Upgrading to Windows 7 64-bit from XP

[boozie]

So I was hoping to convert from XP Pro to Windows 7 64-bit without having to wipe my hard drive. Is there any way to do this with partitions or secondary hard drives? I know I can copy my media files to another location but I assume all my games will have to be re-installed. What can and can't be salvaged with a single hard drive? (Currently my OS is installed with no partitions on my HD)

I read the windows website and got conflicting information on this.

 

[RebateMonger]

You can't do an in-place upgrade from XP to Win7, so, basically, it'll be wiping your hard drive. And you'll want to reinstall your applications.

I'm not sure what you meant by "secondary hard drive", but you could get a new hard drive, install Win7 and your applications, and then connect your old hard drive to the motherboard and delete the old Windows and applications. With disks so cheap, it's an opportunity to get a newer OS disk without having to copy all of your media and other files.

Do NOT leave your old XP-containing disk connected while installing Win7. It can cause unexpected boot issues later. With your old XP disk disconnected, it's impossible for anything bad to happen with your boot files.

 

[superccs]

back up your favorites/bookmarks

 

[JackMDS]

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Move...ysical-to-Virtual-Migration-Tool-155236.shtml

http://bink.nu/news/microsoft-p2v-migration-tool-beta.aspx

 

[boozie]

Wow, very cool and timely articles you found there. A few questions:

Is a Windows 7 copy that I get from school an OEM or full version? (can i use the P2V?)

Will gaming applications run through the "Virtual PC" get any of the benefits of Windows 7 (extra RAM and DX 10+)

I don't see a specific mention of 64-bit in those articles. Is it safe to assume they are talking about 64-bit windows 7?

 

[RebateMonger]

Will gaming applications run through the "Virtual PC" get any of the benefits of Windows 7 (extra RAM and DX 10+)

Games run under XP Mode in Windows 7 will see the equivalent of a 1995 computer that happens to run XP 32-bit. There's no hardware 3D support. The sound card is a Soundblaster 16. Basically, you'd want to run Commander Keen.

 

[boozie]

So basically I get the benefit of not having to use another HD to backup any non applications I want to save, but I should probably back them up anyways.