Windows XP to 7 question

[steveseven]

hey, i just updated from Windows XP Home edition 32 bit to Windows 7 Professional 32 bit.

during the process, a windows.old folder is created, which contains all files, programs and data from XP

I talked to Microsoft today, and they said that anything in the Windows.old file except the Documents and Settings folder wont work on/effect Windows 7. is this true? does this mean I can just delete the Program files and Windows sub-folders along with any other file in the Windows.old folder? And they said even Program Files uploaded through Windows Easy Transfer wont work, is this true as well?

I ask because before I was first imformed, I moved all the Program Files from the Windows.old folder to the Windows folder for Windows 7 (except the Program Folders that would overwrite Program Files that come with Windows 7). How do I tell now which Program Files are from Windows 7 and which are from XP, because if the XP Program Files wont work I might as well delete them off the computer.

 

[richc46]

Not true. You can drag and put any of those folders etc on Win 7. Programs will not work, however.

Do on delete them until you are sure you did not forget to back up something important.

If you are certain that you backed up everything you can delete that folder.

 

[steveseven]

Rich, youre saying that program files from the .old folder wont work in the regular Windows 7 program files folder, correct? that is what Microsoft told me today.

I want to know what Program Files are originally on Windows 7 so I can delete the Windows XP Prgram Files

 

[richc46]

Programs must be reinstalled with the DVD or from the net.

The programs in question are your programs, games, word, excel, etc.

 

[gregrocker]

Look for any missing drivers or apps on your computer manufacturer's Support Downloads page for your model. You may also have an apps/driver CD which came with the computer.

There won't be any programs in the Programs Files when you first install Win7. Just delete any that you have not installed since your Win7 install.

By now you know that all programs must be reinstalled. Let us know if you need any help locating them. For example, Sun Java has a perfectly suitable free Ofc Suite compatible with Office.

 

[steveseven]

So since i installed it Jan 3, any program file before that time was ffrom XP? And I know there were program files already in the Windows 7 folder before I transfered some over from the Windows.old folder. Theres no way I can find out which ones were there in the first place?

 

[Dom]

If you just copy the program straight from windows.old, it will not show up as installed and may have extensions missing. It is advised to install everything from DVD or the internet (as rich said) so that the computer knows it is installed.

 

[steveseven]

ok, but my question is: how can I tell what was from the Windows.old folder?

 

[richc46]

You install a new OS. Once installed there are a number of file. One file is windows.old. Windows.old represents everything but programs from your old OS. Nothing in your new OS is from windows.old.

You are suppose to transfer, everything except programs, manually. If you forgot to transfer something. You can manually go to windows.old to retreive it.

Therefore, nothing that you have on your OS is from windows.old unless you physically went to windows.old and transfrerred to the new OS.

Use your OS and enjoy it. If you are sure that everything is transferred, you can delete windows.old.

 

[gregrocker]

OP seems to say he moved some Program Files from windows.old into the new Win7 Program Files. Now he wants to know how to determine which those are to remove them.

Look in Control Panel>Programs and Features. Those are the Programs actually installed. Others in the Program Files are the ones you likely copied over. Just be sure before deleting each one that it isn't one which you have installed to Win7.

Set a restore point first so you can reverse the action if unable to retrieve a wrongly deleted Program file from Recycle Bin.

You might want to just put them back in the windows.old folder and keep it around until you are fully sorted out on this.

 

[steveseven]

ya, i planned to just cut/paste the windows.old program files i moved back into the windows.old folder. i thought they would be functional, but I guess not.

 

[gregrocker]

The reason Programs must be reinstalled is because they install into dozens of registry keys (the computer's "switchboard") and elsewhere, so there is no way to do that just by moving a file back into Programs FIles.

 

[gaz]

windows. old

i just deleted them myself as they seem to be unuseable anyway ,BUT CHECK BEFORE DELETING,gives you back some gbs

 

[richc46]

You got back quite a bit. gbs

 

[gregrocker]

i just deleted them myself as they seem to be unuseable anyway ,BUT CHECK BEFORE DELETING,gives you back some gbs

Windows.old is such a huge file I would not only delete it after being sure you have all you need from it, but clean up after it with CCleaner using "Run Cleaner" and Registry tab

then use state-of-the-art free Auslogics Defraggers to reorder files.

 

[steveseven]

i checked the control pannel -> programs and features. there were only like 3 things listed there. If i look at the program files from Date Created, is it safe to say any folder created after i installed Windows 7 are from Windows XP? im not even sure, because there are folders I thought were originaly in the Windows 7 program files folder that are from July i think

 

[1Bowtie]

Just a thought, when you install Win 7 that should be your first restore point surely that is before you transferred any prog's from win.old, go back to that point and you won't have to delete anything.

Smitty

 

[steveseven]

how do i perform a restore point? will that work? will that bring back anything I deleted after upgrading to Windows 7?

 

[steveseven]

Smitty, how do i perform a restore point? will that work? will that bring back anything I deleted after upgrading to Windows 7?

 

[gregrocker]

Look in All Programs>Accessories>System Tools for System Restore. Show all restore points and see if there is a restore point before you copied the files into Programs.

If so, select it and see what Programs will need to be reinstalled as a result of restoring. Make your decisiion, which is reversible by simply undoing the Restore Point in the same place.