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| |  Upgrading To Windows 7
In the past week I have had more time to explore Windows 7 Home Premium. While I have not experienced any severe difficulties, there have been a few minor problems. Some problems are to be expected with the release of a new operating system. Still, in my experience, Window 7 has thus far proven to be the best new release of Windows yet. Nevertheless, I want to make it very clear that if you are using XP or Vista, and are content, there is no compelling reason to upgrade your existing PC to Windows 7. If you use some XP applications that will not run on Vista, and you do not or cannot purchase new versions that will run on Win 7, then you are better off sticking with XP. If you have heard of the “XP Mode” available in Windows 7, please note it is not available in the Home Premium edition, but only in the Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise editions. While mainstream Microsoft support has ended for XP, you will still enjoy online protection from XP security flaws because Microsoft will continue to provide security updates until 2014. If you are considering the upgrade, download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft’s website. When you install and run the Advisor, it should detect any hardware or software issues that need to be addressed before you upgrade. If your computer was purchased with Windows Vista installed, you should not have any real problems passing the Advisor scan. If your computer came installed with XP, then do not be surprised to find some reported hardware incompatibilities. In upgrading to Win 7 from Vista, there are two approaches to consider. First is the in place upgrade over top of Vista, which is the first of two options listed shortly after booting from the installation DVD. Some tech writers on the web who obtained RTM copies of Windows 7 prior to the October 22 public release indicated that the Win 7 in place upgrade of Vista was the best ever Windows in place upgrade. They reported no major issues, but also mentioned that the upgrade could take from 1½ to 8 hours depending on multiple factors. Whether you choose the first or second upgrade option, it is a good idea to clean your hard drive of junk files with a program such as CCleaner, and follow that up with a defrag of your hard drive. Afterward, be sure to do a complete backup of your hard drive so you can restore your old OS easily if anything goes awry in the upgrade process. The greatest advantage of the in place upgrade is that all your user settings and installed applications will still be there when the upgrade process is concluded. The second option is the “custom install” which will not preserve your user settings or your installed applications, but is considered the more reliable and trouble free of the two options. I chose the “custom install”, and the install was finished in 35 minutes. All that remained was to install some drivers and my applications programs. If you upgrade from XP your only choice is to do the custom install. Custom install for either Vista or XP will move all your old Windows files into a folder called Windows.old, and then install Windows 7 on your computer. You can then go into the Windows.old to copy your user files to Windows 7, but previously installed applications will have to be reinstalled (unless you want to pay more money for a utility that can migrate your compatible apps to Win 7 for you). Once you are sure you have retrieved all your user files from Windows.old, you can delete the folder to free up a great deal of disk space. Microsoft Windows 7 Support lines received over 3,000 calls about upgrade difficulties during the first 24 hours after the October 22 public release. Many callers experienced difficulty with continuous reboots, rejection of the Windows Product Key printed in their upgrade documentation, and other issues. I have not seen any specifics of the problems encountered, but inevitably some problems are self inflicted. If you upgrade to Windows 7 from Vista or XP, do not wipe your hard drive clean of your operating system before booting to the Windows 7 install DVD, as the Windows 7 upgrade has to find a Windows XP or Vista installation on your hard drive. If it finds a hard drive without an operating system, the upgrade will fail. Next time, I will relate the issues I encountered in my upgrade from Vista to Windows 7. Have any of you upgraded to Windows 7, or purchased a new computer with Windows 7 installed? We invite you to tell us of your experience.
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| | No. 1 | 
Nov 07, 2009, 08:44 PM
Re: Upgrading To Windows 7
Dh just installed Windows 7 (Pro) and seems to work well on my laptop, EXCEPT I tried to watch a DVD tonight.
While the DVD spins and the picture comes up, all I could hear is a rapid clacking noise, no other sound from the DVD.
GRRRRRRRRRR!!
| | No. 2 |
Nov 08, 2009, 06:06 AM
Re: Upgrading To Windows 7
Hi dianah,
Thanks for relating your unpleasant experience with us. If you have not been able to alleviate the problem yet, might I offer a few things to try? First, go to control panel and then to device manager to see if there are any caution markers, or question marks beside any devices. If so, then you need a new driver for the device. The best place to obtain the drivers for your machine is your laptop manufacturers support site. You can download Windows 7 drivers for your model. Make sure you get the correct driver for your Windows 7 install. If you installed 32 bit, then get 32 bit drivers. If you installed 64 bit, then get 64 bit drivers. A lot of laptop brands combine both 32 and 64 bit drivers in one package, and it automatically detects which Windows 7 you have and installs accordingly.
Can you play any music on your computer, such as MP3 songs? Have you tried a different DVD movie in your laptop? Do you hear any sound that you would expect to be hearing? If not, then you most likely need a driver for the sound device on your computer. Device Manager should show you any devices that need attention.
Hope some of this helps. Have a great day.
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