changing from vista to seven

[poppa48]

Ok everyone I am new here so no newby jokes

My minister has an hp laptop that uses Vista and I have suggested that she should convert to System Seven.

So my question is this, how can it be done without losing any data, preferably and can it be done and have it run effectively with no bugs.

Assuming this can all be done is there any special tricks that need to be observed short of purcashing system seven which is not a problem

Many thanks in advance and have a great day

Fred

 

[DeaconFrost]

Ha ha newbie! *points and laughs* Just kidding...only typed that because you said no jokes.

You could do this one of two ways. You could upgrade the laptop, which will save all data and programs, but the downside is, it leaves (can leave, at least) some of the junk behind, and doesn't always yield the best performance or stability.

The second options, and the one I'd vote for, is to backup all the important data, do a clean install of Windows 7, then copy back the data. This will guarantee you use newest drivers, as well.

Either way, download and run this on the laptop to spot any potential problems.
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor - Download - Microsoft Windows

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Pappa48,
Welcome to SF. As DeaconFrost mentions the worst case by clean installing and backing up all data is your Minister would end up with another external drive likely usb powered to again back all data,music and pictures up to. She may already be doing this and have the info backed up?

 

[Imperfect1]

Hi poppa48, welcome to the forum. I completely agree with Deacon Frost's advice, and here's some additional information for your minister, on the upgrade method options, regarding upgrading to Windows 7:

The reason for running Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor - Download - Microsoft Windows before one upgrades, is to see whether that system is capable of handling Windows 7; the Upgrade Advisor scans the computer and flags any issues relating to its hardware and software.

It is also very important BEFORE the update, for her to back up all of her data, (and make external copies of all of her personal files and folders, especially including her SWSETUP folder (which contains the Vista preloaded apps and drivers. She may need some of them, others may have been replaced with Win 7 versions on the download site for her model, (however that said, if they are Vista compatible, they should run in Win 7 with no problems. If any Win 7 app doesn’t work, she can use her backed-up data to bring it back. The Windows.old folder will have all of the old Vista files, programs and apps in it.)

It's also a good idea for her to copy Vista to a Recovery Partition in case she needs to go back to Vista. Once she makes the Recovery Partition, she should burn a DVD disc from it so that she can re-install Vista from the DVD instead of the Recovery partition.

Here's some additional help for any upgrade problems:

Windows Tech Support (from Microsoft): http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?LN=EN-US
Clean Install Windows 7

Seven Forums Tutorials:
How to Do a Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version
How to Use Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
How to Do a Upgrade Installation with Windows 7
How to Install Windows 7 from USB Pen Drive Using Grub4Dos
How to Create a New Partition or Volume in Windows 7
How to Do a Custom Installation of Windows 7
How to Install Windows 7 on Computer with Less than 512MB RAM

 

[poppa48]

thanks but

Thanks for the info on upgrading from Vista to Seven but another question has arisen. Is there ever a hardware situation that would prevent this from being able to take place. Now be kind here as i am NOT a techie, but i really want to be sure and the take the necessary action.

Thanks again and look forward to hearing your reply

Fred

Ha ha newbie! *points and laughs* Just kidding...only typed that because you said no jokes.

You could do this one of two ways. You could upgrade the laptop, which will save all data and programs, but the downside is, it leaves (can leave, at least) some of the junk behind, and doesn't always yield the best performance or stability.

The second options, and the one I'd vote for, is to backup all the important data, do a clean install of Windows 7, then copy back the data. This will guarantee you use newest drivers, as well.

Either way, download and run this on the laptop to spot any potential problems.
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor - Download - Microsoft Windows

 

[theog]

Check the OEM manufacturer's website for Windows 7 Driver support.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Thanks for the info on upgrading from Vista to Seven but another question has arisen. Is there ever a hardware situation that would prevent this from being able to take place.

Any hardware that can run Vista should be able to handle Windows 7, but you should nevertheless run the "Upgrade Advisor" mentioned earlier in this thread.

Back up your data, bookmarks, and email to another drive, presumably an external drive. Buy a retail copy of Windows 7, most likely the Home Premium edition.

Then do a fresh install of Windows 7, wiping out all the current partitions and data on it.

Then restore your data from your backup source.

It's pretty much a painless procedure.

 

[DeaconFrost]

The reason I suggested the Upgrade Advisor is to check the current installed software base. You shouldn't need the Upgrade Advisor to answer the hardware question. If the system has enough memory, and is fairly recent, it should run Windows 7 just fine.