Windows 7 Tips & Tricks: Tips for Upgrading from XP to Windows 7 More Tips and Tricks for Upgrading from XP to Win7 Andy Rathbone
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Spot Potential Problems Using Windows Upgrade Advisor
Let Microsoft's Windows Upgrade Advisor sniff out potential problems with your PC's programs and drivers before they become showstoppers. For example, make sure the advisor says your PC's network adapters will work with Windows 7. With a working Internet connection, Windows 7 can connect to the Internet during the installation process, grabbing drivers needed by your PC's other parts.
By downloading and running Microsoft's Upgrade Advisor now, you'll also know what incompatible programs will need replacing.
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Don't Reformat Your XP Partition During the Install
Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to reformat your Windows XP partition — wipe it clean — to do a "Clean Install" of Windows 7. When telling Windows 7 where to install itself, choose your Windows XP partition. Then, don't click the Format checkbox, and just click Next.
As it installs itself, Windows 7 gathers the most important parts of your Windows XP installation and packs it into a folder called windows.OLD. That folder provides yet another safety net: If something goes dreadfully wrong, Microsoft's Knowledge Base explains how to use that folder to resuscitate Windows XP and remove Windows 7.
This trick only works if your hard drive is less than half full, though. Your drive needs enough storage space to hold the incoming Windows 7 installation, your PC's old files, and your Windows XP data that will flow back in through Windows File Transfer. If your hard drive lacks the room, you'll have to reformat, and trust Windows Easy Transfer to hold up its end of the bargain.
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Don't Bother Upgrading XP to Vista, Then Upgrading to Windows 7
Sure, this awkward and lengthy migration path will work. But after spending all day upgrading twice, you'll spend the evening wondering whether your nagging residual problems came from XP, Vista, or Windows 7 itself.
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How to Solve Windows 7's E-mail Problem
For all its strengths, Windows 7 ignores the main reason why many people own a PC: To send and receive e-mail. Unlike its predecessors, Windows 7 doesn't come with any e-mail program.
To overcome this hurdle, choose a replacement e-mail program in advance, be it Windows Live Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook, or an online service like Gmail. Then make sure it can import your existing e-mail and contacts, whether they're located in Outlook, Outlook Express, or a different program.
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Upgrading Netbooks to Windows 7
Few netbooks come with DVD drives, yet Windows 7 arrives only on DVDs. That's not an insurmountable obstacle, though. You can buy an external USB DVD drive, which most netbook owners lust for, anyway. Or, you can copy your Windows 7 DVD to a bootable 4GB flash drive, a procedure that can be done this way or this way.
Whether you're booting from a USB drive or flash drive, make sure to first enter your netbooks' BIOS, visit the Boot Options area, and tell your PC to boot from a USB-connected device before booting from the hard drive.
