kenneth said:
currently running win2000pro, have an upgrade disk to home basic vista. i
believe i have to do a clean install to upgrade. what is easiest, most pain
free way to keep all my programs and get vista running. note: not very
computer savvy so please keep that in mind!!
First please make sure your computer will support Vista. If your
computer was designed to run Windows 2000, it is doubtful that Vista
will be a good match for your hardware. Vista requires a great deal of
hardware power with a fast processor, at least 1GB of RAM, and a good
video card. Even though you only wish Vista Basic and will forego the
Aero eye candy, you need to check out your hardware compatibility. Not
least is the issue of whether there are Vista drivers for your hardware.
If no drivers are available for Vista, you will not have a successful
upgrade.
To answer your question, there is no way you can retain your programs
with a clean install. A clean install means starting from scratch. All
programs must be reinstalled from the installation media (CD/DVD,
downloaded program installer). Data must be restored from backups. Also
you need to make sure that your programs are compatible with Vista; many
older programs will run fine but many older programs will not.
Here are some general links about upgrading Vista:
Homepage -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/default.aspx
Upgrade planning -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeinfo.mspx
Comparison chart by MVP Tom Porterfield -
http://support.teloep.org/vistaver.htm
If you want more help, post back with your computer's specs. If this is
an OEM machine (Dell, HP, etc.) then include the make and model of the
computer.
Malke
