skip to main content

back up computer XP, then put back on Windows 7

13 years ago

We can back up the computer which is XP, but in order to put Windows 7 on, I understand we need to erase the computer, we have that program also. Can we then put the back up information on the computer--that is, does it recognize transferring from XP to Windows 7.

OR

do I need to back up each program separate--such as favorites, etc.

Thank you

Marie

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

owbist
13 years ago
Hmm, let's see if we can explain this for you. You cannot create an image of XP then transfer that to Win7. Why? Because you would wipe the Win 7 off the computer and have XP back again, not what is wanted.

However you can back up all your personal data to either a CD, DVD, thumb drive or external drive to be copied back easily enough. Possibly most of your 'stuff' is in sub folders of My Documents so simply save My Documents. Then save your Favourites, Address Book and what ever else you need saved.

Once you are satisfied that all your data has been safely saved you can insert the Win7 CD and reboot the computer. Hopefully your BIOS is set to seek the CD/DVD player first, if so simply follow along with the instructions that appear onscreen. One option offered if I remember correctly is to format the hard drive - or just the C: partition if you have the drive partitioned. hen you get the option to proceed with the install. You will have been warned that proceeding will erase all data currently on the C: drive of course.

Once Win 7 is behaving nicely you can insert what ever you saved your My Documents onto and copy the contents to Documents in Win 7. My documents does not exist in Win 7 it is just Documents.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
13 years ago
of course as was mentioned in your post on KT you need to run the compatibility tests on that pc to see if it will run windows 7 and also if your programs will work on windows 7.

as to your programs you would need your original install media like the cd or download to then install it on windows 7 if that program is going to be compatible.

same for your peripherals like your printer etc.

running that compatibility test is very important I put the links to that in your other post.
Related Discussions
Back up for computer
Q
Comments (11)
backing up your files and data at the very least is very smart, should you have a hard drive failure or your data get corrupted you would lose it if it is not backed up, burning to cd is one way to do that, but getting a stand alone usb hard drive is another way. They usually have a large capacity so can hold a lot of stuff. I have a 500Gig seagate freeagent pro . you basically just plug it into your usb port on the pc and your pc will recognize it as another drive, you can then just move files back and forth to it from your pc. That makes is very easy to put all your pictures and stuff that takes up a lot of room on it rather than on your pc hard drive, keeping your pc less cluttered and easier to maintain. You currently have 22.2GB free left of the 39GB that is your hard drive. One reason you do not want your pc hard drive to get terribly full is that it can not run some of the stuff you want to be able to run for maintenance if it is too full for example a defrag, and setting system restore points. As to do you need one that would be up to you. I would say if you do not use some method of back up currently for your files and data then you should be. I use various methods, I have the usb hard drive, I also use thumb flash drives, cd and dvd and I have an online storage locker I can store stuff online. So hopefully if something drastic happens I can salvage the stuff that was really important. You can also get image programs that will take a snap shot of your entire hard drive including the operating system, you can store that image file on the external hard drive or flash drive, and from that you can quickly recreate your entire hard drive, I have Acronis True Image.
...See More
NAS - what to consider - does it matter if pc is xp or windows 7
Q
Comments (4)
Pkponder - thank you for asking your son-in-law on my behalf. It may come to that. Glad to know the Windows version of my main desktop doesn't matter in terms of the NAS. I am going to use a Tivo to retrieve digital data for playing on the television. At this point, I think Tivo's can play Tivo format (which is how I record and store my video) and mpegs. I believe the Tivo is DNLA compliant device. I barely know what that is, but I think it means it can transfer different file formats. I know that I can view my digital pictures, videos and music on my television by retrieving them with my Tivo. I can also play the videos on my laptop. I have Tivo desktop software plus which can transcode any of the tivo videos to a format that can played on Ipads and ipods. Of course, I would have to change the format first. Maybe an NAS can do some of that on the fly - I have no idea. I don't think on the fly video transfer to Ipad and Ipod is that important. If my daughter is home, she has plenty of alternatives for viewing video. And if she wants to load her apple devices for travel, then we have time to get them to the right format. I think the Synology comes with it's own network operating system (which I think is some type of linux distribution). My question on the Raid will be what type. I'll have to learn the difference between Raid 0,1,5 and whatever else there is, so I can choose the appropriate type for me. Thanks. Lynn.
...See More
Make Windows7 look like XP
Q
Comments (9)
I had a tech "build" me a machine, have all I wanted from previous XP, but had I known that the folder for the docs would be sideways, and could could have no pics on them, would have stayed XP if at all possible, nothing you can do about that, tried it and no go. Also had trubble finding downloads, and docs in my background, they seem to be more hidden, or were anyway, I have had my W7 about 3 months now, and have become used to it, not a fan by any means, but am used to it finally. One final note, I also had files that simply disappeared from the documents, and googled, W7 has this problem, and it has since been rectified, at least in my case. I also had a friend find me an add on, for the pdf's has pics on them which helps find what I am searching for, rather than on the folders as in XP. Brought all the goodies with me from XP that I could, love my Word, my pdf makers, and learning a new mail program, I would not pay the hundred dollars for OE mail, and as I had TB on the XP computer, took that along as well. All in all, has been a heck of a learning process, those that find or found it easy, good for them, for those of us that have trubble, well, it is hard, and I am not ashamed to admit it was hard for me. ADD is part of the reason, and had to redo, redo and redo before I could get programs and how they worked into my head. Since I wrote everything down, has helped a great deal, and am so grateful that I did not have to take W8. Maybe by the time I need a new machine again, they will have redone the OS and come up with something simple again, I know it can be done, and senior or not, there are things that are hard for even youngsters, anyone younger than 65. Just remember folks, one day you will be older as well, and understand what I am speaking of, let's hope you can move thru the process as easily as you can, for those of us with issues, it is a real hardship.
...See More
Intro to Windows7 and computer transfer?
Q
Comments (8)
with only 2Gb of memory with windows7 Ultimate you may have issues, that is not much memory for that operating system at all. there is a great forum for windows 7 they have lots and lots of tutorials set up, I would highly recommend using that site. Windows 7 Forums there are ways to set up 7 to look more like xp so that the look may make it easier to adjust to. Make the Windows 7 Taskbar Work More Like Windows XP or Vista If you want that same classic mode (the gray toolbars and such), that does exist in Windows 7. Just right-click your desktop, choose Personalize, then scroll down and click "Windows Classic". Make Windows 7 look like XP for many more like this here is the google search for you Make Windows 7 look like XP My prefered method to move my data from one pc to another is using a usb thumb drive just put what I want to transfer on the thumb drive then stick that in the new pc and load it to that machine. be sure you have your security programs up and running before connecting to the internet so you do not risk infection right off. The 2 free ones I would suggest are AVAST or Microsoft Security Essentials. Also install Malwarebytes free and update and run it weekly. Which ever AV you choose make sure you have the 64 bit version since your new windows 7 is 64bit. Let us know what more you need. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (Win) - Detecting and Removing Malware Free Antivirus 64-bit to help you understand what 64 bit is all about Download Microsoft Security Essentials there you would choose the English one and in that drop down box the windows 7 64bit option.
...See More
mariend
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks so much for both. Raven--I did check the other post, sorry for the double post, did not realize it. Now I have Win 7 advisor on my deskstop and will go back and check things out before I mess things up. Hubby will do most as he built this up and he has all this on his computer.
bpgreen
13 years ago
If you have a powerful enough machine, you can make a backup of the XP using a program such as Paragon Go Virtual.

We had a power outage recently that was a power outage followed by several power cycles and an outage for an hour.
When the power finally came back, one desktop would not reboot (it was old and we've been meaning to replace it anyway, so I'm not too upset). I put the drive in an external enclosure and created a VM of it and am running the desktop on my laptop. Note that you'll need the tag with the Windows XP license info on it because the VM constitutes a hardware change and it will need to revalidate.
bob414
13 years ago
When I installed Windows 7 on my computer which had XP I didn't format the c drive first. Windows 7 saved all my files in a folder it named 'old windows'. I had them backed up but it was good to have a source I could check if I missed something.
owbist
13 years ago
Thanks Bob, good information. I never knew that as I have only done clean installs of Win 7.
leewil
13 years ago
First you backup the desired information. Then you format the PC, this can be done with the XP or Windows 7 disc. If you only want Windows 7 use it straight away. IF you would like both operating systems on one machine in a dual boot setup you must first install Windows XP and AFTER Windows 7, because otherwise the XP boot loader wouldnt work with W7...if you do it that way round.

But Windows XP is very dated I wouldn't recommend it, except for older, slower PC's.

Related Stories

HOME TECH 7 Ways to Charge Up and Connect After Disaster

Products and tips for communicating and keeping essential items running till the power's back on

HOME TECH Design Dilemma: Where to Put the Flat-Screen TV?

TV Placement: How to Get the Focus Off Your Technology and Back On Design

MORE ROOMS 7 Tips to Put Your Attic in Play as a Game Room

By Shawn Gauthier

Got game? You will when you take your attic off the bench and turn it into an active room for the entire family

FEEL-GOOD HOME 10 Ways to Snug Up Your Bedroom

By Laura Gaskill

Turn your back on the cold by chilling out in cozy sleep-space comfort

FALL GARDENING 7 Reasons Not to Clean Up Your Fall Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Before you pluck and rake, consider wildlife, the health of your plants and your own right to relax

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING 7 Ideas to Get You Back on the Front Porch

Remember the good old days, when porches offered front-row seats to street scenes? They can be even better today

KITCHEN DESIGN Where Should You Put the Kitchen Sink?

By Jennifer Ott Design

Facing a window or your guests? In a corner or near the dishwasher? Here’s how to find the right location for your sink

ART New Digital Art Frame Gets Put to the Test

By R. Daniel Foster

Our writer sets up the EO1 at home, then invites artist friends over for a look — at images of their own work. See what they have to say

THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE Back of an Envelope: Architects’ Sketches and the Homes They’ve Made

By Simon Farrell-Green

There’s something evocative about a hand-drawn architectural sketch that a computer just can’t replicate. Here are some great examples

LIFE Simple Pleasures: Put Pen to Paper

By Laura Gaskill

Note writing a lost art? Not when you have a nice selection of papers, a dedicated spot and the right frame of mind

Sponsored

Kuhns Contracting, Inc.

26 Reviews

Central Ohio's Trusted Home Remodeler Specializing in Kitchens & Baths

More Discussions

Can I stop my modem from gathering and sharing our data?

12

sound missing on Dell

3

Problems with Outlook 2013

0

Upgrading Windows 11 from Home to Pro

2

Any suggestions for a very secure non-web-based email?

3