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How Do I Switch From Vista To Windows 7

I have a Compaq Presario CQ60-215DX. Can I upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 or 10? Leslie

Microsoft will stop supporting Windows Vista on 12 Apr, then you have less than a month to determine what to practise. The short answer is, yes, y'all can upgrade from Vista to Windows seven or to the latest Windows 10. Whether it's worth it is some other matter.

The master consideration is the hardware. PC manufacturers installed Vista from 2006 to 2009, so most of these machines volition be eight to 10 years old. They are likely to have low specifications, past today'southward standards, and their ageing difficult drives are increasingly likely to fail. Users could upgrade these PCs to 4GB of memory and replace their hard drives with SSDs to prolong their life, but in many cases, information technology'southward non worth it. They could buy something newer on eBay, or get a refurbished machine from a supplier such as Tier1online.

Behave in mind that doing hardware and software upgrades can involve quite a lot of piece of work with an uncertain issue. That's fine for PC hobbyists, but if you were that sort of person, you wouldn't be using Vista. In fact, y'all probably wouldn't accept bought a Presario CQ60-215DX. If yours has a dual-core AMD Athlon X2 QL-62 processor, it will be slow. If it has a single-core Sempron, it belongs in the bin.

Windows Vista.
Windows Vista. People who have faster or newer Vista laptops should notice they run meliorate nether Windows 10. Photo: Microsoft

People who have faster or newer Vista laptops should find they run better under Windows 10. The minimum useful spec is something like a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo T8300 and 4GB of memory. This processor has a PassMark CPU score of 1482. Search for your CPU's score at PassMark and run into if it's college. If it'due south much lower, drop the idea. Life's besides short.

If in incertitude well-nigh Windows 10, try it for free. Anyone can install it at zippo price simply by not activating information technology (if you can cope with the nagging to purchase it): see beneath.

You could besides try installing a version of Linux, such as Mint 18.1, which is free. (If you take bug getting the Wireless LAN card to work, this might assist.)

Linux is non directly compatible with programs such every bit Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Apple iTunes and other mainstream software. Cheque to see whether yous will exist able to run all your essentials on Linux, or find usable replacements.

Either mode, brand a clone of your hard drive start, so that you tin go back to Vista if Windows vii/10/Linux doesn't piece of work properly.

From Vista to Windows 7

If I upgrade to Windows 7, exercise I need to upgrade my programs etc first? Lynn

The upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 is what Microsoft calls "an in-place upgrade". All your current programs and data should stay the same as they were before. It is, of grade, of import to back up your PC and all your data offset, because things sometimes become incorrect.

Brand certain that Vista is patched and up-to-date before upgrading. You could also update all your PC'southward drivers to the latest versions – there's some help online – and cheque your PC manufacturer's website for Rom upgrades. Yet, you lot don't need to upgrade your programs.

Windows 7 is no longer the current version, and there are scammers selling pirate copies, and so caveat emptor. You will demand to purchase a version that is as good as or better than your current version of Vista. For example, you tin can upgrade from Vista Home Basic to Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate. However, you cannot get from Vista Dwelling house Premium to Windows 7 Home Bones. See Windows 7 Upgrade Paths for more than details.

Farther, in-place upgrades take to go from 32-bit to 32-bit versions, or from 64-chip to 64-bit versions, non from 32-chip to 64-bit versions, or vice versa. Y'all can upgrade from 32-bits to 64-bits – this is a good idea – but only by doing a "clean installation" that removes all your electric current software and data. To do this, select the Custom selection instead of the usual Upgrade option.

One problem with upgrading to Windows 7 is that the DVD versions are at present many years out of date. Once y'all've installed it, yous have to download hundreds of updates, and many of them force reboots. The last fourth dimension I did a clean installation of Windows seven, it was still installing updates three days later.

Either mode, I don't recommend upgrading to Windows 7 today, unless it's a stepping rock to Windows 10. Windows x is much better than Windows 7, and it'due south improving all the time. Also, Windows seven reaches the end of its life in 2020, though you may need to buy a new PC earlier so.

Upgrading to Windows x

I accept a decent PC running Vista – fast processor, 8GB of memory. Is in that location an easy way to wipe information technology clean and exercise a new install of Windows 10? I have my data files backed up. Tim

You lot cannot practice an in-place upgrade from Vista to Windows 10, and therefore Microsoft did non offer Vista users a gratuitous upgrade. Withal, you can certainly purchase an upgrade to Windows x and practice a clean installation. (In fact, it doesn't matter which way round you lot practice it. You can install Windows ten starting time and then go to the online Windows Store to pay for it.)

You don't need to wipe your electric current copy of Vista: the clean installation will take care of it.

windows 10 on a laptop
Microsoft wants people to move to Windows 10 so, at the moment, it's putting adoption ahead of profits. Photograph: Microsoft

To exercise a clean installation, you tin can either follow Microsoft's instructions and create a DVD or thumbdrive, or you can buy a retail copy. (With retail copies, you can remove a copy of Windows from i PC and install it on another. Y'all tin't practice that with pre-installed versions, which are locked to the hardware on which they are first installed.)

Technically, it's too late to become a free upgrade from Windows 7 or 8/8.one to Windows 10. However, fifty-fifty after last twelvemonth's deadline, Microsoft kept providing upgrades when users typed in their Windows vii product keys. That may still work. Besides, Microsoft has left a loophole by offering complimentary upgrades to people who need assistive technologies such as screen readers. This could obviously be withdrawn at whatever time.

Alternatively, you could become a free copy of Windows 10 by joining Microsoft's Insider testing program and exercise a make clean installation of that.

Finally, you could skip past the production key screens and use Windows x without activating it. Some features are limited, it puts a watermark on your desktop and information technology will nag you to buy a copy, but information technology's still a vast improvement on Vista and costs the same as Linux (ie: nothing).

Of course, Microsoft could clamp down on non-activated copies one day. However, Microsoft wants people to move to Windows 10 so, at the moment, information technology's putting adoption ahead of profits. And in one case you've installed Windows x, all futurity upgrades are complimentary.

Have y'all got another question for Jack? Email it to Enquire.Jack@theguardian.com

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2017/mar/16/upgrade-microsoft-windows-vista-options-unsupported

Posted by: ransdellnotle1998.blogspot.com

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