Question on ExecTweets’ IT Q&A:
“Am I less likely to run into Windows 7 problems if I do a clean install, even on a Vista machine?”
Answer:
It’s not easy to migrate to Windows 7 from any machine, be it Windows Vista or Windows XP. With Windows XP, core incompatibilities just make it inherently difficult.
Virtualization software is one way to avert the problem all together. By adding a virtual window on your PC, you can migrate to Windows 7 without the concerns that the install will fail and data might get lost.
Brian Keller, a technical evangelist for Microsoft, offers a step-by-step guide for how to use virtualization technology such as Microsoft Virtual PC 2007.
The process takes a bit of technical knowledge but it does provide a way to install Windows 7 if you do not have a test machine.
But if you do not want to install virtual software on your machine then you will have to go through the standard upgrade to Windows 7.
Microsoft recommends you first install the Windows 7 Upgrade Package to make sure you can find potential issues with your computer’s hardware, devices, or programs that might affect installing Windows 7.
Installing does require that you upgrade to the correct version of Windows 7. Here’s a guide:
There are further complications that can arise.
For example, according to Microsoft, you can’t upgrade a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version, or upgrade from a higher edition of Windows, such as Windows Vista Ultimate, to a lower edition, such as Windows 7 Home Premium. If this is the case, you’ll need to use the Custom option during installation.
And the custom installation comes with its own set of issues.
Custom option does not preserve your files, settings, or programs. You’ll need to back up your files and settings before installing Windows 7, restore them after installation is complete—and you’ll also need to reinstall your programs using the original installation discs or files.
In theory, doing a clean install of Windows 7 is a process that can be done without a hitch. But to avoid many of the issues that come with upgrades, virtualization may be a cleaner way to go.
(Alex Williams blogs about enterprise issues for ReadWriteWeb.)
