Moving from Windows XP to Windows 7

[KimR.]

I know that Michelle and Andrea have recently started using Windows 7 and that move is in my near future. Any advice or tips and tricks anyone can share on making the switch would be appreciated. I use 7 at work and on my laptop and like it, so using it isn't an issue.

I only have programs on my c drive. Everything else is on a separate HD and backed up on 2 EHDs so I'm not really worried about that. It's the programs and drivers I'm concerned about, I know some of them are old and might not play well with 7.:(

PSE 10 is here waiting to be installed, but I'm thinking that would be a waste of time since I plan to install 7 when I'm on break from work AND have the gifts I plan to do complete.

I look forward to hearing from y'all about making the move!

[Becky]

Well I probably won't be of help because my computer was "sick" and I took it to Staples to have them fix it. While they had it, I had them install Windows 7. At first they did an upgrade, but it didn't fix all the problems I was having with Vista, so I took it back and they did a hard install (formatted the hard drive and installed Windows 7.) I really do like it!!!

[msbrad]

Kim-
It it my understanding, XP cannot go directly to win7. That drive gets flatted/dies or whatever the correct techy word is.

David [mr IT] "made the move for me":eek:...however...I will admit I was a nervous nellie, but all is good. :D I oversaved in several locations. Hence the new issues I'm now chatting about.

We bought a new 1 T "c" drive. That is what win 7 "sees".
He took my old C and named it E, so now my 2nd 1 T HD.

If you save/save, to your ehd's you can copy / paste back... or just view and use.

Double check with A and Traci, but I think I'm on the right page here.
m

[GreenEyedLadyDesigns]

Kim-
It it my understanding, XP cannot go directly to win7. That drive gets flatted/dies or whatever the correct techy word is.

Not sure what you're referring to Michi, but both my DH and I upgraded from XP to Windows 7. The biggest catch was that we hade to move to the same "level." So if you have XP Home, you have to move to Win7 Home.

[msbrad]

Not sure what you're referring to Michi, but both my DH and I upgraded from XP to Windows 7. The biggest catch was that we hade to move to the same "level." So if you have XP Home, you have to move to Win7 Home.
I wasn't told that. Myself and others I know... were told to save it... and replace it.
Now, I'm the first to say, I'm not the 'expert'. We are PC, maybe mac is different, I do not know.
m

[GreenEyedLadyDesigns]

I wasn't told that. Myself and others I know... were told to save it... and replace it.
Now, I'm the first to say, I'm not the 'expert'. We are PC, maybe mac is different, I do not know.
m

LOL, Michi! Mac IS different! You're either Windows or Mac but not both. I'm talking about when I was on a PC. I know lots of people that have upgraded from XP to Windows 7 with no problems, so maybe it depends on the state of your computer.

[msbrad]

Ahhh, that state of technology... I have heard the border patrol can be rough at times. ^p
I'm thinking I'm in a " good" state now. Now, my plan to ORG... And then I'm on a roll with pages again!:D
m

[KimR.]

Thanks for the info, Michelle and Vicki!

Hubby and I have been reading and talked with my nephew who is working as a programmer and is almost finished with his IT degree. There's the issue of 32-bit or 64-bit and ram and all of that stuff. We ran Windows Upgrade Advisor and it looks like most everything is compatible with 7 with some software updates.

V, it does say we would have to do a custom install and reinstall programs. You didn't have to do this?

[msbrad]

Kim, I had to re-install programs. I have 64 bit. They re-installed without problem.
m

[Andrea]

Reason, I switched to Win7, Matilda was real sick at the time. There were too many issues with XP, to try to repair. Win7 has been good, but I'm still learning it. I did have to reinstall software. There was no problem only with the ACDSee version I had. To old for Win7. I'm happy with it... it is just a change!!!!SmilieFaceand I know how you just love changes Kim!!!!!

[msbrad]

LOL- A. The changing part scared the stew out of me too. I'm happy now. Love the search features on it. I find another way to play hide and seek every day.busy1
m

[Grace]

Kim, thanks for starting this interesting thread.

When the time comes to moving to Win7, I plan to buy a new computer. But from reading this thread, it seems to me that many of you upgraded to Win7 with the computer you had.

I have WindowsXP Professional with 750GB hard drive and 3GB RAM and I want two 1-TB hard drive and at least 8GB RAM.

[Traci]

Ahhh, that state of technology... I have heard the border patrol can be rough at times. ^pm

Michi...this gave me a great giggle! I agree!

As to upgrading from XP to 7...by all means doable! I upgraded one computer from Vista (ICK!) to 7...and three others from XP to 7. No issues. If you are upgrading, I have found that there are a couple of things you need to ask yourself....do I have issues with the old OS that need fixing? Do I have all my programs backed up to reinstall?

IF you have issues and need to do a fix, the best way to upgrade is to do what Michi called a "hard" upgrade. In other words, format the drive and install Win7. The install disk will ask you if that is the way you want to go. Advantage is that you have an essentially new setup and it's like having a new computer.

If you are OK with the current state of your OS (no major issues that need fixing) or don't have your program disks for something, then you can do an "in place" upgrade. That is also a choice from the program disk. That will install Win7 in a new folder on your main HDD and keep your former programs intact and the system settings in place. While it may sound easier to do it this way, I'm enough of a purist to think that wiping the drive and starting over again is a better option. Things just run better. The downside is that it is time consuming. I can do a full format and reinstall in about a day...but I run literally tons of proggies on this machine. My laptop can format and reinstall in about two hours. But all I keep on there are the basic OS, Photoshop and Office. Pretty basic.

Kim has the right system going on hers....programs on the C: drive and all data on the secondary drive. That makes life so much easier for the user. If you need to reinstall the OS, all you need to do is just that. All your data is on a separate drive and won't need to be reinstalled again. I've done it that way for a long time and it makes my life lots easier.....smilie-love029

The main difference between using 32 bit and 64 bit computing is that the 64 bit makes much more efficient use of memory (RAM). You will notice a very marked difference in the way Photoshop operates. It is much faster and some of the processor-intensive operations (like the smudge tool) work way better. The downside of 64 bit computing is that there are still a FEW things that won't run well on it. But the operating system is written to enable 32 bit programs to run from within the 64 bit systems.

Ummm....am I boring anyone? Anyone still awake? ROFL01

[Karen]

I upgraded from XP to 7 when I purchased a new computer. I was already using 7 down at the Telecentre so it was easy to change over to using it at home and yes, I am very happy with the change.

Karen

[msbrad]

Grace, I did it ( well with Bil's and the IT help),as those were the boys at hand but Traci really kept me sane. :D
It can be done. We will get you thru.
m

[Grace]

Michi, the Den community is the best!

I'm going to stay with XP as long as possible. I'm using my husband's iMac until I get my new monitor this week for the PC. I like the PC much better than the iMac. :)

[KimR.]

IF you have issues and need to do a fix, the best way to upgrade is to do what Michi called a "hard" upgrade. In other words, format the drive and install Win7. The install disk will ask you if that is the way you want to go. Advantage is that you have an essentially new setup and it's like having a new computer.

If you are OK with the current state of your OS (no major issues that need fixing) or don't have your program disks for something, then you can do an "in place" upgrade. That is also a choice from the program disk. That will install Win7 in a new folder on your main HDD and keep your former programs intact and the system settings in place. While it may sound easier to do it this way, I'm enough of a purist to think that wiping the drive and starting over again is a better option. Things just run better. The downside is that it is time consuming. I can do a full format and reinstall in about a day...but I run literally tons of proggies on this machine. My laptop can format and reinstall in about two hours. But all I keep on there are the basic OS, Photoshop and Office. Pretty basic.

Kim has the right system going on hers....programs on the C: drive and all data on the secondary drive. That makes life so much easier for the user. If you need to reinstall the OS, all you need to do is just that. All your data is on a separate drive and won't need to be reinstalled again. I've done it that way for a long time and it makes my life lots easier.....

The main difference between using 32 bit and 64 bit computing is that the 64 bit makes much more efficient use of memory (RAM). You will notice a very marked difference in the way Photoshop operates. It is much faster and some of the processor-intensive operations (like the smudge tool) work way better. The downside of 64 bit computing is that there are still a FEW things that won't run well on it. But the operating system is written to enable 32 bit programs to run from within the 64 bit systems.

Ummm....am I boring anyone? Anyone still awake? ROFL01

I'm still awake, Traci, and surprisingly what you've said makes sense to me.:eek:

I have all of the program disks, so will do the "hard" upgrade since I think my computer runs slower than it should and I have only programs on my C drive. My favorite IT guy (the one at work) set it up that way after he cured it of viruses not once but twice. He was amazed (maybe shocked?) at how many files I had with pics and scrapbooking "stuff"--I know he'd also be amazed at what all of you have! We scrappers know how many files we have and are always wanting more.:D

Seems like the only programs I seem to use are PSE and MS Office. I'm sure there are more than that, but maybe I'll just install as I need them and leave things uncluttered...

Better get ready for work now, catch y'all later.:)

[msbrad]

Hi T- It made sense to me too. :D I have lots of programs on my C drive, and mine flies sweet!
Good luck Kim, You can do it.
m

[Andrea]

Thanxs Traci for all the info...it did makes sense...Must be all the "geek" talk in the other thread is actually helping us!!! Super congrats to you and Vicki for all your patience with us!!!!

applause party5 applause

[Traci]

Aw....I love to help everyone with computer stuff. I so well remember the frustration back when I was a newbie...and there was no one around to ask. :eek:

Kim....I think that the hard upgrade sounds like the way to go on yours....how much RAM do you have?

[KimR.]

Kim....I think that the hard upgrade sounds like the way to go on yours....how much RAM do you have?

Traci, I thought it had 4GB RAM, but the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor says 3.3 GB. :confused: I'm wondering if it's a good time to add some more RAM?

[Traci]

Traci, I thought it had 4GB RAM, but the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor says 3.3 GB. :confused: I'm wondering if it's a good time to add some more RAM?

Yes, the Windows Upgrade Adviser comes up with some odd numbers. What that likely meant is that you have 2 RAM chips that are 2 GB each....but only 3.3 GB available at the moment it looked at your machine. In my opinion, a RAM upgrade is the best bang for your buck. You can max out your machine (if it isn't already)....mine is maxed at 8GB and I did that some time ago. When you upgrade to Win7, the entire 8GB will be useable by your programs. Under earlier versions of Windows, 4GB was the max it could use. But Win7 can utilize ummm.....oh, nuts! I can't remember what the max is. I think it is around 64GB...but don't quote me on that, because I just plain don't remember.

RAM is very cheap now....when I upgraded my RAM, I think I paid around $28/GB.....and that was a while back. In general, you will have to replace pairs of RAM chips with new matched chips. So instead of 2 2GB chips, you would have 2 4GB chips. It is quite easy to do it yourself if you aren't afraid to crack the case.

Crucial (http://www.crucial.com/store/drammemory.aspx) has a pretty good memory advisor to help you pick what you need for your own machine....the link will take you there and all you do is follow the prompts. And it will tell you what your max RAM is so you will know if you can upgrade or not.

Sorry for the wordy reply....I luv me my 'puters! :o

[KimR.]

Traci, Thanks for the info, I'll check out that Crucial site when I have some time. I think that I'll have my fav IT guy take care of the move to Win 7 and adding RAM and all of that--I might be able to do it but it would just be easier to let him do it!:D

[Traci]

True, Kim....the IT guy has all the goodies to do a fast upgrade with minimum sweat. And besides....the first time you crack the case on a computer, I can tell you....your heart is in your throat and you're waiting for something.....dreadful....to happen. :rolleyes: laughter1

[Ellen]

thanks for that link it looks like I can upgrade to a higher RAM ( max 8 GB) but need to install a 64 bit system instead of 32 bit before it will recognise and use the higher Ram

[Traci]

thanks for that link it looks like I can upgrade to a higher RAM ( max 8 GB) but need to install a 64 bit system instead of 32 bit before it will recognise and use the higher Ram
That is correct, Ellen. But if you upgrade to Win7, it is designed to install either the 32 or the 64 bit system.

[Ellen]

my windows 7 came with the new laptop Traci and has the 32 bit
so I guess I'll have to beg steal or borrow a 64 bit version cd somewhere. ( the laptop came with no cd.)

[Traci]

If you have a dual core processor, then you can run the 64 bit system. That would be the determiner for this....and I would expect that you will find your Win7 program on a separate partition of your drive. That is the way they include the "disaster backup" files now.....