XP Pro to Win 7 Home Premium Upgrade concerns...

[deadken]

I have a few PC's in my house that are running XP Pro. I've been thinking about buying a upgrade 3 pack. But I have some concerns:

1) I can't find anyplace that lists what O/S you need to have in order to upgrade. Shouldn't it be listed in the 'requirements' section? From the reviews I have read (at different retailers websites) several people have mentioned upgrading from XP, so I don't for see that being a problem.

2) In the product description I noticed that they mention (in a footnote) 'Windows XP Mode runs only on Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate. If not pre-installed, it can be downloaded free from Microsoft'. Since I have a few programs that I believe I want / need to run in XP am I right in believing that I can't run them from within Win 7 Home Premium? If I can't, can I keep my old XP Pro as part of a dual-boot system? (does my existing XP Pro install have to be 'wiped' in order to 'upgrade'?)

3) My son has a dual core (E7200, I think) and I have a Quad (Ph II 555 (unlocked)), so I believe we can run Win 7 just fine. But, is it worth putting on my daughters S754 (3400+, 2GB, etc)?

4) If I don't install one on my daughters PC, is there any reason that I couldn't give one install to my buddy? (S939 3600X2, 2 GB)

Thanks for any helpful suggestions / information.

 

[Steltek]

1) You can't upgrade directly from XP to Win7 - you will be essentially wiping the machines, so make sure to back up your files (it will usually save them in an Windows.old file structure, but better safe than sorry...). The only way to upgrade and preserve your installed applications/data is to upgrade the XP machines to Vista, then upgrade Vista to Win7.

2) The download page at Microsoft.com for XP mode now includes all versions of Win7 except Starter, so they may have quietly changed this requirement. However, if you have a valid XP key for each machine, you can use VMware Player or Virtualbox to set up XP virtual machines - both are free, easy to use, and neither has the XP Mode artificial limitation of Win7 Pro/Ultimate created by Microsoft. VMware Player has the best user interface and is easiest to use. Concerning your existing XP Pro, you could convert it to a virtual machine. The only issue would be that the upgrade technically forever merges the product keys to the Win7 key making it a license violation to continue using the XP key, but in practice the XP key will still activate and MS likely won't come looking for you....

http://www.zdnet.com/photos/convert-xp-into-a-windows-7-virtual-machine-with-disk2vhd/466650

3) Both your son's and your computers shouldn't have a problem. If you aren't sure about your daughter's machine, download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor application from Microsoft. I suspect that it will probably run on her machine (it is a dual core machine, after all), though it might be worth adding a little memory.

4) This is technically a violation of the license terms, which state you must install it only on machines that you own. Plus, it is one license key installable on three machines -- how do you know that your "buddy" won't do something with it that will cause you problems with your own installs down the road? I'd let him purchase his own upgrade....

 

[stargazr]

1) You can't upgrade directly from XP to Win7 - you will be essentially wiping the machines, so make sure to back up your files (it will usually save them in an Windows.old file structure, but better safe than sorry...). The only way to upgrade and preserve your installed applications/data is to upgrade the XP machines to Vista, then upgrade Vista to Win7.

If he doesn't need to transfer data from the existing OS, you CAN technically upgrade from XP right to Win 7.

Personally, I always like to format the drive and get a fresh start. You can still do a clean install from XP, just boot from the disc rather than from within your existing OS.

 

[deadken]

Thank you both for the replies. I figured that since I will be going to the 64 bit version I will HAVE to wipe the 32 bit XP. So I while I prefer a fresh start, I also figured that it would be a necessity. What I didn't know was if I was ALLOWED to go from XP Pro to Win 7. I thought perhaps since it was an 'Upgrade', it was only for Vista users.

I forgot to ask in the OP, is there any reason NOT to go to 64 bit?

-Thanks again, Ken

 

[stargazr]

is there any reason NOT to go to 64 bit?

I finally switched to x64 when I got an SSD and have no regrets. I didn't have any problems with the programs I use but some people do. Windows 7 compatibility site can help you decide but know that just because a program isn't listed doesn't necessarily mean it will not work.

I agree with the other post recommending VMware workstation for running older programs if you can afford it.

Also it's nice to be able to add more than 4GB of RAM.

 

[shortylickens]

You have to do a fresh install when coming from XP.

You will lose some of your old programs, even with compatibility mode. But chances are excellent there is now a modern equivilent.

When I first went with Win 7 I still had socket 754 and a 3400+. And one gig of RAM.
It worked fine but trust me you will eventually want dual core and lots of memory.

 

[Steltek]

I forgot to ask in the OP, is there any reason NOT to go to 64 bit?

-Thanks again, Ken

Not really, unless you have some older hardware that doesn't have 64 bit drivers available or if you have a machine with a maximum RAM limit (including both system RAM and video memory) of less than 4GB.

All Win7 product keys are valid to activate either a 32 bit or 64 bit install - if you have a problem, you can always download a 32 bit ISO and use the same key to reinstall.