Windows 7: Upgrade from XP to W7 spec check

Hi.
I'm strongly inclined to install Window 7 alongside my existing XP Home SP3 (Build 2600)

I have read the installation advice/instructions sticky here and do not think I will have too many problems (Is that tempting fate?)

Please see below the specs of my present PC which I built myself and let me know if this is okay for Windows 7 in either 32 or 64bit.

As I will be dual booting and intend to switch to Windows 7 as my primary OS I would like to have Windows 7 as the first boot option and XP as the second OS, I think then that I have to install Windows 7 on the drive before (on the left)of my XP OS. As you will see there is plenty of room on Drive 0, at present this is partitioned into two drives C and J, is it a straightforward job to install Windows 7 ahead of XP, and can this be done with the partitioning that comes with the Windows 7 DVD?

Also on the MB instructions is states that:
'Due to chipset resource allocation, the memory may detect less than 4GB of system memory when you installed 4 1GB DDR memory modules'. This seems to imply the max you can install is 4GB, is it possible to install more than this?

MY PC System running Windows XP Home SP3.

Processor.
2.20 gigahertz AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
512 kilobyte secondary memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (2 total)
Not hyper-threaded



Motherboard.
ASUSTeK Computer INC. A8N-SLI Premium 1.02
Bus Clock: 200 megahertz
Memory slots: 4 x 184-pin DDR DIMM
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD ASUS A8N-SLI Premium ACPI BIOS Revision 1009 10/21/2005

3072 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory.

Drives.
920.19 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
755.45 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

FREECOM_ DVD+/-RW18H9 USB Device [CD-ROM drive]
HL-DT-ST CD-RW GCE-8527B [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removable media [Floppy drive]

Generic USB Flash Drive USB Device [Hard drive] (1.06 GB) -- drive 3
Maxtor 6L300S0 [Hard drive] (300.09 GB) -- drive 1, s/n L61GPTQH, rev BACE1G20, SMART Status: Healthy
WD 1200BB External USB Device [Hard drive] (120.03 GB) -- drive 2
WDC WD50 00AADS-00S9B SCSI Disk Device (500.11 GB) -- drive 0, SMART Status: Healthy

Local Drive Volumes
c: (NTFS on drive 0) 111.18 GB 88.39 GB free
e: (NTFS on drive 1) 68.54 GB 53.24 GB free
f: (NTFS on drive 1) 100.34 GB 60.68 GB free
g: (NTFS on drive 1) 71.14 GB 28.94 GB free
i: (FAT32 on drive 2) 120.00 GB 84.90 GB free
j: (NTFS on drive 0) 388.92 GB 388.83 GB free
z: (NTFS on drive 1) 60.06 GB 50.47 GB free

Video Card.
NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX

Reading 32 pages of 32bit v 64bit should keep me busy!

I have seen this version on Amazon;
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 64-bit, English, 1 Pack, DSP OEI (PC) (This OEM software is intended for system builders only): Amazon.co.uk: Software

I would guess it is a full version but it does not say so, and it does not say it is a DVD either as most others state CD or DVD. Will this one be suitable for a 'new' install and not an 'upgrade' install?

AS you will have gathered this is my first post here and from what I have read you guys know your Windows 7!

Many thanks.

Trapper

Based in the UK.

Both the 32-bit and the 64-bit version would fit, go with 64-bit if you plan to use more than 3GB of RAM int he future.
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor - Download - Microsoft Windows
Yes the Windows 7 setup offers this ability
You cannot upgrade from XP to Windows 7, a clean install is required
Clean Install Windows 7

Hello Trapper, welcome to Seven Forums!


Have a look at the method presented in this tutorial linked below for a way to clean install Windows 7 on the first partition on the Hard Disk Drive ahead of XP so it will be very easy to remove XP at a later time and be sure to post back with any further questions you may have and to keep us informed.

Clean Install Windows 7 : Ahead of XP

Gentlemen.
Thank you for your replies, I have printed out the articles noted and will read them over the weekend.

I have made the PWBD (After a failure and a new coaster in my collection) and will try it to see if it boots, if it does that's a good start.

My wife says she will buy the Windows 7 for my birthday so I have around 5 weeks to read up and make sure I get it right.........

Regards

Trapper

Be sure to post back here with updates!

Hi BFK.

I have read the tutorials on:

Windows 7 Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 & XP
Create the Windows 7 System Reserved Partition for Dual Boot.
How to do a clean installation with Windows 7
How to install Windows 7 to a partition ahead of XP.

Then had a thought, as I have two hard drives installed both with Primary partitions to the left called C: and Z:, In Belarc Advisor they are shown as C: on disk 0 and Z: on disk 1 although in Easus Partition Manager they are shown as disk 1 for C: and disk 2 for Z: for some reason. Is this something I need to be concerned about?

To make life easier, and safer, I plan to install Windows 7 on my other disk partition which is currently Z: this has nothing of any importance on it and I would like to label this as 'Windows 7' and keep the drive letter Z:.

Leaving my drive system alone, and other than formatting the current Z: drive to clear anything on it, when I place the Windows 7 DVD into the ODD will it give me the option to install onto this Z: partition which is a Primary partition?

If it does and I install Windows 7 to this partition I will then have one drive with XP and one with Windows 7, should one fail I will have the other to continue using.

This will, I assume, bring the Windows Boot Loader into play, is it possible to choose the OS that comes up first and will auto load after 30 seconds? I would prefer Windows 7 first option with XP second and can you have a shorter time to auto load, say 5 or 10 seconds?

This is probably a silly question but if I use Microsoft Money in XP then install this program under Windows 7 could this cause problems registering with Microsoft, likewise Excel and Word? Or can I just use shortcuts from the already installed programs although should I decide to remove XP later that would cause real problems.

Also if I open a file and save under Windows 7 64bit then open the same file under XP 32bit will this cause any problems, I wouldn't have thought so but better to ask now than post a help lost file post later!

Thanks for your help, if I had found this forum earlier I would have made the jump ages ago.

Regards

Trapper

Hello again.


Let's do one at a time.


The easiest way to do away with boot issues between separate Operating Systems (OS) is to use the BIOS one time boot menu to select which OS to boot at system startup, each motherboard has an individual hot-key to tap during system start-up to access this menu.

If you have 2 separate Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and have one OS installed to one HDD and you want to install another OS to the second HDD, disconnect the HDD with the first OS installed on it and leave only the HDD you want to install the second OS to connected.
Install the second OS to the connected HDD and when complete and the system is booting good, power down and reconnect the first HDD with the first OS on it.

This way the OSs will boot independently of each other and there will be no boot conflicts between the 2 separate OSs to have to sort later.


Then set the BIOS to boot the HDD / OS you want as default and if you want to start the other (new) OS you use the BIOS one-time boot menu to select that HDD / OS to start when the PC is started.

• Asus - F8
• HP/Compaq - Esc
• Sony - F2
• Acer – F12
• Gateway - F10
• eMachnes - F10
• Gigabyte – F12
• Toshiba - F12
• Dell - F12
• IBM/Lenovo - the blue Thinkvantage button

Thanks for the very quick reply, I note, and will heed, your advise re disconnecting the drive with the current OS installed.

I am quite happy to F8 into the BIOS but would not want the Mrs to go there! Can I use the Windows 7 boot loader (Or another) so my wife can still easily access and use XP until we are happy with Windows 7 without gong anywhere near the BIOS?

Regards

Trapper

That'll work too, leave both HDDs connected and have a look at Method One of this tutorial linked below.

Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and XP