Notes when upgrading from XP to Windows 7

Switching from the world's most popular operating system to a new version of Windows will be more difficult than upgrading from Vista .

First , XP users will have to perform a "clean" (clean install) installation process, which means that all data and applications available in the device will be deleted but not preserved as when upgrading from Vista.

Secondly , installing the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is important for those who are using XP. This free software helps determine if a PC is strong enough to run a new operating system. (Advisor offers a minimum configuration of 1 GHz chip, 1 GB RAM for Windows 7 32 bit or 2 GB for 64 bit version, at least 16 GB free hard drive and graphics card that meets Windows Aero interface).

Next, users should visit the hardware manufacturer's website to see if there is a new firmware update for the motherboard.

Windows 7 cannot use the XP driver : The Windows 7 Compatibility Center page is currently in Coming Soon mode and the user should go back to this page the next time to view driver information.

Windows XP Mode : This is the solution for users when they encounter application incompatibility problems. The software will run XP on a virtual machine in version 7 to help them open applications that are developed specifically for XP.

However, XP Mode requires CPUs to also be able to coat . Refer to Microsoft instruction information to determine if the CPU has this feature and if so, how to activate it. XP Mode is not shipped with Windows 7 and users will download it for free here .

XP and Windows 7 store data on different locations : Folder C: Documents and Settings in XP is now C: Users . Meanwhile, Application Data is abbreviated to AppData. The Music, Pictures and Videos folders will be located next to My Documents instead of inside as before.

The Windows 7 installation program will transfer all old folders to a folder called C: Windows.old .