upgrade to win7 from computer with vista/XP option?

  • Thread starter Thread starter susie margaret
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susie margaret

hello --

i bought a new computer (dell optiplex 330) in dec, 2008, with a
configuration called "vista premium downgrade relationship." basically, what
this means is that the computer came with XP/SP3 installed but that i have a
separate disk that will install vista instead if i decide i want to (i can't
remember if it uninstalls the XP or exactly what happens with the XP if i do
switch to vista).

what i haven't been able to figure out from the articles that i have read is
whether, with programs that will be available either now or when win7 is
formally released, i can upgrade to win7 --
(1) directly from my currently-installed XP, or
(2) by switching from XP to vista by means of the vista installation disk
that i have, and then upgrading to win7 from there, or
(3) either one, and if so which route is the least hassle and the least
likely to bollix up my computer.

or maybe i should start from scratch -- scrap both XP and vista from this
computer, and just install a clean win7?

does anyone know about this issue?

thanks -- susie margaret

PS -- TO THE MODERATOR -- i also posted this in "windows XP general." if
cross-posting is not OK, i will gratefully accept guidance (i wasn't sure
which forum was best applicable).
 
philo said:
I think it is a bit pre-mature to say for sure exactly what will happen
when Windows 7 is officially released.

However, going by what is now current information...a move from XP to
Windows 7 will require a clean installation while Vista can be directly
upgraded (depending on exactly which version you have and are going to)

As a general rule, a clean install is usually the best way to go
anyway... so I'm not sure if the clean install method from XP to Win7 is
a bad idea.

OTOH: What exactly to you expect to gain by moving from XP to Windows
7...it is certainly going to take more resources than XP.
Click to expand...



dear professor philo --

i would want to get to win7 because i understand that support for XP will no
longer be available after a certain time (two or three years from now?). so
i figured that i might as well go ahead and bite the bullet as far as getting
familiar with a new OS.

my computer is new as of dec, 2008, with 2 GB RAM and 80 GB hard drive. is
that insufficient to handle vista or win7?

thanks -- susie margaret
 
susie margaret wrote
i bought a new computer (dell optiplex 330) in dec, 2008, with a
configuration called "vista premium downgrade relationship." basically,
what
this means is that the computer came with XP/SP3 installed but that i have
a
separate disk that will install vista instead if i decide i want to (i
can't
remember if it uninstalls the XP or exactly what happens with the XP if i
do
switch to vista).

what i haven't been able to figure out from the articles that i have read
is
whether, with programs that will be available either now or when win7 is
formally released, i can upgrade to win7 --
(1) directly from my currently-installed XP, or
(2) by switching from XP to vista by means of the vista installation disk
that i have, and then upgrading to win7 from there, or
(3) either one, and if so which route is the least hassle and the least
likely to bollix up my computer.

or maybe i should start from scratch -- scrap both XP and vista from this
computer, and just install a clean win7?

does anyone know about this issue?

thanks -- susie margaret

PS -- TO THE MODERATOR -- i also posted this in "windows XP general." if
cross-posting is not OK, i will gratefully accept guidance (i wasn't sure
which forum was best applicable).
Click to expand...

philo wrote
I think it is a bit pre-mature to say for sure exactly what will happen
when Windows 7 is officially released.

However, going by what is now current information...a move from XP to
Windows 7 will require a clean installation while Vista can be directly
upgraded (depending on exactly which version you have and are going to)

As a general rule, a clean install is usually the best way to go
anyway... so I'm not sure if the clean install method from XP to Win7 is
a bad idea.

OTOH: What exactly to you expect to gain by moving from XP to Windows
7...it is certainly going to take more resources than XP.
Click to expand...

susie said:
i would want to get to win7 because i understand that support for XP will
no
longer be available after a certain time (two or three years from now?).
so
i figured that i might as well go ahead and bite the bullet as far as
getting
familiar with a new OS.

my computer is new as of dec, 2008, with 2 GB RAM and 80 GB hard drive.
is
that insufficient to handle vista or win7?
Click to expand...

I still know people using Windows 98SE right now - so it is not "necessary"
to ever upgrade if you don't have the need - but it is wise if you have even
the slightest need - to keep up with the advancement in technology.

There is no true upgrade path planned for Windows XP directly to Windows 7.
There may be "upgrade pricing" - but the upgrade will be nothing more than a
clean install of Windows 7 if you try to use it to actually upgrade (or so
is the rumor at this time - which should be close to completely accurate.)

Windows XP with SP3 will continue to receive free High Priority/Security
updates from Microsoft through April 2014 at this time. I don't see that
date pulling back to an earlier end-time. (A little under 5 more years?)

80GB hard drive - I thought the new minimum would have been 160GB by now.
*grin* 2GB memory - that should be sufficient for Windows Vista/Windows 7
for now. I might say go to 3GB at some point if it is just cheap, but
unless you were going 64-bit - you don't get much of anything out of going
beyond that. What is your processor? What is your video card? Is it a
stand-alone video card or is it shared system memory?

By the way - you did *not* cross-post. You *did* multi-post. There is a
difference. Cross-posting is better for you and those responding in the
long-run in that it is actually one post on two or more different newsgroups
and responses can easily (by default on most responders newsreaders) go to
both newsgroups - thus reaching the broader audience and intermingling
them - as your intention might have been. Multi-posting is actually two
seperate posts that have nothing in common except you.
 
In-Place Upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7
http://www.pagestart.com/upgradexptowindows7.html

The object of an "In-Place Upgrade" is to keep all your XP applications,
user accounts, data files and not be
forced to start with a clean install of Windows 7. Keep in mind a lot of XP
applications are not Vista compatible
and it will take time for patches or application upgrades become available
after the official release of Windows 7.
 
susie margaret said:
hello --

i bought a new computer (dell optiplex 330) in dec, 2008, with a
configuration called "vista premium downgrade relationship." basically,
what
this means is that the computer came with XP/SP3 installed but that i have
a
separate disk that will install vista instead if i decide i want to (i
can't
remember if it uninstalls the XP or exactly what happens with the XP if i
do
switch to vista).

what i haven't been able to figure out from the articles that i have read
is
whether, with programs that will be available either now or when win7 is
formally released, i can upgrade to win7 --
(1) directly from my currently-installed XP, or
(2) by switching from XP to vista by means of the vista installation disk
that i have, and then upgrading to win7 from there, or
(3) either one, and if so which route is the least hassle and the least
likely to bollix up my computer.

or maybe i should start from scratch -- scrap both XP and vista from this
computer, and just install a clean win7?

does anyone know about this issue?

thanks -- susie margaret

PS -- TO THE MODERATOR -- i also posted this in "windows XP general." if
cross-posting is not OK, i will gratefully accept guidance (i wasn't sure
which forum was best applicable).
Click to expand...

(And susie later adds...)
i would want to get to win7 because i understand that support for XP will
no
longer be available after a certain time (two or three years from now?).
so
i figured that i might as well go ahead and bite the bullet as far as
getting
familiar with a new OS.

my computer is new as of dec, 2008, with 2 GB RAM and 80 GB hard drive.
is
that insufficient to handle vista or win7?

thanks -- susie margaret
Click to expand...


susie:
Frankly, at this point-in-time, were I you I wouldn't be concerned with the
forthcoming Windows 7 OS. As I'm sure you know the "Release Candidate" of
that OS has recently been released and can be downloaded/installed by anyone
choosing to do so. This "RC" is not, of course, the final version, and no
doubt there will be changes to that OS before the final version is released
for commercial sale, probably by late fall of this year. Assuming no
horrendous surprises with that OS it's a near certainty that Windows 7 will
trigger the demise of Vista.

If you really had an "itch" to work with the Win7 RC at this time, I would
suggest you should do so *only* if you could install another HDD in your
machine and install that OS on that HDD so that the two OSs you would be
working with would be physically/electronically separated. I would not
recommend installing Win7 on your current single HDD on a separate partition
of that disk and then work with a dual-boot configuration in that manner.
And under no circumstances would I suggest you "scrap both XP and vista from
this computer" and work solely with the Win7 OS.

Whether you want to work with XP or Vista at this point-in-time is, of
course, up to you.

As I' sure you can infer from my comments, (for most PC users) I am not fond
of installing different OSs on a single HDD in a multi-boot configuration.
Wherever possible it's best in my view to physically separate the OSs as
I've described above and then select which OS one chooses to work with via
the BIOS boot priority order (boot sequence). As I recall with a Dell
machine, after powering-up, you press the F2 key to access the system setup
and then select which HDD you want to boot to. Your user's guide/manual
should be clear about the process. I believe that for most users that's the
most practical & safest way to go when working with multiple OSs.

I'm not certain you can install another internal HDD in your Dell machine
although I believe you can. Assuming it's possible it's not an unduly
complicated procedure but if you do decide to go that route it would be best
if you have a knowledgeable friend/acquaintance to perform the procedure or
help you in doing so. Or seek professional guidance.
Anna
 
PS -- TO THE MODERATOR -- i also posted this in "windows XP general." if
cross-posting is not OK, i will gratefully accept guidance (i wasn't sure
which forum was best applicable).
Click to expand...


Four points about the above paragraph:

1. There's no moderator here.

2. This isn't a web-based forum; it's a newsgroup. You are using the
awful web interface to participate in this newsgroup--it's the
slowest, clunkiest, most error-prone method of using the newsgroups
there is. Do yourself a favor and switch to a newsreader, such as
Outlook Express, which comes with Windows XP, or Windows Mail, which
comes with Vista. See
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

3. You didn't cross-post, you multi-posted. Please do not send the
same message separately to more than one newsgroup (called
multiposting). Doing so just fragments the thread, so someone who
answers in one newsgroup doesn't get to see answers from others in
another newsgroup. And for those who read all the newsgroups the
message is multiposted to, they see the message multiple times instead
of once (they would see it only once if you correctly crossposted
instead). This wastes everyone's time, and gets you poorer help than
you should get.

If you must send the same message to more than one newsgroup, please
do so by crossposting -- sending a single message simultaneously to
multiple newsgroups (but only to a *few* related newsgroups).

Please see "Multiposting vs Crossposting" at
http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

4. A very minor point these days, but this particular newsgroup
(microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support) was not meant for
general help and support with Windows XP. It was meant for help with
the Windows XP Help and Support *feature*. However this has been so
universally misunderstood that, by now it's used as a general help and
support newsgroup, almost identically to
microsoft.public.windowsxp.general

So posting in both places isn't really necessary, since many of us
here read all the messages in both newsgroups. On the other hand, it
doesn't hurt to post in both places, as long as you do it by
cross-posting, not multi-posting., so we'll only see it a single time
 
hello, professor stanley --

thank you for responding to my post. i really appreciate your (and everyone
else's) taking the time to help me, a person who is obviously not very
knowledgeable, computers-wise, OS-wise, forums/newsgroup-wise, and
posting-wise!

as for your Qs, and hoping that i am correctly comprehending what dell lists
as my "current system configuration," my processor is an intel core2 duo
CPU/[email protected] GHz/clock speed 2.6 GHz/L2 cache size 3072.

apparently i have two video cards, both of which are intel G33/G31 express
chipset family, with drivers igxpmp32.sys/supported. i believe that they use
shared-system memory instead of being stand-alone cards, but i am not
completely sure of that.

i think i understand the difference between multi-posting, which i did and
apologize for, and cross-posting, which was my actual intention. but where
are the instructions on how to cross-post and how to specify which categories
the cross-posts should go to?

again, thank you for your tactful and diplomatic response to what clearly
are my newbie-constructed Qs!

-- susie margaret
 
hello, professor JS --

thanks very much for this info, which is completely new to me. i truly
appreciate your taking the time to respond to my inquiry and will print out
your response for later reference.

-- gratefully -- susie margaret ross
 
hi, professor DL --

i think i now understand the difference between multi-posting, which is what
i did and for which i apologize, and cross-posting, which was my true intent.

can you point me to the instructions for cross-posting and for specifying to
which groups a cross-post should go?

thank you very much for responding to my inquiry.

-- susie margaret
 
hello, professor anna --

thank you very much for your response to my inquiry. you gave me info that
was reassuring but heretofore completely unfamiliar to me. i'm going to
print out your response for later consultation.

i appreciate your taking the time to advise an obviously unsophisticated
newbie!

-- susie margaret
 
hi, professor blake --

i understand now the difference between multi-posting, which is what i did
and for which i apologize, and cross-posting, which was my actual intent.
but can you direct me to the instructions for cross-posting and for
specifying the groups to which my post should be sent?

i also think i understand the difference between forums and newgroups, altho
i don't rate myself at 100% on that issue!

thank youu so much for responding to an inquiry from an obvious newbie!

-- susie margaret
 
hi, professor blake --

i understand now the difference between multi-posting, which is what i did
and for which i apologize, and cross-posting, which was my actual intent.
but can you direct me to the instructions for cross-posting and for
specifying the groups to which my post should be sent?
Click to expand...


You are posting using the awful web interface, as I said in my
previous message. I personally avoid it like the plague, so I can't
tell you how to cross-post there. Somebody else here can answer that
question, I'm sure.

Once again, though, I recommend that you use the newsreader in Outlook
Express instead of using the web interface. You'll find things like
cross-posting very easy to do if you do it that way.

i also think i understand the difference between forums and newgroups, altho
i don't rate myself at 100% on that issue!

thank youu so much for responding to an inquiry from an obvious newbie!
Click to expand...


You're welcome. Glad to help.
 
It was simply an observation;
You are using the dreadful web interface your experience would be greatly
improved if you used either the default Outlook Express newsreader or
Windows Mail newsreader
The MS news server is;
msnews.microsoft.com - no password / registration necessary
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm
You 'put' the groups you want to post to in the address bar separated by
semi colon ( ; )
 
susie margaret said:
hello --

i bought a new computer (dell optiplex 330) in dec, 2008, with a
configuration called "vista premium downgrade relationship." basically,
what
this means is that the computer came with XP/SP3 installed but that i have
a
separate disk that will install vista instead if i decide i want to (i
can't
remember if it uninstalls the XP or exactly what happens with the XP if i
do
switch to vista).

what i haven't been able to figure out from the articles that i have read
is
whether, with programs that will be available either now or when win7 is
formally released, i can upgrade to win7 --
(1) directly from my currently-installed XP, or
(2) by switching from XP to vista by means of the vista installation disk
that i have, and then upgrading to win7 from there, or
(3) either one, and if so which route is the least hassle and the least
likely to bollix up my computer.

or maybe i should start from scratch -- scrap both XP and vista from this
computer, and just install a clean win7?

does anyone know about this issue?

thanks -- susie margaret

PS -- TO THE MODERATOR -- i also posted this in "windows XP general." if
cross-posting is not OK, i will gratefully accept guidance (i wasn't sure
which forum was best applicable).
Click to expand...


Install a larger hard drive, a 160gb would be ok, and you will be good to
go with either Vista or Windows 7.

XP can be upgraded using a Vista upgrade DVD. Some older program versions
are not compatible. If you have program versions which are in this list, you
will have to find an alternative or upgrade to a later version..

http://www.iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List

For hardware, look here..

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/

Generally speaking, if software and hardware works in Vista, it will work in
Windows 7. This is not necessarily true for hardware and 64bit versions of
Vista or Windows 7.

Win 7 will require a clean install. Your applications will all need to be
re-installed and upgraded where necessary
 
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