Windows 7 Update Advisor not there

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  1. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
       #1

    Windows 7 Update Advisor not there


    Not a technical wizz so excuse my being a tad dim.

    I have Vista (SP1) Home Premium 32bit and am thinking of updating to one of the Windows 7 64bit options.

    I am currently reading the Clean install with a upgrade Windows 7 Tutorial that I shall probably print out when ready, but when I tried to download and use the Windows 7 upgrade advisor link it seems to take me straight to Windows 8.

    I want to upgrade to 7 - is there still an Advisor link for this or did I not go far enough?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 21,482
    Win 7 x64 Home Premium (and x86 VirtualBox VM)/Win10
       #2

    Going from 32-bit to 64-bit ALWAYS requires a clean install. :)

    MS is no longer providing links to the Win7 upgrade advisor - basically because they reckon that everyone should be using the Win8 version

    If your machine is currently running Vista, then there is a very small chance that it will have problems running Windows 7. The only problem is likely to be drivers for 64-bit Win7.

    Having said that, I note that the Dell site doesn't offer Win7 drivers for that model - which could mean one of two things....
    either
    1) Win7 is not supported
    or
    2) the drivers are already included in the basic Win7 install.

    You should check with Dell to see which it is.

    Anything else is going to be irrelevant, since your disk will be wiped during the install - so I hope you have good backups, just in case!
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thank you for your helpful response, Noel.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 21,482
    Win 7 x64 Home Premium (and x86 VirtualBox VM)/Win10
       #4

    You're welcome - good luck with it!
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Just checked. Apparently only Vista was allowed for on my particular system. Appears I can upgrade to Vista 64 bit if I wish, but not to Windows 7.

    Thank you so much for forewarning me.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 21,482
    Win 7 x64 Home Premium (and x86 VirtualBox VM)/Win10
       #6

    Phew! - better to find out now, than after wiping the drive!

    I will admit to being a little surprised though - often, although an upgrade is not officially supported, it will work happily enough unless you start going into esoterics like overclocking.
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  7. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    It's me again, Noel.

    I've since used the F8 function and restored the machine to factory condition, then got everything back up and running, downloaded and installed both Service Packs and all 136 updates. My e-mail is working and so is my internet and security and things are a lot faster so I must have learned something from the exercise.

    I've downloaded Windows 7 upgrade advisor and as far as I can see from the report I have no compatability issues.

    Only thing is that Dell told me I couldn't upgrade to Windows 7 because the system on my model was specifically designed for Vista and only Vista.

    Is this marketing doubletalk to get me to buy a new machine? Maybe a play on the words 'upgrade' and 'install'?

    Maybe I can't upgrade but what is preventing me using the clean install or Custom install route? There's nothing I want to save that I haven't already saved to an external device.

    I'm no expert but what is to prevent me buying Windows 7 Home Premium and using one of your Tutorials to install the 32bit version? A clean install perhaps. Can I try one and then the other (custom) if the first doesn't work?

    I see from other threads that it may be adviseable to download driver exe's onto a flash drive.

    I still have my original Dell discs I presume I can fall back on if I screw everything up.

    Thanks for your patience..

    The only program issues raised by the Upgrade Advisor were regarding Adobe and Roxio which don't appear major. And Intel (R) Matrix Storage Console version 6.2.0.2002 - told me to get a free update to a compatible version. Same for Open AL whatever that is but the update is for sale.

    Should I do these before trying the installation?

    Thanks for being so patient with me.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 21,482
    Win 7 x64 Home Premium (and x86 VirtualBox VM)/Win10
       #8

    Aurondium said:
    Only thing is that Dell told me I couldn't upgrade to Windows 7 because the system on my model was specifically designed for Vista and only Vista.

    Is this marketing doubletalk to get me to buy a new machine? Maybe a play on the words 'upgrade' and 'install'?

    Maybe I can't upgrade but what is preventing me using the clean install or Custom install route? There's nothing I want to save that I haven't already saved to an external device.

    I'm no expert but what is to prevent me buying Windows 7 Home Premium and using one of your Tutorials to install the 32bit version? A clean install perhaps. Can I try one and then the other (custom) if the first doesn't work?

    I see from other threads that it may be adviseable to download driver exe's onto a flash drive.

    I still have my original Dell discs I presume I can fall back on if I screw everything up.

    It does sound to me like marketing-speak for 'buy a new machine'

    I'm not sure how much RAM you have? if it's (potentially) 4GB or more, then it's worth the hassle of the clean install of upgrading to the 64-bit version - if you don't plan on increasing RAM to 4GB ore more, then stick with 32-bit as the RAM requirements are lower....

    If you've run the Upgrade Advisor and it's shown no problems apart from Roxio (mostly rubbish anyhow - and replaceable for free from elsewhere) and Adobe (again, the Flash is replaceable/upgradeable, and Reader can be replaced/improved by Foxit for free)

    The major obstacle to an upgrade is actually finding a legitimate license/pack for it! The majority I've seen on sale lately have been at best questionable, and at worst obvious counterfeits.


    If you want to go for it, I suggest that you post a link to whatever site you propose purchasing the license from, so we can check it, before parting with your hard-earned pennies :)
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Thank you, Noel. My installed Ram at present is 2GB (2 of the four available slots are filled with IGB each) although the capacity is shown as 4GB. I have ordered another pair of compatible 1GB Ram cards from Crucial to bring me up to my present allowed maximum of 4GB.

    If I elected to go for the 64bit upgrade, would I then be able to replace the memory with higher cards in due course if I wished or is that dependant upon other factors like the existing motherboard or processor, which I can't change. If there's risk involved there I may be as well to stick with the 32bit. Your advice is most helpful.

    You've lost me on the licence issue- I was just going to go into Amazon and buy Windows 7 Home Premium - am I missing something?

    Thankyou for your continued assistance.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 21,482
    Win 7 x64 Home Premium (and x86 VirtualBox VM)/Win10
       #10

    The max possible RAM is determined by your motherboard - you'd need to check with the manufacturer as to whether it can take 2GB (or 4 or 8GB) sticks.

    As far as purchasing from Amazon - I wish!
    If you check, I think you'll find that Win 7 licenses are no longer available directly from Amazon - they are all from MarketPlace traders using Amazon as a shopfront. As such they should be treated with much the same suspicion as eBay traders.
    eBay Windows licenses have a notoriously high risk of being counterfeit - research a few years ago showed over 50% as being fake, and of that 50% a large number carried malware in the materials.

    .... having said all that, I see that Amazon does indeed have Home Premium System Builder licenses available - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Wi...7+home+premium

    and even perhaps some Retail ones.

    Note that if you opt for the 32-bit version now, you can install the 64-bit version later if you want to - at the cost of a reformat and reinstall - using the same Product Key/License.
    With 4GB RAM installed, it's a toss-up whether 32-bit is better or not - I doubt that you'd really notice the difference, but suspect that some of the things you may want to do would be happier in a 32-bit machine.
    Last edited by NoelDP; 28 Oct 2013 at 06:43. Reason: fat-fingered the Send button!
      My Computer


 
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