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Windows XP Upgrade to Windows 7 – Part III

January 25, 2010

In Part II, some very important pre-upgrade tasks were presented. Backing up your data and your settings should not be overlooked as that data is probably the most important piece of your entire computer – without it, you would not need much of a computer. Those settings you have under Windows XP, however, may not be as important depending on what you intend to do once you have Windows 7 loaded. Of course, the absolute top of the importance chart is the system backup of Windows XP; you never know for certain how smooth or rough this process will go and you need to have a backup of your operating system (OS) and applications in case things do go bad and you want to recover your old setup. Now on to the install process – please remember that it is best if you read all four parts of this procedure before you get started.

Now to the “Custom Install” method proposed for upgrading from XP to Windows 7 from back in Part I. There are two options to that process: the dual-boot (next to) and the direct (on top of) methods. The dual-boot method allows you to install Windows 7 on the same computer on which you are currently running Windows XP. It also allows you to access both of those operating systems and their associated installed applications. If your hard drive is large enough, this is a truly viable alternative. That way you will still have your XP OS and be able to switch over to Windows 7 simply by rebooting the computer and choosing it at boot up.

More likely, though, you will only want one OS with which to work. This works very well for that as well. Just install Windows 7 in the dual-boot format, go back and forth as needed as you work to set up Windows 7 as you had your Windows XP configured, and then remove the Windows XP install. True, it is not that simple, but that is the process overview. It does allow you to be sure of your Windows 7 setup before you commit to it, though, and that is one more margin of safety.

There is a prerequisite for this and you must pay close attention. First, you will have to set up your hard drive for the install. You will need at least two primary partitions – one for Windows XP and one for Windows 7 – and both of them should be on the primary drive (Drive 0) in your system (for the sake of this process). Since it is likely that you have only one partition on your drive, you will need to repartition your hard drive. There are several applications for this, such as Norton PartitionMagic (~$65). There are many free – and high quality – partitioning applications available; just search at cnet.com or wherever you find your applications. Once downloaded, repartition your drive and begin the Windows 7 install by installing it inside the empty partition you just created.

If that method just does not appeal to you, then we must move to the direct (on top of) procedure. This method does not require you to have the second partition. You will simply boot the computer up into the Windows 7 install disc (or however you are planning to install it) and start the process. After Windows 7 is up and running on the system, proceed to install your applications and pull over your saved settings and data. You will also still have some folders from your Windows XP installation inside a folder called Windows.old; you will find your XP system files, Documents and Settings folders, and Program Files folders here.

It sounds much more complex here than it really is and you will see that once you start the process. Take your time and do it right, and you will likely have a smooth and quick procedure. In the next section you will see what you should do once you have finished the install and Windows 7 has replaced your Windows XP.

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Tags: custom install, install windows 7, orimary drive, partition software, second partition, system backup, system files, win 7, windows 7, windows 7 setting, xp