Upgrading Windows XP to Windows 7 Pro

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I know Microsoft’s method for upgrading Windows XP to Windows 7 but it is time consuming. Has anyone tried doing a straight upgrade from XP to Win7? Will the Win7 install process even allow it? It would be great to hear about your experiences before attempting the upgrade and wasting time.

Noel Moore

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Have you run this upgrade advisor to see if your system is capable of running 7? I bought Win 7 Pro to put on my XP Home after running this Advisor as it passed the pre-requisities, but decided to put it on my Toshiba Satellite laptop instead which had Vista. I couldn’t bring myself to annihilate XP just yet.

Windows Update Advisor

Hey Jude

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Have you run this upgrade advisor to see if your system is capable of running 7? I bought Win 7 Pro to put on my XP Home after running this Advisor as it passed the pre-requisities, but decided to put it on my Toshiba Satellite laptop instead which had Vista. I couldn’t bring myself to annihilate XP just yet.

Windows Update Advisor

Hey Jude

Yes I did and it met all the requirements, I only had a problem with some software. It has enough HD space, Aero capable graphics, DVD burner, Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of memory. I don’t see why you can’t do a straight upgrade. Backing up and restoring files and settings and reinstalling your software is just so tedious!

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Noel Hi and welcome

Yes you can upgrade from win XP (pro only) directly to win 7. Microsoft does recommend a clean install though to prevent importing problems from a prior OS

Ken

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There is no direct upgrade path from XP to Windows 7. XP becomes a large folder named “Windows.old” and is not bootable. The files within the folder are accessible, but all programs and applications will have to be reinstalled in Windows 7.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Thanks everyone for your quick response, but especially yours Ken.

Noel

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If you go over to pcpro magazine http://www.pcpro.co.uk there is an excellent article on how you can / can’t upgrade from XP to w7

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If you go over to pcpro magazine http://www.pcpro.co.uk there is an excellent article on how you can / can’t upgrade from XP to w7

Yes, one can use the Windows 7 transfer wizard to collect files and settings from Windows XP to import into Windows 7, but no programs or applications. There is no direct upgrade path from Windows XP to Windows 7. The only direct upgrade paths to Windows 7 are from Windows Vista to Windows 7, and then they have to be on the same level.

In other words, the only way you can upgrade Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 is to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate. You can’t upgrade Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Professional.

And again, there is no direct upgrade path from any flavor of Windows XP. The most you can hope for is transferring some files and settings; no programs or applications. Those (if compatible) will have to be installed into Windows 7.

From Microsoft “Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7”

“To upgrade your PC from Windows XP to Windows 7, you’ll need to select the Custom option during Windows 7 installation. A custom installation doesn’t preserve your programs, files, or settings. It’s sometimes called a “clean” installation for that reason

What you need

[*]An external hard disk. You’ll need to move your files off of your PC before you install Windows 7. To make this easier, we recommend a free download called Windows Easy Transfer, which will require an external hard disk. They’re readily available at electronics and office supply stores, and they provide an easy way to add additional storage space to your computer.[*]The original installation discs or setup files for the programs that you want to use with Windows 7. You’ll need to reinstall your programs by hand after installing Windows 7. When you run Windows Easy Transfer you will get a report that lists the programs that you are currently using with Windows XP.”

One can use a USB thumb drive, depending on the volume of data you need to transfer. If you already have your data backed up to external storage of some kind, then all you may want to transfer are some profile settings. The Windows Easy Transfer works quite capably for profiles. I used an 8GB thumb drive, and I installed as a dual boot onto a second hard drive, so I have direct access to all my data.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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If you want to try and preserve settings and applications, http://www.laplink.com/pcmover/?OVRAW=laplink%20pc%20move . I heard of another program that advertises the same function but forgot the name.

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Hi Noel,

What is meant by “no straight upgrade path from XP to Windows 7” is that you will not be able to upgrade XP by starting the Windows 7 DVD from within XP, which is known as an “in place” upgrade. An “in place” upgrade is supposed to preserve your applications, settings and files. Windows 7 is so very different from XP that it is not possible to do this type of upgrade. The only route you can take is to boot from the Windows 7 DVD and choose a “Custom (Advanced)” install (in fact, even if you choose the “Upgrade” option at this point you will get an error message) which will move (or quarantine, if you will) all your XP system files, settings, apps and data into a folder named “Windows.old” . This means there is absolutely no overwriting or co-mingling of XP and Windows 7 system files, or setting up your XP apps for use in Windows 7. It is essentially the equivalent of a clean install.

You cannot run XP from the Windows.old folder when you do this “Custom” install, but as long as you do not delete the Windows.old folder, you can copy all your data files to your new Windows 7 installation. As bbearen stated, the Windows Easy Transfer will handle your settings and files, but any compatible applications you wish to move to Windows 7 will have to be reinstalled, not copied. Once you are satisfied that you will not need anything from the Windows.old folder you can use Disk Cleanup to quickly remove it from your hard drive.

If you were upgrading from Vista, you could startup the Windows 7 DVD setup program from within Vista and do an in place upgrade, or alternatively you could boot from the Windows 7 DVD and do a “Custom” install” to replace Vista just like you have to do with XP.

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