windows 7 upgrade question

[pinotnoir]

I have vista 64 and just purchased windows 7. I want to do an upgrade to keep all my programs instead of a clean install. Is it possible to do the upgrade on a different drive? I would like to get a new SSD drive to install windows and wow on. If it's possible do I need to do anything special with wow other than moving it to the new drive?

Thanks

[Ughmahedhurtz]

Maybe. If you clone your current boot drive to another one, and it's on the same SATA port, and you didn't change motherboards it should work.

Three things the windows boot loader looks for that are static: SATA/IDE port, SATA/IDE controller (to load the right drivers) and disk partition number. Change any of those three and welcome to BSOD hell. You can change things if you know how to get into the registry from a debug CD but it ain't easy.

[edit] Clarification on the process to clone your boot disk to a new boot disk assuming you want to keep the old one as backup:

Install new drive on a higher numbered port than your current drive (e.g.: if current C: is SATA2, put new drive in SATA3-SATA5)
Ghost or whatever you use to clone old drive (including the boot sector) to new drive.
Remove old drive from SATA2 and plug new drive into SATA2.
Confirm the new drive boots. DO NOT plug your old drive into a different port yet. Just leave it unplugged.
Upgrade.
Once things are up and running, then you can plug the old drive in somewhere.


As for WoW, there's nothing you need to do special for WoW except copy the WoW folder(s) to the new drive and (possibly) update the shortcuts you use to launch it.

[Apps]

I believe the win 7 software package, comes with instructions to migrate your existing data. Yes, this is possible.

[katsurahama]

You can upgrade to win7 from vista, just not from XP.

As for wow, just copy the folders over.

For isboxer, there is a post about it on here somewhere. You just delete one file and it remakes it when you relaunch it, updating the paths. It does NOT fix the paths for the keymap icons so if you have those visible, you have to manually edit the paths to show the new location for the icons to reappear.

[Apps]

You can upgrade to win7 from vista, just not from XP.

.

Im sorry Kats, but this is not correct. The gentelman at the Staples told me the same thing... so did the guy at BestBuy. In fact you can upgrade from XP straight to 7. Pinotnoir, has Vista, so his issue is moot. But just for anyone else reading..

I upgraded directly from XP to 7. And seriously, please don't dismiss me, and say im "trolling" or whatever that means.

Granted, I conceed... its NOT easy. But it most definitely is doable. Again. I did it.

Source:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-xp-to-windows-7

[Bollwerk]

A clean install is NOT an upgrade. Sure, you can backup and migrate files and whatnot, but you CANNOT upgrade from XP to 7 in the sense that you select "upgrade" from the install type.
The main difference is that you have to reinstall all of your programs.
Having said all that, you can still buy the "upgrade" version of Windows 7 and use it if you have XP, but you are still technically doing a clean install.

I think the confusion here is arising from the usage of the word "upgrade" in the contexts here.

In any case, a fresh install of a new OS is nearly always preferable to upgrading, based on my 15+ years of doing desktop support. =)

[Apps]

I dunno. Seems black n white to me.

When I "upgraded" my OS, from 2000 to XP, I backed up files... put in a disk.... followed instructions.... finished.... replaced backups.

When I "upgraded" my OS, from XP to 7, I backed up files.... put in a disk.... followed instructions.... finished.... replaced backups.




Regardless of what "options" you click, and what its called per each install. I did "upgrade" my operating system to new, current software, still have my files.

The Staples dude was wrong, he worked the service center. He said it was "impossible"... "you must purchase the expensive full version." He said he'd been doing computers since "forever". Nope.

The BestBuy dude was wrong, he worked the service center. He said "You can not do it, because the format is just too different. Microsoft has "upgrade version" for vista users, and "full version" for XP users."... "you must purchase the expensive full version." He told me that hes "personally tried it", and that "its impossible". Nope.

Anyway, Im done. Facts are what they are. My computer works perfectly. Good luck Pinotnoir. :)

[d0z3rr]

I dunno. Seems black n white to me.

When I "upgraded" my OS, from 2000 to XP, I backed up files... put in a disk.... followed instructions.... finished.... replaced backups.

When I "upgraded" my OS, from XP to 7, I backed up files.... put in a disk.... followed instructions.... finished.... replaced backups.




Regardless of what "options" you click, and what its called per each install. I did "upgrade" my operating system to new, current software, still have my files.

The Staples dude was wrong, he worked the service center. He said it was "impossible"... "you must purchase the expensive full version." He said he'd been doing computers since "forever". Nope.

The BestBuy dude was wrong, he worked the service center. He said "You can not do it, because the format is just too different. Microsoft has "upgrade version" for vista users, and "full version" for XP users."... "you must purchase the expensive full version." He told me that hes "personally tried it", and that "its impossible". Nope.

Anyway, Im done. Facts are what they are. My computer works perfectly. Good luck Pinotnoir. :)

That is not an upgrade you did. Not at all. Please stop spreading missinformation like this. You need to research the difference between upgrading and clean install.

Even though Microsoft describes the process you did as an upgrade, it is not an OS upgrade. You are indeed "upgrading" to a newer OS, but XP in itself is not being upgraded in the way Vista is when you perform an upgrade.

For example:

I have Windows NT 5.1 installed on my PC. I have a Windows 7 disk. I backup some of my personal files to a USB drive from NT. I wipe the NT install. I install Windows 7. Restore the files. That technically is an upgrade - I have a shiny new OS. It was not an OS upgrade, I still have to reinstall every program that was installed in NT.

BTW, you seem to have completely overlooked the title to step 5 in that link:

"
Step 5: Reinstall your programs and update drivers

"

If you upgrade from Vista, this is not required.

[Apps]

Fine. Im wrong. You guys are Charlie Sheens... "Winners...Duh"


Although I deleted this post... I think its sad for people to pick apart other people words, just to make a point. This is the second time, a rude comment was made at this attempt. Starting to believe the moral of this community, is not something I want to be associated with.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

Communication is important. Terminology is critical when instructing folks on what can or cannot be done on an OS.

TL;DR = define upgrade.

Example 1:

Start with an installed XP system with programs, docs and settings like email/thunderbird/firefox configs
Insert Vista upgrade CD
OS asks for some basic info (timezone, language, etc.) and you click GO
Come back later and the upgrade is completely finished. All programs still run. Thunderbird/Firefox/Outlook still work and have the same addons, server configs and mailboxes.


Example 2:

Start with an install of XP (apps, docs, configs, blah blah)
Insert Win7 CD
Win7 asks you for some basic info and you click GO
Come back later and the OS install is complete. NO apps work, nothing still exists. Everything is moved into a "Windows.old" folder but you have to reinstall apps and reconfigure settings.
This is not an upgrade.


Example 3:

Start with an install of XP (apps, docs, configs, blah blah)
Run "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard" and backup all your stuff to USB.
Insert Win7 CD
Win7 asks you for some basic info and you click GO
Come back later and the OS install is complete. NO apps work, nothing still exists. Everything is moved into a "Windows.old" folder.
Run the "Windows Easy Transfer" wizard and restore the backup you made before installing Win7.
All your apps and settings work again.
This is technically an "upgrade" but one that is either A) not well understood by most users or B) not 100% functional at transferring apps properly.


Apps, which of the above did you do? Or did you add other steps in there? Upgrade has a very specific definition for Windows OS installs. "Migrating" data is both more complicated and not as reliable. Otherwise, all CDs would be labeled "Upgrade" CDs, n'est-ce pas?

[Catamer]

this product works great for me and my laptop, I've used it a few times and the software that comes with it. the software will only work with the adapter but makes any SATA drive look like a USB drive.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812161004&cm_re=apricorn_adapter-_-12-161-004-_-
Product (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812161004&cm_re=apricorn_adapter-_-12-161-004-_-Product)

copy your O/S to your new drive like the SSD using this software, it can resize partition if your new drive is larger than your old drive.
once that is done, swap drives out and then attempt your upgrade on the new drive, if it fails to upgrade properly you can ... start over with the old drive and make another copy or you can do a fresh install on the new drive and use the adapter to copy files off your old drive.

[Sam DeathWalker]

Confusion results because the correct term is "in place upgrade".

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/08/10/custom-install-or-in-place-upgrade-to-windows-7-official-upgrade-paths-chart-reference/



I had to do a clean install cause I moved from Win2000 ....

[Ughmahedhurtz]

Confusion results because the correct term is "in place upgrade".

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/08/10/custom-install-or-in-place-upgrade-to-windows-7-official-upgrade-paths-chart-reference/



I had to do a clean install cause I moved from Win2000 ....

Damn that chart....damn it to hell. :p You should have seen the test matrix we had to go through to confirm that during Win7 beta. Multiply that times 11 different product lines (commercial desktops only; didn't even count consumer or mobile) and then multiply again for various hardware configs within those product families. I think if one of us had to do another upgrade test, we'd have jumped out of our 6th floor windows.

[Apps]

Apps, which of the above did you do? Or did you add other steps in there? Upgrade has a very specific definition for Windows OS installs. "Migrating" data is both more complicated and not as reliable. Otherwise, all CDs would be labeled "Upgrade" CDs, n'est-ce pas?

This one.



Example 3:

Start with an install of XP (apps, docs, configs, blah blah)
Run "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard" and backup all your stuff to USB.
Insert Win7 CD
Win7 asks you for some basic info and you click GO
Come back later and the OS install is complete. NO apps work, nothing still exists. Everything is moved into a "Windows.old" folder.
Run the "Windows Easy Transfer" wizard and restore the backup you made before installing Win7.
All your apps and settings work again.
This is technically an "upgrade" but one that is either A) not well understood by most users or B) not 100% functional at transferring apps properly.



Realizing you simplified this just for the sake of internet posts. Yet, there is a virus check in safe mode prior to all of this. There is also a driver diagnostics via internet from Microsoft that is conducted to ensure all the latest drivers etc are in working order to make the transfter smooth.

I never said it was easy. Matter of fact, I said it wasnt easy. I also had to update one set of drivers no matter what for the MoBo, and also updated the drivers for the wireless keyboard.

Other than that. ^^ Above.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

About what I figured. I suspect some folks (even among we multiboxers, we happy few...) will have insurmountable issues with that scenario. :p