Microsoft
Lack of XP to Windows 7 upgrade path causing grief
A lot of Windows users held out on a Vista upgrade hoping for a saving grace to come from Redmond and, to many, Windows 7 is precisely that. The upcoming release may end up being worth the wait, but unfortunately for anyone who has opted to stick with XP, Microsoft won't be allowing any direct upgrade paths. In the eyes of some analysts, this is perhaps the biggest mistake Microsoft will have made with the Windows 7 launch, and I'm inclined to agree.
The article goes into the premise behind Microsoft's decision. It isn't their desire to shut out XP users. The Windows 7 installer still supports automatic dual-boot installations, which would allow someone with an existing XP install to have 7 sit side-by-side while they transition. Forget about keeping your library of installed applications, however, as those will all have to be installed fresh. This differs from the launch of XP, where Windows 98 and Windows 2000 users both enjoyed the ability to do upgrade installs.
As time goes on, and people get machines pre-installed with Windows 7, the problem will become less important. Still, there's room for criticism here – Microsoft has a lot of PR to make up for due to the perceived disadvantages Vista had and the dismal initial launch. Though Redmond has addressed most of the criticism, they still have a lot of unhappy customers, and as the article brings out they should seek to reach out to as many people as possible. It does seem in this instance that Microsoft is neglecting a huge pool of users. What's your take – is Microsoft making a mistake in not allowing upgrades from XP?
The article goes into the premise behind Microsoft's decision. It isn't their desire to shut out XP users. The Windows 7 installer still supports automatic dual-boot installations, which would allow someone with an existing XP install to have 7 sit side-by-side while they transition. Forget about keeping your library of installed applications, however, as those will all have to be installed fresh. This differs from the launch of XP, where Windows 98 and Windows 2000 users both enjoyed the ability to do upgrade installs.
As time goes on, and people get machines pre-installed with Windows 7, the problem will become less important. Still, there's room for criticism here – Microsoft has a lot of PR to make up for due to the perceived disadvantages Vista had and the dismal initial launch. Though Redmond has addressed most of the criticism, they still have a lot of unhappy customers, and as the article brings out they should seek to reach out to as many people as possible. It does seem in this instance that Microsoft is neglecting a huge pool of users. What's your take – is Microsoft making a mistake in not allowing upgrades from XP?
User Comments (50)
Post a comment| Wendig0 on July 27, 2009 4:04 PM | Oh WTF!??? You mean I HAVE to buy vista for my "just purchased" upgrade to work now? This blows. UBER FAIL Microsuckfest! Give me my money back. |
| Wendig0 on July 27, 2009 4:09 PM | After reading the article on pcmag.com, I don't feel so bad now. XP users will still be able to install the upgrade, though they will have to do a "Custom install" and make backups to external storage prior to installing. Isn't this how they's always done it? |
| snowchick7669 on July 27, 2009 4:12 PM | Haha nice post Wendig0 I don't think I'll be upgrading to Windows 7 till at least mid next year. Want them to work out all the teething problems first 
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| lncpapa on July 27, 2009 4:26 PM | I'd have to agree - this is a feature that really should have been included in 7 for precisely the reasons you've stated in the article. A lot of people have a bad taste in their mouths over Vista and have heard from many users that Windows 7 makes up for all of it. Telling them they have to start fresh and install all their apps again is not going to go over well - many have no idea how to and even if they did might not have the media to do so. These issues won't affect the regular visitors of this site, but to the the layman who has a job outside of computers this will probably be commonplace. |
| Guest on July 27, 2009 4:31 PM | The Windows 7 Upgrade (Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate) box includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions, and although you might not be able to do an "Upgrade" style of install, you can still REPLACE Windows XP. This means that with the Upgrade discs (Home Premium Upgrade, Professional Upgrade, and Ultimate Upgrade), you can still do a completely clean install after telling the Windows 7 installer to format the hard drive. Although, make sure you tell it to delete the partition first, then create a new one, and THEN format. I'm not saying you have to make more than one partition. I'm saying that I highly recommend that you do this in order for the installation to go smoothly. In other words: don't spend the extra money on the Full version. The Full version is for people who are installing Windows 7 on a system that has never had XP or Vista installed on it. Again, the Upgrade disc does not need the previous version to be on the hard drive during the installation. It has all the same bits and bytes that the Full version has, except I predict that the Upgrade version will ask you to prove that the system you're installing it on once had a Genuine version of Windows activated on it at one time. So, it will probably ask you for its Product Key to check the installation ID with database at Microsoft. Microsoft only made it impossible to simply Upgrade from XP to 7, meaning that you can't install 7 on TOP of XP. So, you definitely have to start over, but you don't have to buy the Full version. That much is absolutely certain. If you want to talk more about it, then feel free to contact me at www.Overclock.net. My username is TwoCables. |
| Guest on July 27, 2009 4:42 PM | When I first read about this I was really angry. But, after some minutes of thought, I realized that by the time I am ready to do the upgrade, I will be ready for a fresh install. My first install of XP was an upgrade and I was sorry in the end. Six months later I did a fresh install. |
| Guest on July 27, 2009 4:51 PM | People expect from programmers to predict everything. To do a fresh install once a year or two does not present such a problem. Since installation of Win7 is fast, I do not see a purpose for an XP-7 upgrade option. There is an 8-year difference between XP & 7 and it is complicated to create a stable upgrade path. It would take too long to make a OS to satisfy just about every complaint. However, it is good for people to stream for excellence, because it gives us a better product in the end. |
| Darth Shiv on July 27, 2009 5:34 PM | snowchick7669 said: The drivers should be relatively stable cause they are similar or the same as Vista drivers. The changes to Aero could be unstable cause they did a bit of work there. Lots of other little bits and pieces added but I wouldn't expect many if any showstoppers.I don't think I'll be upgrading to Windows 7 till at least mid next year. Want them to work out all the teething problems first |
| tengeta on July 27, 2009 5:35 PM | How about getting around to a fresh install... ffs even Linux users keep fresh rather often. If you are complaining about upgrading XP to 7 you likely haven't changed a thing for 3 years. |
| snowchick7669 on July 27, 2009 5:44 PM | The drivers should be relatively stable cause they are similar or the same as Vista drivers. The changes to Aero could be unstable cause they did a bit of work there. Lots of other little bits and pieces added but I wouldn't expect many if any showstoppers. What I was really meaning is that I want to work with fixing Windows 7 on other computers rather then my machine being the trial and error for me. I like to be able to fix my own machines quickly and easily and know the limitations from hands on experience I'm still on XP, so shall see what happens. The main problem is that we prefer to play older games and Vista would have ruined that possibility. I prefer to wait 6 months after Microsoft release software till I actually try it (so they can add service packs and what not, plus common problems start arising). Just a personal preference |
| TechCombo on July 27, 2009 5:45 PM | Well this obviously means that they will lose a lot of users to some other platform like Linux. Why would Microsoft be so dense in not allowing users to upgrade from XP....? |
| captaincranky on July 27, 2009 5:48 PM | Oh come on people, we're being punished for not bending over to to receive the Vista blessing. |
| snowchick7669 on July 27, 2009 5:54 PM | Well said Captain |
| rick on July 27, 2009 6:28 PM | My thought is, this is an artificial limitation. If you can upgrade XP to Vista, then upgrading XP to 7 is just a matter of some effort on Microsoft's part. Not including an option to upgrade is going to leave a lot of 'regular joe' users in the cold because they don't know how to backup their Outlook email, backup their photo and music libraries, backup their program settings etc... Starting out fresh is OK for someone in our technorati echo chamber; however, for people outside of our tiny mindshare, this is a harsh and unnecessary limitation. |
| cyriene on July 27, 2009 6:38 PM | I think the vast majority of computer users could benefit from a clean install of 7 instead of just upgrading. I believe the vast majority of computer users have all sorts of crap installed on their comps they don't need. Now, readers here are more computer savvy, but I work with normal people in a hospital and you'd be suprised how little people know about what is on their PCs. A clean start always makes me feel good. Of course it will only be a short time before people reinstall crapware, spyware, or whatever else they can find. I don't understand as I have never gotten a virus. But my computer challanged girlfriend seems to find them on a weekly basis. And she's not the only one. |
| spikester48661 on July 27, 2009 7:04 PM | all and all being said 7 is faster than vista.BUT XP is fastest of all to me.and no upgrading BS or installing all my app a new too. long live XP and ubuntu . |
| tekkaraiden on July 27, 2009 8:55 PM | I've never upgraded any operating system without some issues. (That includes OSX and Linux). Better to start with a clean install even if it doesn't stay that way. |
| Guest on July 27, 2009 9:04 PM | It is time to suck it up and do a clean install, which anyone with XP should anyway (improve speed and reliability of the 8 year old OS). |
| captaincranky on July 27, 2009 9:13 PM | OK, for anybody involved with this thread, an upgrade would make no sense whatsoever. The facts are that if you've even bought a little piece af hardware in recent times, you'll be buying an OEM copy of Win 7 anyway, and it will cost less than an upgrade disc. |
| Wendig0 on July 27, 2009 10:48 PM | snowchick7669 said: lol, yeah.... Well I was a little anebriated at the time of my posting and jumped to conclusions without thinking it through. It's not so bad after all, because I always make backups before any major upgrade/clean install. Haha nice post Wendig0 Oh and Captain, I have to disagree. The difference between the pro and ultimate versions is negligible to say the least. The upgrade disc will be just as good as the oem because it also allows you to do a fresh "custom install" and costs alot less. It was the same way with XP upgrades. One of Microsofts little secrets that they didn't want to let loose on the rest of the world, but failed miserably at suppressing. |
| captaincranky on July 27, 2009 11:01 PM | lol, yeah.... Well I was a little anebriated at the time of my posting and jumped to conclusions without thinking it through. It's not so bad after all, because I always make backups before any major upgrade/clean install. The last time I checked, a retail copy of XP Home edition was $199.95. An upgrade copy was $99.95, but didn't t you need a copy of Win 2000 to enable the install? An OEM copy of of XP Home is about $89.95 w/free shipping. Where have I strayed from the path to enlightenment?
Oh and Captain, I have to disagree. The difference between the pro and ultimate versions is negligible to say the least. The upgrade disc will be just as good as the oem because it also allows you to do a fresh "custom install" and costs alot less. It was the same way with XP upgrades. One of Microsofts little secrets that they didn't want to let loose on the rest of the world, but failed miserably at suppressing. |
| Wendig0 on July 28, 2009 12:10 AM | captaincranky said: With XP you could upgrade from win 98se as well as 2000. With Windows 7 pro (the version I purchased), the upgrade was $99 (when I purchased it) - $199 currently, and the full retail oem will be $299 so essentially I saved $200 by purchasing early.
The last time I checked, a retail copy of XP Home edition was $199.95. An upgrade copy was $99.95, but didn't t you need a copy of Win 2000 to enable the install? An OEM copy of of XP Home is about $89.95 w/free shipping. Where have I strayed from the path to enlightenment? |
| captaincranky on July 28, 2009 12:16 AM | With XP you could upgrade from win 98se as well as 2000. With Windows 7 pro (the version I purchased), the upgrade was $99 (when I purchased it) - $199 currently, and the full retail oem will be $299 so essentially I saved $200 by purchasing early. That's not exactly the same as being to do a stand alone install from an upgrade disc, now is it?
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| Guest on July 28, 2009 12:22 AM | Microsoft can not get Windows 7 Beta to upgrade to Windows 7 Release Candidate to work, how do we expect them to make Windows XP to Windows 7 upgrade a possibility. |
| Guest on July 28, 2009 1:10 AM | it doesn't require any previous windows key. You just have to install it twice. You do a fresh install, not worrying about activating or putting in your key. Then from the desktop of your freshly installed windows 7 you put in the disk again and run setup from your desktop doing a fresh install again, fooling it into thinking you're upgrading from a version of windows since you're starting from your desktop. Do a "custom/clean" install again, and this time, your 2nd time through you put in your key etc. |
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