Upgrading to Windows 7 from Vista Home Premium...

[ross m. greenberg]

My son is running Vista Home Premium onto his machine and just downloaded
Windows 7/RTM and he wants to install it desperately. I'm hesitant to do so:
it's easy to "uninstall" Windows 7 and revert back to Home Premium if he
thinks that he made a mistake?

Thanks.

Ross M. Greenberg

 

[Spanky de Monkey, ESQ]

My son is running Vista Home Premium onto his machine and just downloaded
Windows 7/RTM and he wants to install it desperately. I'm hesitant to do
so: it's easy to "uninstall" Windows 7 and revert back to Home Premium if
he thinks that he made a mistake?

Thanks.

Ross M. Greenberg

If you want to go back to Vista, you will be performing a new install. That
means Windows 7 will be wiped clean from your computer and Vista will be
installed like new. All your programs and drivers will have to be installed
from scratch.

I have been using Windows 7 RTM since it was released on MSDN and I can tell
you that Windows 7 is much better than Vista. Windows 7 is fast, solid, and
just works well. There should be no going back to Vista.

Make sure the first thing you do after the install is to load anti-virus
software. Don't use Norton or McAfee, use AVG or AVAST, both are free for
home users.

 

[ray]

My son is running Vista Home Premium onto his machine and just
downloaded Windows 7/RTM and he wants to install it desperately. I'm
hesitant to do so: it's easy to "uninstall" Windows 7 and revert back to
Home Premium if he thinks that he made a mistake?

Thanks.

Ross M. Greenberg

How about running it in a virtual machine, instead? Then both of you can
be happy.

 

[Leroy]

To revert back from Windows 7 to Windows Vista, you'll need to reformat
the drive or partition and perform a "clean install" of Windows Vista.
The easiest solution is to purchase and install a second hard drive and
install Windows 7 on it. This will require a "Full License" edition of
Windows 7. Thus, you'll have a dual-boot configuration allowing you the
option of booting to Windows 7 or Windows Vista.

 

[Alias]

If you want to go back to Vista, you will be performing a new install.
That means Windows 7 will be wiped clean from your computer and Vista
will be installed like new. All your programs and drivers will have to
be installed from scratch.

I have been using Windows 7 RTM since it was released on MSDN and I can
tell you that Windows 7 is much better than Vista. Windows 7 is fast,
solid, and just works well. There should be no going back to Vista.

Make sure the first thing you do after the install is to load anti-virus
software. Don't use Norton or McAfee, use AVG or AVAST, both are free
for home users.

Of course, the real solution is to try it on another hard drive instead
of nuking Vista.

The first thing one installs on a new Windows install should NOT be the
anti virus, clueless one. Do you even know why?

Alias

 

[Spanky de Monkey, ESQ]

Of course, the real solution is to try it on another hard drive instead of
nuking Vista.

The first thing one installs on a new Windows install should NOT be the
anti virus, clueless one. Do you even know why?

Alias

What would you install? A game?

 

[Alias]

What would you install? A game?

No, I would install the MB chipset, the video and audio drivers followed
by Windows Updates.

Again, do you even have a clue as to why the anti virus should be the
last program you install prior to the devices?

Alias

 

[Spanky de Monkey, ESQ]

No, I would install the MB chipset, the video and audio drivers followed
by Windows Updates.

I was talking about software programs, not drivers. Of course you install
the drivers and MB software after.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

My son is running Vista Home Premium onto his machine and just downloaded
Windows 7/RTM and he wants to install it desperately. I'm hesitant to do so:
it's easy to "uninstall" Windows 7 and revert back to Home Premium if he
thinks that he made a mistake?

He would have to install Windows 7 in a dual-boot scenario.

But here's my point of view: as much as I liked Windows Vista, I like
Windows 7 even more, and I've seen no problems with it at all. I think
the risk of wanting to go back to Vista is very slim.

 

[Alias]

I was talking about software programs, not drivers. Of course you
install the drivers and MB software after.

After what?

Some of Windows Updates are programs. I bet your favorite is WGA-N.

 

[Spanky de Monkey, ESQ]

After what?

Some of Windows Updates are programs. I bet your favorite is WGA-N.

You know it all. Why don't you enlighten me?

 

[Alias]

Well?


You know it all.

No one knows it all.

Why don't you enlighten me?

What does a resident anti virus scanner do when you install a program?
Sit idly by? If you're not surfing around the Net and have a proper
firewall, there is NO WAY you can get compromised, dumb ****.

Alias

 

[Spanky de Monkey, ESQ]

No one knows it all.


What does a resident anti virus scanner do when you install a program? Sit
idly by? If you're not surfing around the Net and have a proper firewall,
there is NO WAY you can get compromised, dumb ****.

Alias

Quite a few people have routers that has a built in firewall. In Windows
you can use their firewall to help protect your OS.
Before using any e-mail or other NET surfing, if you install the antivirus
before any other activities you should be well protected.

Have done it that way for years and never have been infected. Your system
is probably infect and you don't even know it.

 

[Peter Foldes]

Ross

A formatting and a clean install will be required either way, Why not Dual boot
until he decides which one he will stay with.

 

[Rick Rogers]

Hi Ross,

He would have to image the existing system and store the file on a separate
drive or other removable media and be prepared to replace it if unhappy with
Win7 (which I doubt, but the possibility exists). There is no uninstalling
an upgrade to an NT-based system as there was with Win9x.

I would also question how he obtained the RTM release, as it is not
generally available to the public yet. It is only currently available to
Technet/MSDN subscribers, those that were on the technical beta, and certain
OEM manufacturers.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
Vote for my shoe: http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[Alias]

Quite a few people have routers that has a built in firewall.

Which, of course, you have to enable. My ISP also provides a firewall at
their end.

In
Windows you can use their firewall to help protect your OS.
Before using any e-mail or other NET surfing, if you install the
antivirus before any other activities you should be well protected.

No one is talking about what you do *after* you install everything but
the order of installing programs.

Have done it that way for years and never have been infected. Your
system is probably infect and you don't even know it.

Again, what does a resident anti virus scanner do when you install a
program, driver or Windows update?

Alias

 

[ross m. greenberg]

I would also question how he obtained the RTM release, as it is not
generally available to the public yet. It is only currently available to
Technet/MSDN subscribers, those that were on the technical beta, and
certain OEM manufacturers.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
Vote for my shoe: http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

I am a member of MSDN and so I downloaded the RTM and cut a DVD. My son saw
the DVD, saw the label I put on it -- "Windows 7-RTM" -- and immediately try
to claim as his own. Teenagers!

Ross

 

[ross m. greenberg]

What about using a Virtual Machine?

Ross

 

[Rick Rogers]

That would certainly work, but to take over the system would require another
installation. He wouldn't be able to port it from the virtual drive to the
physical system.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
Vote for my shoe: http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[Gary Herman]

I have experienced problems booting my new Windows Vista - Dell Inspiron 15
laptop... Getting a blue screen and then it reboots repeatedly. Any idea
what the problem could be? Thanks!

Gary Herman