Windows 7 Upgrade Advice
If you have decided to make the switch from Windows Vista to Windows 7, then you’ll have to go through the process of upgrading to the new Windows version. You’ll be happy to know that this process is very simple. All you have to do is purchase the Windows7 operating system, load the disc into your PC, and then let the upgrade program run.
If you’re still on Windows XP and you are now looking to move right to Windows 7, then you will have a little bit more complicated process to go through. This is due to the fact that the operating system software between the two is so drastically different for the two operating systems, and there really is not easy upgrade strategy or path between the two. You will have to completely uninstall the old OS and the install the new Windows 7 OS, all while keeping your old data available somewhere through some other medium.
This shouldn’t stop you however from taking the jump from Windows XP to Windows 7. If you want to make the process of upgrading between the two much more simple, then follow the steps below.
First of all, make sure you can satisfy the system requirements that exist with the new Windows 7 operating system. This is important to know because if you can’t satisfy the system requirements, then you’re basically out of luck unless you do some upgrading. Here are some of the requirements that you have to meet:
1. 1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
2. 1GB RAM (32-bit) / 2GB RAM (64-bit)
3. 16GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20GB (64-bit)
4. DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver.
If you cannot satisfy the requirements that are listed above, then you may have to by a new system, or simply upgrade the necessary components in order to meet the requirements.
Second, you’ll want to get the latest version of the Microsoft Upgrade Advisor, which is a free program that will analyze your current system to identify any issues that may exist that might cause issues during the upgrade. Things like hard drives, processors, RAM, drivers, adapters, and others will be analyzed to make sure that meet the standards of the Windows 7 OS.
Third, you will want to make a backup of your important data and other valuable files that you would like to move to the new system. You could use an external hard drive to store anything that you want to move over to the new OS once the upgrade is complete. Not sure how to transfer the data to your external hard drive? No problem, just use a free tool like Windows Easy Transfer, which will guide you through the process of selecting and backing up the data of your choice. Once the upgrade is complete, you can move this data onto your new system.
When you are ready to perform the upgrade, insert the disc and follow the instructions throughout the process. You will have to select the custom option in order to go from Windows XP to Windows 7. If you need help, view the upgrade tutorial on the Microsoft website.
When the installation process is complete and Windows 7 is now up and running on your PC, then you can use Windows Easy Transfer once more to get the data from your external hard drive back onto your machine.
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