Migration from earlier Windows versions to Windows 7


Perform Migration Install

You may begin the upgrade from Windows XP or Windows Vista to Windows 7 as follows:

From within the current operating system, insert the Windows 7 Upgrade media and run Setup.exe from the AutoPlay window. If Auto-Play does not start you may navigate to the device and select Setup.exe from the root folder.

The next screen will ask if you would like to go online to obtain the latest updates for installation. It is recommended that this be done, because as Windows 7 goes mainstream, updates will be released to fix any bugs or issues with the in-place upgrade.

The Setup wizard will connect to the Internet to obtain these updates, download them, and continue with the in-place upgrade. You may select to not get the latest updates and/or to help make Windows installation better. Selecting to make Windows installation better will send information to Microsoft. You may want to click the link under it see what exactly is sent to Microsoft by opting to help them.

On the next screen select Custom to perform the upgrade.

The following step asks for the partition where Windows 7 will be installed. Select the partition where Windows 7 will be installed and click Next. Windows Setup may ask for drivers in which case you will need to click Load Driver and select the drivers for the hard drive manually or if you have the media, plug it in and click OK.

Click Next and then OK. This will install Windows 7 on the chosen partition and not require further interaction.

Migration Post Install

One difference with a migration that did not format the hard drive during the setup process is that the old install will be renamed to Windows.old. This directory is no longer useful as it contains the old Windows installation.

Delete the Windows.old Directory

The Windows.old directory, which is the old Windows folder renamed during the upgrade, may now be removed. This may be manually removed by opening Windows Explorer, right-clicking on the folder, and selecting delete. Or it may be removed with the Disk Cleanup wizard.

1. Open Disk Cleanup by going to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup.

2. If you have multiple drives, select your current system drive and click OK.

3. Click Clean up system files. A scan will occur.

4. If prompted for a drive selection, select the drive or partition where Windows 7 was installed and click OK.

5. Check Previous Windows installation(s) and any other categories you may want to delete. Click OK and then click Delete Files.

Legal Disclaimer

Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Articleinput.com is a free articles resource thus practically any visitor can submit an article. However if you notice any copyrighted material, please contact us and we will remove the article(s) in discussion right away.

Note: This article was sent to us by: Dean Raphord at 10042010

Related Articles

1. Windows 7 User State Migration Toolkit installation and features
User State Migration Toolkit If you used the User State Migration Toolkit (USMT) from previous operating systems, you may not have been overjoyed by the perform...

2. Storing and securing migrated data in Windows 7
Windows 7: Local vs. remote storage When creating the migration store, you can use ScanState to store it locally or remotely. Locally means you're storing the m...

3. VDI in Windows 7 more benefits than before
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) has come a long way in the past few years. In short, VDI is the practice of hosting one or m...

4. How to create a bootable VHD in Windows 7
Create a Bootable VHD 1. Turn on the Windows Vista system and place the Windows 7 installation DVD in the system. When the system starts, select the option to boo...

5. Windows XP Mode can be a good solution for who considers Windows 7
Windows XP Mode Windows XP Mode is a virtualization technology that addresses a specific problem that prevented many people from moving from Windows XP to Windo...

6. How to publish applications from Windows XP Mode in Windows 7
1. From the Windows 7 host machine, click Start > All Programs > Windows Virtual PC > Windows Virtual PC. This will launch the Windows Virtual PC console. ...

7. Advantages of all three Windows 7 editions
Advantages of Windows 7 If you're wondering why Windows 7 is the pick of the Microsoft user - and why you should upgrade from an older Windows version, such as ...

8. The Windows 7 help system is the best of all Windows versions
Windows 7 Help System Windows 7 comes with the best Help system that has ever shipped with any version of Windows. It even has online components that you can re...

9. Windows 7 basic options you should know and use
Sleep mode Sleep mode immediately puts your computer in a low-power mode: The monitor turns black, and Windows seems to shut down. You can, however, return to...

10. Windows 7 taskbar menus and toolbars
Windows 7 taskbar The Windows 7 taskbar is that little strip of buttons and miniature icons that runs along the bottom of the screen. Like the Start menu, the...