Installing Windows 7 over XP - some questions

[Legoflamb]

Ok so I want to install windows 7 over my existing install of XP and I was wondering what the best thing to do is?

Back up my stuff then just stick the disk in and let it install, or do i want to back up what I want to keep format and delete partition etc then put the disk in when the computer is booting and let do it completely clean?

Is there any difference? Like will Windows 7 do all that formatting and stuff by itself when installing or is it more like an upgrade and a lot of it will be kept in tact?

I'm not bothered how I do it and I'm leaning towards backing up, formatting and doing it from scratch anyway as I want a nice fresh start - but I just need to know if there is any difference in these approaches?

I'm sorry if I'm not being very clear...

edit: the version of XP that I've got at the moment is 32bit I'm pretty sure, I want to install 64bit win 7 becaue I've got 4gb of ram, intel i5 750 terabyte of space etc is this ok?

 

[EXCellR8]

the best way to go about it is to just do a fresh install of the the 64-bit Windows 7. you can use the OEM installation disk for managing partitions and formatting the disk. i don't think you can even upgrade to 7 from XP, especially if you are moving from 32 to 64-bit. i might be wrong but the absolute best way is to just back up all of your personal data and install 7 from scratch. you will need to reinstall your programs afterward but it will be plenty worth it.

once you have 7 installed and all set up, you can use a disk imaging software like TrueImage to make virtual copies of your hard drive. this will keep all of your programs and data in tact so if you decide to reinstall the OS again for any reason, you can simply apply the image to the disk and go about your business. this is very useful in case of a virus or hard drive crash.

 

[Legoflamb]

Ah so potentially you can still run the programs installed in xp after upgrade?

You can upgrade directly from XP to 7 as well by the way.

I think I'm gonna do the old fashioned wipe and start from scratch as I wanted a fully clean slate - I was just wondering what other people's thoughts on this were...

Thanks anyway.

 

[Burty117]

You cannot actually "Upgrade" from XP to 7. It has to be a clean install as per Microsoft's website

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-xp-to-windows-7

You will have to backup all your data and programs as they will be wiped.

Hopes this helps anyone else who reads this thread.

Cheers,

 

[walnutw]

Whew, glad I read this. I thought I was tech savvy til I decided to rebuild from scratch, turns out I am pretty much clueless. Now I was looking to buy windows 7 as well, and you already answered the xp to 7 question, but my next is, what is OEM mean and secondly, if I buy this version, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM whats it mean by System builders? Will it come with the validation code etc and work properly?

 

[Burty117]

Yeah it comes with a code and everything, all it means is that you cannot call Microsoft for support and you have to buy it with some hardware, so you have to buy a floppy drive for instance with the OEM license and DVD otherwise you cannot get it.

Appart from that the price is a 3rd of the normal price and works perfectly fine!

OEM basically means its just the CD and a single License Key and nothing else, no support.

But this is what Techspot is for!

So save the money is what I say!

Cheers,

 

[Legoflamb]

Thanks for the responses - being an impatient dyslexic often means I don't read things properly and get confused.....

I knew what I was gonna do basically anyway just nice to be clear on a few things....

Thanks!

 

[DelJo63]

...you can use a disk imaging software like TrueImage to make virtual copies of your hard drive. this will keep all of your programs and data in tact so if you decide to reinstall the OS again for any reason, you can simply apply the image to the disk and go about your business. this is very useful in case of a virus or hard drive crash.

I don't think so. Trueimage restore will REFORMAT the entire HD (and squash any extra partitions).
Using the BACKUP feature instead of the IMAGE and you will be ok.