Windows 7 was designed to upgrade from Windows Vista and not from Windows XP. … Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium. • Windows …

Windows 7 was designed to upgrade from Windows Vista and not from Windows XP. Additionally, Microsoft will only allow the following upgrade path to Vista users:

Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium
Windows Vista Business to Windows 7 Professional
Windows Vista Enterprise to Windows 7 Enterprise
Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Ultimate

***Any other upgrade path from Vista to Windows 7 will require a clean install***

***Any upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 will require a clean install***

Before proceeding with an installation of Windows 7, you are strongly advised to run Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will check the compatibility of your computer with Windows 7 and alert you to any issues that you should address before installing Windows 7. The download is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows?7/get/upgrade?advisor.aspx.

1. From the Microsoft website click on Download the Windows Upgrade Advisor Beta.
2. Click Download and then click Run.
3. A window will display that says “Do you want to run this software?” Click Run.
4. On the Setup Wizard screen, click Next.
5. Click I accept the license terms and click Next.
6. Click Install. When installation is complete, click Close.
7. When you see the screen below, click Start Check.
8. Windows Upgrade Advisor will start checking compatibility.
9. Once the scan is complete, Upgrade Advisor will display any issues that you should be aware of.
10. Click Close to exit Windows Upgrade Advisor.

In any of the above scenarios please be aware that when installing Windows 7 you will need to perform a “Custom (Advanced)” install on your PC and you will need to save your files, documents, pictures, video, music, etc., before installing Windows 7. You will also need to make a list of all the applications you have installed because you will have to reinstall all applications following the upgrade. This is because the Custom (Advanced) install wipes out all your files and applications. You will need to back up your end-user data files to an external hard drive and you will need to reload your files and applications to your PC once you have completed installation of Windows 7.

Download Upgrading to Windows 7.pdf