Who Should Read This Topic?
We have aimed this topic at the reasonably proficient computer user— someone who is responsible for the hardware and software on his or her computer and has used at least one prior version of Windows. This user is not new to computers, and in particular to a Windows environment, but is familiar with the process of installing and upgrading hardware and software, although he or she probably needs checklists and reminders as the process unfolds. We re not expecting our readers to be full-time system administrators, although we believe that some of our readers will have that level of proficiency.However, even those relatively new to system upgrades will be able to follow and apply the instructions we ve provided in this topic.
What This Topic Will Do
When finished with this topic, you will be able to do the following:
• Find and list your computer’s internal memory, CPU size, internal and external hard disk space, existing operating system and level, and existing application programs.
• Make informed decisions about the use of one or more virtual hard disks.
• Analyze the impact of moving your applications and data from one Windows environment to Windows 7 before you actually do so.
• Successfully move applications from one Windows environment to Windows 7.
• Decide about new Windows 7 applications.
• Understand how your new Windows 7 computer will function in a networked environment.
• Upgrade your system from Windows XP to Windows 7.
• Upgrade your system from Windows Vista to Windows 7.
• Decide on and implement chosen applications new with Windows 7.
• Understand how to link a system to the Internet, to other networks, and to a wireless network.
• Understand the pros and cons of running Windows 7 or other operating systems in a virtual environment
If You’re Upgrading from Windows XP
We have some bad news for you: you can’t get directly to Windows 7 from Windows XP. Microsoft has made it impossible to upgrade directly, so unless you are loading Windows 7 on a new PC (one that doesn’t have XP installed on it), you’ll first have to acquire and install a copy of Windows Vista. Your Vista package doesn’t have to be the fanciest, and in fact it will probably suit you better if it’s the least-expensive version you can find. You will need the license number, however, and it will have to be legitimate or the Microsoft verification process will fail. The entire process is spelled out in topic 3, “Migrating from XP to Windows 7.”
However, after you get to Windows Vista, the upgrade to Windows 7 should be relatively painless.
If You’re Upgrading from Windows Vista
Migrating from Windows Vista to Windows 7 is fairly easy. We spell out the steps in topic 4, “Migrating from Vista to Windows 7.” You’ll find that fewer problems occur with Windows 7 than with Windows Vista. (At least that has been our experience.) You ll also find a lot of familiar aspects, features, and applications, although the Windows 7 user interface has been simplified and rewritten to make it more user friendly, and there are many new applications and new features.
Upgrading in a Networked Environment
Whether you re using a single computer hooked up to a printer and maybe some other peripheral devices (such as a scanner) at home, or you re a home-based worker who has to navigate corporate networks, you ll appreciate the ease of connecting to networks with Windows 7. New connectivity features in Windows 7 make it easy to identify what needs to be upgraded and what needs tailoring. Because Windows 7 is backward compatible with both Windows XP and Windows Vista, programs that run under those environments will still run under Windows 7. Programs running under even earlier versions of Windows are mostly compatible, too.
Getting Ready to Upgrade
One of the hardest parts of upgrading your system from one operating system level to another (or from one system to another) is knowing in advance what you ll need to know during the upgrade process. Frequently, the scripted steps ask you for a serial number or the name of a device or some other identifying information. Having tripped over this kind of problem ourselves, we decided to devote the first couple of topics to getting you ready to move from one environment to another. We ve provided some checklists that may seem tedious at first but ultimately will prove useful as you move through the upgrade process.
New Features and Applications
As could be expected, you ll find a number of new features and new applications with Windows 7. Some of these will be fairly attractive to most users; some may be attractive only to people working within a corporate network or to those who have to manage such a network. We haven t addressed every new feature or application, choosing to focus on those we think will have the widest appeal. You’ll find these discussed in topics 6 and 7.
About Security
Microsoft takes computer security seriously and has made considerable improvements to various aspects of securing data on your system. Although some of the security provisions have been moved to related applications such as Internet Explorer 8.0, Windows 7 includes improvements to securing your data in both a home or small office networked environment and in an environment in which there are multiple users of one computer. Further, Windows 7 provides security advancements when hooking up your computer to external networks, whether those are the casual wireless networks available at a local coffee shop or the big networks sometimes used by business consultants. We look at security provisions in some detail in topic 8, “Windows 7 Security.”
Networks and Windows 7
Most computers these days use a network, at least to share devices such as a printer or a scanner, but more often to access the Internet. Windows 7 has made it easy to identify, connect to, and use a variety of networks. Some of the networking screens have moved from where they were in Vista to a new part of Windows 7, and this may initially frustrate the new user. The screen you see when you first open Windows 7 should make it easy to find the networking features you’re looking for. topics 9 and 10 discuss both networking with Windows 7 in general and wireless networking in particular.
A Word About Virtual Hard Disks
A virtual hard disk (VHD) is a single file containing a copy of an entire hard disk, including the operating system. This file can be replicated in other environments, such as a different hard disk, which can make backing up your system a breeze.
However, a lot of users find that they need to maintain working environments in several operating systems, such as Windows and UNIX or Linux, for instance. Windows 7 has two features to help you accomplish this: virtual hard disks, used in creating virtual systems, and the new Windows XP virtualization feature, called Windows XP Mode. The former makes it easy to create a copy of the disk where your copy of Windows 7 resides to, for example, a thumb drive so that the environment can be replicated on another machine (such as a laptop). Windows XP Mode lets you keep your Windows XP environment if, for instance, you don’t want to upgrade some of the applications that were formerly running under Windows XP; it lets you run those applications the same as if you were still running Windows XP. Virtualization is covered in topic 11.
