Which is why I'm surprised that he recommended an in-place installation.
(Don't worry, Kari, you have nothing in your in box from me.):)
Almost all of the critics against in-place upgrade come from users who have in fact never tried it, who base their opinion in rumors, what they have read or heard in different forums. I'm most surprised every time I read or hear an old school geek to start his / her advice: "You must do a clean install. In-place only brings problems.
I have never done that." This is very typical when speaking about computers, as everyone knows. A good example is
this thread, started only a few hours ago; several years old rumor, absolutely not true, but still many PC users believe it, constantly asking how it could be avoided.
Computing world is full of these stories. Don't transfer your files from old computer to new one with Windows Easy Transfer, it screws your system. Complete BS; WET is nice, working piece of software, works well when instructions are followed. Empty Superfetch to speed your computer. Again, full and genuine BS; letting Windows to take care of Superfetch decreases the load time of applications. Windows Search does not work. BS; it works well and fast, you just have to know how to use it.
That's just a few examples. In-place upgrade is maybe the most idiotic of these rumors based on misinformation, users who have never even seen someone else to in-place upgrade telling on different forums how bad that is.
Honestly, Mborner, please tell me how many in-place upgrades from Vista to Seven, or earlier from XP to Vista you have done? If some, what went wrong, what did not work afterwards, and how you can tell the issue was because of in-place upgrade? If none, on what is your opinion based? And please, no BS answers: if you talk based on your own experience, you can certainly tell what went wrong. Don't tell me you don't remember anymore.
I repeat what I said on that short and small tutorial I linked in my previous post: I have done more in-place upgrades during my professional years than I can remember. I have had zero problems, absolutely none whatsoever. OF course I have had installation problems, too, but every time an in-place upgrade has failed, I've tried a clean install to formatted HD on the same computer and it has failed, too. The point here is, the reason has not been on Windows or on in-place upgrade, it's always been a question of faulty install media, non-functioning third party driver or hardware device.
It's a bit funny that none of the critics seem to understand this simple fact: if in-place upgrade really didn't work, if it was not a completely acceptable way to upgrade, don't you think Microsoft had already made it impossible? Do you honestly believe Microsoft would allow an essential part of the installation procedure to be possible if they knew it's not working?
If Vista computer is well maintained, if you follow the steps I have described on that tut, if you do things correctly, in-place upgrade is a painless, easy, straight forward procedure.
Mborner, I am really waiting to read what were the problems in your in-place upgrade tries. Either that, or you to admit you have only heard it or read about it to be problematic.
Never modest, always sincere
Kari