Upgrading Windows Vista to Windows 7
By Joel Gaskell
While many people will first experience Windows 7 through buying a new computer with the operating system pre-installed, it will also make sense for many to upgrade existing computers to the new version, for some of the reasons I have touched on in a previous post. For users of Windows Vista, there are potentially two ways of going about the upgrade.
The simplest method is to run a direct upgrade. This keeps all of the current settings and programs installed on the Windows Vista machine and just upgrades the operating system to Windows 7. Installing the upgrade in this manner is just a matter of inserting the Windows 7 DVD and following the prompts. The Windows 7 installation program collects the information that it needs and then runs through the installation, rebooting the computer as often as it needs to along the way. Depending on the hardware in use, the upgrade can take up to a few hours.
The second method is to run a custom installation that wipes the hard disk and installs a fresh copy of Windows 7. This method does not keep the settings from Windows Vista and any programs need to be reinstalled as they will also be removed. It does ensure that the operating system installation is clean and is not bogged down by legacy issues related to Windows Vista. Running this type of installation requires booting the computer from the Windows 7 DVD and selecting a Custom Installation. The installation program then collects the required information and runs through the installation as per the direct upgrade method.
Depending on the edition of Windows Vista being upgraded and the edition of Windows 7 you are upgrading to, the direct method may not be available and a custom installation may be required. The table below shows the editions of Windows Vista that can be directly upgraded to Windows 7 and the edition of Windows 7 to which they can be upgraded. For upgrades between editions not listed below, a custom installation will be the only option.
| From Windows Vista (SP1, SP2) | Upgrade to Windows 7 |
|---|---|
| Business | Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate |
| Enterprise | Enterprise |
| Home Basic | Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate |
| Home Premium | Home Premium, Ultimate |
| Ultimate | Ultimate |
For users of Windows XP or earlier, the only upgrade option is a custom installation as there is no direct upgrade possible from Windows XP to Windows 7. Of course, if you have Windows Vista media available, it is possible to run an upgrade in two stages, by upgrading Windows XP to Windows Vista and then upgrading Windows Vista to Windows 7. This is not a course of action I would recommend. A custom installation is really the best option in this situation.
Tags: Microsoft, operating system, Vista, Windows, Windows 7