Most people tend to think that when you want to get a new version of Windows you’re only option is to get a new computer. This is not the case, you can upgrade to a newer version of Windows usually pain free.
Fresh Install
Note: If you’re upgrading from Windows 7 Beta to RC1 you should install using this method.
I have always discouraged people from upgrading to a new version of Windows, by installing it on top of the old one, because often it leads to system instability, errors, slow computer performance and in makes Windows seem “old”. When you do a fresh install Windows performs much better, and in many cases gives you computer a new lease on life. Unfortunately a fresh install is often painstakingly hard and slow, so people who are not computer savvy may not want to try this. A fresh install requires:
- That you back up all of you files
- Find all of your application disks and product keys
- Erase everything on your hard drive, which can take a long time
- Install the new version of Windows
- Restore all of your settings
- Install your programs all over again
- Restore all of your files
Doing all of those things depending on how fast you computer is can take up to a day to complete. The pros and cons to doing this are:
| Pros | Cons |
| Your computer should be much faster | Takes a very long time to complete |
| Your computer feels newer and fresher | You have to be computer savvy |
| Less system errors, and crashes | There is some risk |
| Often fixes computer issues |
If you decided that you want to upgrade here is what you need to do:
1. Make sure you have lots of time on your hand
2. Gather up all of your applications and product keys. If you don’t have your product key the software maker may be able to give you a new one
3. Get an external hard drive or an other storage device
4. Back up all your documents to the storage device
5. Format (erase) your hard drive. You can find out how to do this from your computers owner’s manual or from technical support.
5. Install Windows
6. Restore all of your documents to your computer
7. Re-install all of your programs
As you can see this method of upgrading is not an easy task, but in the end pays off. I recommend this way most times.
Traditional Install
The traditional install is very basic and is the method that most people use to install. You can view some screenshots of what a traditional install looks like here. A traditional install requires that you:
- Install Windows
A traditional install can take about 1 hour to complete but the end result is not as good as a fresh install. The pros and cons of a traditional install are:
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Easy to do | Can often lead to computer instability, errors and application not working properly |
| Quick | Not as satisfying |
| Don’t have to be computer savvy | More dangerous that a fresh install |
If you choose to do this you’ll need to
1.Insert the Windows DVD/CD into you’re PC
2. Follow the on screen setup instructions
3. Install
Like I said above I recommend a fresh install of a new version of Windows, but if you don’t feel comfortable doing that you should do a traditional install. Anyway you choose to install Windows it will still be Windows, and there is no changing that.
Note: Windows 7 is not yet released, and this guide applies to installing any version of Windows. People upgrading to Windows 7 RC1 should always do a fresh install, or install on a separate hard drive because it is still a beta Operating System.
Louis
May 7
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