Windows XP>Windows7

[cut93550]

Windows XP>Windows7

Well I knew this time would come. Transitioning from XP to 7. What has been your experiences with the transition and Windows 7?

Do I have a nightmare ahead of me of do you think it will be smooth sailing. ALL my saving is to external hard drive so file transfer will not be an issue (I hope).

Learning curve for 7?

Thanks
Chris

 

[MaximumT]

Hmm... It's been awhile since I last used Windows XP. I went from XP to Vista to 7, so there was Vista in-between but on the other hand, it's very similar to 7...
Anyway, there are differences, and I think it'll take a moment before you get used to 7, but it's not like you have to start all over again. The design is different, but there will still be a lot of things you will recognise, and things (at least most of them) are still where they used to be. There's no need to be a computer expert to learn 7. If anything, Vista was much worse, so be happy you skipped that one.
So I think you'll do just fine.

 

[slimjim]

Well I missed out Vista and went from XP to Win 7 and it was fine. Yes there are changes to the design and names of things but it was a relatively painless transition. Ocassionally I have to go back to the old (XP) laptop and then I realise how much better Win 7 is.

Microsoft have developed "Windows Easy Transfer" which, as the name suggests, is designed to copy your files, photos, music, e-mail, settings, and more from a computer running Windows XP to a computer running Windows 7. and there are several expanatory videos that Microsoft have made and I guess there will be some on YouTube too.

So you should have a smooth sail and a short straightforward learning curve

 

[Toboekun]

I normally recommend to do a fresh start. File transission with that tool would be easier of course, but you don't know what kind of old garbabge will be transfered too. If you like it painless, it's the way to go. Daily work with Win7 won't be a problem. Of course it looks a bit different but it's not hard to get accustomed to it.
But be sure to check if your hardware is fully compatible. A friend of mine had a hard time to get everything running (searching for drivers and stuff).

 

[gb2000ie]

If your data is already off the C: then you're in for a much easier time than most!

My advice would be to be sure you really do have a full backup of everything, then, format c: and install Windows 7 from scratch, not as an upgrade. It does Windows the world of good to start over every 12-18 months. It's one of the annoyances of Windows that it slows down over time, so you gotta bear that in mind.

B.

 

[Rozas]

My first computer years were with XP until I install service pack3 ,dam the computer worked no longer properly, reason: too small disk capacity grrrrrrrrr..... after weeks of frustration and nerves an exper install windows7 for me on a brand new computer and now I hop as a young foal on the pasture during the spring,trough computerland (lol).
Do not be afraid to switch Cut93550 Chris it's like they say in French "crème de la crème"!
If you work for a while with a computer win7 is certainly no problem.
Gook luck.

 

[cut93550]

Thanks everybody for your comments and suggestions. Incidentally, I'm getting a whole new system not converting my current system. I have virtually nothing saved on "C" of the current system. Anything that is there I'm shooting over to the externals. I have a squadron of Western Digital Element 2TB externals. Although rated for 7 my biggest concern is that when I plug them in to the new system it won't be able to read the data. Probably an unfounded paranoia but one nonetheless. I've "smoked" a number of externals but these guys seem to be bomb proof. Absolutely no sound, no lights, no vent holes (surprising) just solid boxes about the size of a deck of Tarot Cards. They are rated as portable - plug and play, which from out of the box only had to plug them in and there they were on "My Computer". My other concern was navigating 7. I have access to a a couple puters with 7 but rarely use them.

Thanks again everybody,
Chris

 

[Toboekun]

… Although rated for 7 my biggest concern is that when I plug them in to the new system it won't be able to read the data. …

The filesystem NTFS is stantard for many years now, so every Win* system is able to read the data. It could become complicated if the drives are connected with a RAID system. But thats the fault of drivers and hardware, not Win*.

 

[swallowmeinsf]

I have 3 HP 2TB externals, recently moved from an old XP system to a new Windows 7 system, plugged 'em in, and they are working perfectly. 7 seems to do a great job with EVERY external USB device.

Another suggestion: If your system has a USB 3.0 port, make sure your next external has one too. USB 3.0 is 100 times faster than USB 2.0. It was specifically designed for fast external drives.

 

[gb2000ie]

The filesystem NTFS is stantard for many years now, so every Win* system is able to read the data. It could become complicated if the drives are connected with a RAID system. But thats the fault of drivers and hardware, not Win*.

Reading data tends not to be a problem when you upgrade, because backwards compatibility is the norm. For MS, I'd go so far as to call it a religion. The very latest versions of Word can still open files from decades ago, and Windows 7 can still read files on MS DOS formatted hard drives from when I was a kid, so don't worry about reading data on regular hard disks.

The only potential problem could be if you are using some sort of non-standard storage system that relies on drivers to work (as Toboekun already mentioned). In that case, a quick visit to the manufacturer's website should tell you the answer. If you didn't need to install any drivers, you're probably just fine.

Finally - before doing ANYTHING major like this, I always suggest people do a full clone backup of their hard drive, so, if things go totally tits-up, you can just restore from that clone and get back to exactly where you left off. Doing this kind of thing without a full backup is like having a go on the flying trapeze without a safety net!

Good luck!

B.

 

[G_Man0239]

I went str8 from xp 2 win 7 without even visiting vista but i have used vista as my dear mum has it windows 7 to me is just vista but has a few extra tweaks and whistles etc i'm a fan of the snap two windows so they are side by side and also like the grab one window and shake it around the screen and all other open windows vanish sad it mayb but i like silly things like that

 

[SimplyJakeAndAlex]

Windows 8 is coming this September in the Americas, fixing most issues from windows 7, end of life support for XP is as of 2014 so SP3 is pretty much the last service pack you'll see for XP. I have had the privilege to try win8 and trust me it will be an amazing system. Completely redesigned with touch screen features. In fact win8 is made for touch screen.

So yes it is a good move to upgrade to Win 7, however do upgrade to Professional or Ultimate since there is more functionality enabled on those packages. XP is going away, they're not selling it anymore.

If you have question with Win 7 please don't hesitate to ask, among the many things I do, I'm also a Microsoft Product Specialist from home users to business, so much that I am actually a support engineer for Microsoft.:cheers: I am from the inside of Microsoft so I do know some stuff that are not really given to outsiders