10 things you should know about moving from Windows XP to
Windows 7
Greg Shultz
If you skipped Windows Vista and stuck with Windows XP, chances
are good that you are now seriously considering moving to Windows 7
after it's released on October 22. If so, there is much for you to
do. Not only should you begin planning for your operating system
migration, but you should begin learning as much as you can about
Windows 7. Here are 10 things you can do to get ready for the
switch.
1: Check your hardware
Windows 7 was designed to be lean in terms of hardware, so that it
will be able to function satisfactorily on sub-powered netbooks. If
you're running Windows XP on a computer manufactured within the
last three or four years, chances are good that Windows 7 will run
fine on your system. However, you can make sure that your hardware
is compatible by running
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.
The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will perform a detailed scan of
your entire system, checking hardware, programs, and peripheral
devices. Once the scan is complete, the Upgrade Advisor will
display a report telling you whether your system meets the hardware
requirements and idenfying are any known compatibility issues with
your programs and devices. If it finds problems, the Upgrade
Advisor will provide suggestions you can use to better analyze your
upgrade options to Windows 7.
You can download
the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from the Microsoft Download
Center. At the time of this writing, this tool is listed as
being a Beta version. However, running it now will give you a good
idea of what you will be facing as you prepare for your
upgrade.
If you're planning a much bigger Windows XP to Windows 7
migration, you'll want to investigate the
Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit. This free toolkit,
which runs across the network without having to install software on
client systems, will allow you to investigate systems and compile
reports on hardware and device compatibility.
2: Understand the Custom Install
If you're running Windows XP on your computer and you want to use
Windows 7 on that same computer, you'll purchase an Upgrade license
package of Windows 7. However, you won't be able to perform an
in-place upgrade. In other words, you won't be able to upgrade to
Windows 7 on top of XP and keep all your applications and settings
"in place." Instead, you'll have to perform a Custom Install, which
Microsoft describes as follows:
A custom (clean) installation gives you the option to either
completely replace your current operating system or install Windows
on a specific drive or partition that you select. You can also
perform a custom installation if your computer does not have an
operating system, or if you want to set up a multiboot system on
your computer.
When you completely replace Windows XP, the installation
procedure will not totally obliterate it. In fact, the installation
procedure will create a folder on the hard disk called Windows.old
and will place the Windows, Documents And Settings, and Program
Files folders from your Windows XP installation in it. Your data
files will be safe and accessible, but your applications will not
be viable. (Even though the Custom Install saves your data in the
Windows.old folder, you will want to have a separate backup on hand
just in case!)
Regardless of whether you choose to completely replace Windows
XP or set up a multiboot system, you are going to have to back up
and transfer all of your data, reinstall all of your applications,
and reconfigure all of your settings.
3: Consider a setting up a multiboot
configuration
When pondering a Custom Install, you
should consider setting up a multiboot configuration. That will
place both Windows XP and Windows 7 at your disposal, which will be
a big advantage as you begin migrating your settings, documents,
and applications. More specifically, you can boot into Windows XP
to check out how something is set up and then boot into Windows 7
to re-create the same configuration. Once you have everything in
Windows 7 exactly the way you had it in Windows XP, you can remove
the multiboot configuration set Windows 7 as the primary OS and
then remove Windows XP.
To be able to perform this type of switch, both XP and 7 must be
installed on the same hard disk but on separate partitions. (If you
install Windows 7 on a second hard disk, the boot partition will
exist on the first hard disk, so you won't be able to remove that
drive once you're ready to get rid of XP.) As a result, you'll need
to repartition your hard disk to make room for Windows 7. To
repartition your hard disk without destroying data, you can take
advantage of partition management software, such as Norton
PartitionMagic 8.0, which retails for about $70, or
Easeus Partition Manager Home Edition 4.0.1, which is available
for free and earned a 4.5 star rating in a recent CNET editors'
review.
4: Plan your backup and restore strategy
Before you move from one operating system to another, you'll want
to back up all your data - at least once and maybe twice, just in
case. While it may sound like overkill, having an extra backup will
give you peace of mind.
If you're using a third-party backup program, you will need to
check the manufacturer's Web site to see whether the program will
be upgraded to work in Windows 7. If you aren't using a third-party
backup program, you're probably using Windows XP's native Backup
Utility. As you may have heard, the file format used for this tool
isn't compatible with Windows Vista's Backup And Restore Center. To
provide for that, Microsoft released a special version of the XP
Backup Utility, called the Windows NT Backup - Restore Utility.
It's designed specifically for restoring backups made on Windows XP
to computers running Windows Vista. While I was unable to get
official confirmation, it is a safe bet that this special version
will work in Windows 7 or will be adapted to do so.
If you aren't willing to take that bet or you are not sure
whether your third-party backup program will be upgraded to work in
Windows 7, you can simply make copies of all your data files on
CD/DVD or on an external hard disk.
5: Plan your data transfer strategy
To move from one operating system to another, you'll probably want
to use a transfer program that will scan your XP system, pull out
all your data and settings, and then transfer them to Windows 7.
Fortunately, the Windows 7 Easy Transfer utility can provide this
service for you. However, before you perform this transfer
operation, it will be in your best interest to have a separate back
up copy of your data (see #4).
The new operating system will come with two copies of the
Windows 7 Easy Transfer. One copy will be on the DVD and the other
will be installed with the operating system. Before you install
Windows 7, you will run Windows 7 Easy Transfer from the DVD and
back up all your files and settings. Then, once you have Windows 7
installed, you'll use it to move all your files and settings to the
new operating system. You can learn more about the Windows 7 Easy
Transfer by reading the article Step-by-Step:
Windows 7 Upgrade and Migration on the Microsoft TechNet
site.
6: Inventory your applications and gather your
CDs
Since you won't be able to perform an in-place
upgrade when you move from Windows XP to Windows 7, you'll have to
reinstall all your applications that passed the Windows 7 Upgrade
Advisor compatibility tests (see #1). It will be helpful to have an
inventory of all the installed applications so that you can track
down all your CDs or compile a list of Web sites for those
applications you downloaded.
While the report generated by the Upgrade Advisor will be
helpful as you create an inventory, it won't be comprehensive. To
create a detailed inventory, you can use something like the Belarc
Advisor. For more details, see the article Gather
detailed system information with Belarc Advisor.
7: Become familiar with the new UI
The UI in Windows 7 is quite different from the UI in Windows XP,
and it offers a lot of new features. As a result, you may encounter
what I call "UI Shock." You'll know what you want to do, but you'll
experience a momentary lapse of composure as you strive to adapt
what you know about XP's UI to what you're seeing and experiencing
in Windows 7.
To ease the level of UI shock, you'll want to become as familiar
as possible with the features of the new Windows 7 UI. One starting
point is Microsoft's Windows 7 page. While a lot of the content
here is essentially marketing related, it will give you a good idea
of what to look for when you actually move into the Windows 7
operating system.
To help you get right to the good stuff, check out:
You'll also find useful information on the
Windows Training Portal on the Microsoft Learning site. Be sure
to check out:
- The
Windows 7 Learning Snacks, which are short, interactive
presentations. Each Snack is delivered via animations and recorded
demos using Microsoft Silverlight.
- The
Microsoft Press sample chapters from upcoming Windows 7 books.
Viewing the free chapters requires registration, but it is a short
procedure. Once you're registered, you can access sample chapters
from Windows 7 Inside Out, Windows 7 Resource Kit, Windows 7
Step by Step, and Windows 7 for Developers.
8: Check for XP Mode support
If you
discover that some of the applications you're currently running in
Windows XP are not compatible with Windows 7 (see #1) or you just
want to keep Windows XP accessible, don't forget about Windows XP
Mode. This virtual environment includes a free, fully licensed,
ready-to-run copy of Windows XP with SP3 that runs under Windows
Virtual PC in Windows 7.
As you consider the Windows XP Mode, keep these things in
mind:
- Windows XP Mode is available only in Windows 7 Professional,
Enterprise, and Ultimate editions.
- Your computer must support processor-based virtualization.
You can learn more about Windows XP Mode from the following
TechRepublic resoruces:
9: Ask questions
You aren't the only one making the move from Windows XP to Windows
7, so ask questions and share information you pick up along the
way. Of course, you can use the TechRepublic discussion forums. But
you should cast a wider net.
One good place to connect with Microsoft experts is the Getting Ready
for Windows 7 section of the Microsoft Answers site. Another
good place is in the
Windows 7 forums in the Windows Client TechCenter on the
Microsoft TechNet site.
10: Subscribe to the Windows Vista and Windows 7
Report
TechRepublic's free Windows Vista and Windows
7 Report newsletter, which is delivered every Friday, offers tips,
news, and scuttlebutt on Windows 7. As we count down to October 22,
the day that Windows 7 is to be released to the general public, we
will be covering topics of interest to Windows XP users in more
detail. You can sign up on the
TechRepublic newsletters page.
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