Make a physical copy of all critical system-related information. Before upgrading, verify that important information like your Internet Protocol IP address if it's not set up automatically , hardware component make and model, and software license keys are printed out and available to you. Remove spyware and run your antivirus program. You don't want to carry malicious software along with you when you upgrade.
Clean up data. Clean up your drive to ensure you have an optimized system and maximum free space to work with during the upgrade. For example, many programs use temporary files, which remain on the computer even after you stop using the program.
These temporary files can be deleted to free up space. Check your hard disk. Before installing a new operating system, you should also check your hard disk for errors. It's especially important to check your hard disk if it is more than five years old and has seen moderate-to-heavy use involving frequent reading and writing of data. To run the default drive check utility, right-click on the drive in My Computer and select Properties. In the Properties dialog box, under Tools, click the Check Now button to run the chkdsk tool.
Advanced utilities, like HDD Health , can also provide more detailed diagnostics. The Windows 7 installation process defragments your hard drive, but doing so beforehand may save some time. To defrag, right-click the drive in My Computer, select Properties, and in the Tools tab, click the Defragment Now button. Of course, Windows 7 will soon be an N-2 operating system, but it is still supported and may be the right choice for older hardware.
The minimum hardware requirements for 7 are on the upper end of what XP machines typically have, so make sure your PC meets those minimums, and consider whether it makes sense to stick with the minimums, or if you should do an upgrade.
Graphics are key. You may have hardware that can meet the rest, but if your graphics card comes up short, you may be replacing the PC.
You may have older hardware including network cards or printers that the manufacturer never produced Windows 7 drivers for. You want to make sure that, the very least, your key hardware will work with Windows 7, and take care of any necessary hardware upgrades beforehand.
Even if your NIC will work with Windows 7, it is a good idea to have the needed drivers for your NIC, as well as your video card and even your motherboard chipset, on hand before you start the process. Check the Windows Compatibility Center here for more guidance or to check a specific piece of hardware to see if there are Win7 drivers for it. This is both the most important and the most difficult task — making sure that all your key software will work on Windows 7.
Odds are good that they will, but if you have a line of business application or other key piece of software you really depend upon, like a favourite game, you want to make sure it will work under Windows 7.
You may want to skip the first four steps and jump straight to the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, downloadable here to check everything at once. It should catch most important things for the majority of systems. Yes, I know most of you will ignore this, but I am including it anyway. Backup your data, just in case something very bad happens and your system goes up in a puff of smoke. That way, since you probably skipped 6 anyway, you will still have a mostly functional VM of your XP machine that will run your apps.
Make sure you have a license key ready. Gone are the days of installs! If you're sure you don't need that, go ahead and click "Install now. It will ask if you want to go online and get updates. I say yes. It could save you some time later. Your computer will reboot a few times and eventually the Wizard will return, this time running in Windows 7. At this point, you'll be able to do things like set up a password, set security preferences, set time and date, etc.
Finally, you're running Windows 7! And you have device driver issues. Let's take care of that. Launch the device manager by pressing Start and typing Device Manager in the search box. If you see yellow exclamation points, those devices have driver issues. The easiest way to fix them is to double-click the item, then click the update driver button. Select Search automatically for updated driver software. If you're lucky, that will fix your issues.
If you're human and you still have a few devices with issues, try looking at the Windows 7 Upgrade Adviser to see if the device and its new driver are listed.
If that doesn't work, check the manufacturer's Web site. Once you get your devices running to your satisfaction, time to install your old programs. Back up anything on your drive unless you don't want it. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. You Might Also Like How to. How to.
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