget, you can do what we did and clean install W7 on off lease machines with wiped drives. We are running Home Premium and Ultimate on Core 2 Duo 2.8 Ghz workstations with 4 and 8 gigs of RAM, and they are plenty fast enough for us, the 750GB hard drives seem roomy, and we got them for a song. Not the latest and greatest by any stretch of the imagination, but a huge step up from the venerable Dell 4550s we were running XP on.
Oh, and if you haven’t purchased the OS yet, my kid runs W8 and loves it, and as others have pointed out, if you don’t like the PlaySkool interface you can change it.
Just fyi..I just check at microcenter on line
window 7 home oem by itself is 99 bucks
a lease return box with window 7 License on it is 89 bucks with 1 gig mem..
99 bucks for a lenovo with 7 and 2 gig of mem and 160 gig drive and core duo
My goodness, how old is a computer that came with XP. How much money do you have wrapped up in it?
I'm running a 2007-ish vintage laptop dualbooting Win7 and Ubuntu 13.10. The XP license on the bottom is irrelevant. It runs fine. Money wrapped up in it is a replacement 500gb hard disk, that could move to a new machine in a heartbeat.
Is it a heart lung machine running on XP? Take that computer off the grid and run XP infinitum.
XP Embedded has a different end-of-life date than XP. And I wouldn't be remotely surprised to find old software running on medical equipment. Old and tested is better here than bleeding edge.
Last I heard, most of the ATM’s are using XP also.
Fyi 2 gig sys with 7 pro 120 bucks
system w 4 gig 7 home and 250 gig drive 150 bucks
my point is a you can get a system with with windows 7 and far better hardware then 99 percent of the old xp boxes out there for the same cost of window 7 by itself...
it really makes no cost sense these days to upgade an old xp box to window 7...
The good news is that you can.
The bad news is that it's made as difficult as possible, Courtesy of Microsoft through their retailers.
I decided to replace my 6-yr-old Pentium 4 32-bit desktop late in 2013.
I chose an I5 Lenovo, which came with Win 8 installed. Win7 was not a free option (as it has been in the past, when buying a new system, to downgrade to the previous stable Windows version.)
I could have it done if I bought a new Win 7 64-bit software, $130, and pay for the "tricky installation," so described, an additional $150 or so. I opted not to.
I truly hope you can find a more rational option, perhaps preserving the Win 8 64-bit installation already paid for, with the option of re-installing it at a later date.
I never figured out how to do that without the onerous extra expense. I will be looking at this thread for hope of a reasonable alternative.
I chose an I5 Lenovo, which came with Win 8 installed. Win7 was not a free option (as it has been in the past, when buying a new system, to downgrade to the previous stable Windows version.)
You can "downgrade" Win 8 Pro to Win 7 Pro at no cost. Home versions, no.
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