I'm thinking about upgrading Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Pro. Do I need
Vista installed or can I just insert the CD/DVD when required?
Three points:
1. Clearly, if you want to do an upgrade, the operating system you
want to upgrade from needs to be installed. But since you ask,
presumably you don't want to do an upgrade but want to do a clean
installation instead.
2. Unlike the way it worked with previous version, if you want to do a
clean installation with a Windows 7 Upgrade DVD, what you are
upgrading from needs to be installed.
3. Although many people will tell you that formatting and installing
cleanly is the best way to go, I disagree. Unlike with previous
versions of Windows, when doing an upgrade was often a mistake, an
upgrade to Windows XP or later replaces almost everything, and usually
works very well.
The only real exception is when you are having problems; in that
situation, an upgrade often worsens problems, rather than solving
them.
My recommendation is to at least try the upgrade, since it's much
easier than a clean installation. You can always change your mind and
reinstall cleanly if problems develop.
However, don't assume that doing an upgrade relieves you of the need
to backup your data, etc. before beginning. Before starting to
upgrade, it's always prudent to recognize that things like a sudden
power loss can occur in the middle of it and cause the loss of
everything. For that reason you should make sure you have backups and
anything else you need to reinstall if the worst happens.
