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November 13th, 2010 14:00
Upgrading XP to Windows 7 with Dell Upgrade Assistant and Dell's Vista Business to Windows 7 Disks
I have checked the FAQs, tutorials and a bit of the forum but haven't found an answer I am comfortable with...at least comfortable enough to proceed with the upgrade.
I am working on a Vostro 220 that was ordered with Vista Business and an XP Professional downgrade installed. So, the computer is currently running XP. The owner would like to, finally, upgrade to Windows 7.
I have two disks from Dell. The Dell Windows 7 Upgrade Assistand DVD 32-bit and the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Windows Vista Business to Windows 7 Professional. Needless to say I am a bit confused.
Can I simply proceed with an XP to Windows 7 upgrade and assume this Vista to Windows 7 will perform the upgrade properly? Do I need to somehow install Vista first (and if so, how do I do that with the materials at hand)? Or is the owner simply out of luck when it comes to using this upgrade?
Thank you in advance for any information you may have. I really appreciate it.
The Dean
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November 13th, 2010 14:00
A quick edit to my post above. I have found the Vista Business Reinstallation disk. So that should be added to the equation.
Thanks again.
The Dean
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November 13th, 2010 15:00
Thanks, bacillus
So, given what I have at hand, I suppose I have to reformat, install Vista and then use the Vista to Windows 7 Upgrade.
Does that sound about right?
bacillus
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14.4K Posts
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November 13th, 2010 15:00
The only pathway to upgrade from xp to windows 7 is by using a clean install. You can't upgrade over xp.
JackyPit
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November 14th, 2010 01:00
Acctually, you can upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 with Zinstall XP7.
gtac
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November 14th, 2010 10:00
Just to add to the discussion. I have just upgraded by installing a new SSD and installing Win 7 from scratch. As yet I have not needed to download any drivers from Dell and the machine flies. Blistering fast start up, operation and shut down. I am reluctant to risk spoiling this performance by downloading any Dell drivers - is there are downside to this?
gtac
theflash1932
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16.3K Posts
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November 14th, 2010 14:00
If Windows 7 has native drivers for a device, it is not necessary (and normally not recommended) to install a Dell or a manufacturer's driver over the top of it unless there is a problem. If there's not a problem, just leave it alone. Those drivers will normally be updated eventually through Windows updates. Just make sure you don't have any unknown devices in Device Manager.
bestis1980
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November 14th, 2010 23:00
Thanks a lot JackyPit . I thought i can't upgrade to windows 7 from XP. I am going to try it. But i want to sure with upgrading using this software, will i have all of my installed programs on my windows7 too?
The Dean
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November 15th, 2010 05:00
I just did a bit of checking and Zinstall XP7 sounds pretty interesting. I'm just not sure it will help in this situation.
I do not have a full Windows 7 installation package. Instead I have Dell's Vista to Windows 7 Upgrade disk. Does anyone know if Zinstall will work in with the materials I have on hand?
Thanks again for the effort.
JackyPit
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December 2nd, 2010 02:00
Well, I'm no expert but I did use Zinstall so I can answer only from personal experience ( I upgraded from Win XP to Win7) :
Bestis1980-
Yep, it transfers all installed programs to the new system. Note that it puts them in a “virtual container” – so that:
1. Even stuff that’s incompatible with Windows 7 will still work
2. You won’t get software conflicts or viruses because everything is contained.
The Dean-
I have no idea how to use the Dell disk, unfortunately. However, you install Win7 before you even use Zinstall –
so if the disk lets you have Win7 installed, you can then use Zinstall with no problem.
The Dean
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December 2nd, 2010 06:00
Thanks for all the suggestions and help. In the end I decided to start fresh. Installed Vista and then Windows 7. It was the only thing that would work, as the upgrade process failed on several occasions. In the end, the entire process took about 8 hours over two days.
I typically think a fresh install is the way to go, but the owner was really hoping to keep every little thing the same. As I backed her up completely, she still has all her important data and settings.
Again, thank you all. Enjoy the upcoming holidays.