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Migrating to Windows 7

<p>This article discusses the need to migrate to Windows 7 as well as advising how to go about it and highlighting some of the pitfalls involved.</p>

With the end of Microsoft support looming for both the Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems, it is time to start planning for Windows 7 on all your office PCs and laptops. In some cases support has already expired, mainly on XP or Vista systems that have not been updated to the latest service pack.

Why is this important? Primarily because of the vast amount of cyber crime that has become more and more sophisticated in its use of root kits, bots, viruses and malware to control users PCs and to capture personal information in order to defraud a person directly through their bank accounts or to obtain credit or goods by using their details. Microsoft constantly issues security patches through Windows and Microsoft updates and also through major updates such as Service Packs to minimise these risks. Once support ceases for an operating system such as XP or Vista, there are no longer any further updates for them. This means that potentially your system is at risk.

Below is the current Microsoft timetable for XP and Vista:

Microsoft Windows Operating system support

XP SP2 – Expired July 13th 2010

XP SP3 – Expires April 8th 2014

Vista SP0 (RTM – Release to manufacturing) – Expired April 13th 2010

Vista SP1 – Expires July 12th 2011

Vista SP1 - mainstream – Expires April 10th 2012

Vista SP2 – Ends on the earlier of 24 months from the release of the subsequent service pack or at the end of the product's support lifecycle.

NB: For a full list click here (Key in XP or Vista)

What this all means is that now is the time to put your rollout plan together and 2011 is the year that you really want to have completed it. So, the first question is, “Are your PCs or laptops capable of running Windows 7?” The simple answer is that if they are already running Vista, then “yes, probably.” The definitive answer is to ask whether your hardware meets the minimum specification – see below:

Minimum hardware specification for Windows 7

1 Ghz or faster processor for a 32 or 64 bit version of Windows 7

1Gb of RAM for a 32 bit version or 2Gb of RAM for a 64 bit version

16Gb of hard disk space for a 32 bit version or 20Gb for a 64 bit version

A Directx version 9 graphics device with WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) 1.0 or higher driver.

Click here for a full discussion.

Of course this is a minimum specification and it is obviously advantageous to have equipment capable of performing reliably and speedily before making a decision to upgrade or replace. If your PC or laptop is approaching 3 years of use or is more than 3 years old, it would be advisable to replace it with a new one with Windows 7 already installed. Exceptions to this would be if the PC or laptop was of a high spec and/or an extended warranty was in place.

In addition, the migration process is easier if you are upgrading from Vista to Windows 7. This assumes that your Vista version is not at a higher level than the Windows 7 type you are migrating to, e.g. Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Pro would require a custom install as the upgrade option would not be available. In the case of XP, a custom install is always required, i.e it doesn’t preserve your programs, files or settings.

Click here for a tutorial for upgrading from XP to Windows 7

Click here for a tutorial for upgrading from Vista to Windows 7

Rendili's Top Ten Tips

1. Ensure that you run the Windows Upgrade Advisor on your PCs/laptops first. It can be downloaded here.

2. Make sure that you address all issues raised by the Windows Upgrade Advisor report. In particular pay attention to drivers required for components within your PC or laptop, especially video drivers and networking devices such as Bluetooth.

3. Make sure that any applications that you are currently running are capable of running under Windows 7. Check the Windows 7 compatibility centre here

4. Make sure you have all the program application CDs and any downloaded applications available for re-installation.

5. Be aware that although music and video files can be backed up, you may have to re-obtain rights for content protected by DRM (Digital Rights Management) from the online store that originally provided them.

6. Backup before you start. If you use Windows Easy Transfer, (download here) make sure you backup to an external hard disk.

7. If you do not have Windows media and need to burn an ISO image of the Windows 7 operating system, make sure you have a writable DVD and a DVD drive or USB memory stick of sufficient capacity, i.e. 4Gb.

8. If the Windows Upgrade Advisor highlights drivers that are not available, or are not upgraded by the migration, then download them from the PC manufacturers’ website, so you can apply them immediately post migration.

9. Windows 7 automatically detects locally attached printers and will, in most cases install the correct driver. Therefore it is advisable to let Windows 7 do this. Attempting to add a printer manually can cause problems and is only necessary if a driver cannot be found by Windows 7.

10. Allow plenty of time to complete the migration process. It can take from 2 hours to a full day, dependent on the amount of data to be restored and the number of programs to be re-installed.