How Can I Update My Windows Vista To Windows 7
I have a Compaq Presario CQ60-215DX. Can I upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 or x? Leslie
Microsoft will stop supporting Windows Vista on 12 April, so yous have less than a month to determine what to do. The short answer is, aye, you can upgrade from Vista to Windows vii or to the latest Windows 10. Whether information technology's worth it is another thing.
The main consideration is the hardware. PC manufacturers installed Vista from 2006 to 2009, so most of these machines will be eight to ten years onetime. They are likely to have low specifications, by today's standards, and their ageing hard 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, only in many cases, it'due south not worth information technology. They could purchase something newer on eBay, or go a refurbished machine from a supplier such as Tier1online.
Conduct in mind that doing hardware and software upgrades can involve quite a lot of work with an uncertain outcome. That's fine for PC hobbyists, but if you lot were that sort of person, you wouldn't be using Vista. In fact, you probably wouldn't accept bought a Presario CQ60-215DX. If yours has a dual-cadre AMD Athlon X2 QL-62 processor, it will be slow. If information technology has a single-core Sempron, it belongs in the bin.
People who have faster or newer Vista laptops should observe they run better under Windows 10. The minimum useful spec is something like a ii.4GHz Cadre ii Duo T8300 and 4GB of retentivity. This processor has a PassMark CPU score of 1482. Search for your CPU'due south score at PassMark and see if it'southward higher. If it's much lower, drop the idea. Life's likewise short.
If in doubt about Windows 10, endeavor information technology for complimentary. Anyone can install information technology at nil price simply by not activating it (if y'all can cope with the nagging to purchase it): see below.
You could likewise try installing a version of Linux, such as Mint eighteen.1, which is costless. (If you lot accept problems getting the Wireless LAN card to piece of work, this might assist.)
Linux is not directly uniform with programs such as Microsoft Function, Adobe Creative Suite, Apple iTunes and other mainstream software. Cheque to see whether you will be able to run all your essentials on Linux, or find usable replacements.
Either way, brand a clone of your hard drive first, then that yous tin go back to Vista if Windows 7/ten/Linux doesn't work properly.
From Vista to Windows 7
If I upgrade to Windows 7, practise I need to upgrade my programs etc offset? Lynn
The upgrade from Vista to Windows vii is what Microsoft calls "an in-place upgrade". All your electric current programs and data should stay the same as they were before. Information technology is, of form, important to dorsum upwards your PC and all your data first, considering things sometimes go wrong.
Make sure that Vista is patched and up-to-appointment before upgrading. Yous could also update all your PC'due south drivers to the latest versions – at that place's some help online – and check your PC manufacturer'southward website for Rom upgrades. However, yous don't need to upgrade your programs.
Windows 7 is no longer the current version, and in that location are scammers selling pirate copies, so caveat emptor. You will need to buy a version that is as good equally or amend than your electric current version of Vista. For case, you can upgrade from Vista Dwelling house Basic to Windows 7 Dwelling Basic, Dwelling Premium or Ultimate. However, yous cannot go from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Basic. Run across Windows seven Upgrade Paths for more details.
Further, in-place upgrades accept to become from 32-bit to 32-scrap versions, or from 64-scrap to 64-bit versions, not from 32-chip to 64-bit versions, or vice versa. You can upgrade from 32-bits to 64-bits – this is a proficient idea – just only past doing a "clean installation" that removes all your 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 engagement. In one case yous've installed it, you have to download hundreds of updates, and many of them strength reboots. The last time I did a clean installation of Windows vii, information technology was still installing updates three days later on.
Either way, I don't recommend upgrading to Windows 7 today, unless information technology's a stepping stone to Windows x. Windows ten is much better than Windows seven, and information technology's improving all the time. Too, Windows 7 reaches the cease of its life in 2020, though yous may need to buy a new PC earlier then.
Upgrading to Windows x
I take a decent PC running Vista – fast processor, 8GB of memory. Is in that location an easy way to wipe it clean and do a new install of Windows 10? I have my information files backed up. Tim
You cannot practise an in-place upgrade from Vista to Windows 10, and therefore Microsoft did not offer Vista users a free upgrade. However, you tin certainly purchase an upgrade to Windows ten and do a clean installation. (In fact, it doesn't thing which way round you lot do information technology. You can install Windows 10 first and then become to the online Windows Store to pay for it.)
You don't need to wipe your current copy of Vista: the clean installation will accept care of it.
To do a clean installation, you lot tin either follow Microsoft's instructions and create a DVD or thumbdrive, or you can buy a retail copy. (With retail copies, yous can remove a re-create of Windows from one PC and install information technology on another. You can't do that with pre-installed versions, which are locked to the hardware on which they are first installed.)
Technically, it's likewise late to get a gratis upgrade from Windows 7 or 8/8.one to Windows ten. However, even subsequently concluding yr's deadline, Microsoft kept providing upgrades when users typed in their Windows 7 product keys. That may still piece of work. Besides, Microsoft has left a loophole by offering free upgrades to people who need assistive technologies such every bit screen readers. This could manifestly be withdrawn at whatsoever fourth dimension.
Alternatively, y'all could get a free copy of Windows 10 by joining Microsoft's Insider testing program and practice a clean installation of that.
Finally, you could skip by the product key screens and use Windows 10 without activating it. Some features are limited, it puts a watermark on your desktop and it will nag yous to buy a copy, but it's yet a vast improvement on Vista and costs the aforementioned every bit Linux (ie: nothing).
Of course, Microsoft could clamp down on non-activated copies one day. Even so, Microsoft wants people to motility to Windows ten and then, at the moment, it'due south putting adoption ahead of profits. And once you've installed Windows 10, all hereafter upgrades are free.
Have you got another question for Jack? Electronic mail information technology to Ask.Jack@theguardian.com
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2017/mar/16/upgrade-microsoft-windows-vista-options-unsupported
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