Upgrading from Vista to Windows 7?

[BourbonCowboy]

I've got a Toshiba Satellite laptop that I really like. However, the operating system is Vista - which I really don't like. How difficult will it be to upgrade the operating system to Windows 7? Are there any hidden "gotchas" to watch for?

 

[Jorgos]

It is the smoothest thing in the world...provided that there is no driver issue.
I have upgraded older computers to se7en with no problem.
Are you on 32 or 64 bit ?

Anyway, the new installation will create a windowsOld folder to store all your older files etc.
You can check also the compatibility at your laptops web=page...

 

[Growltiger]

You almost certainly are running 32 bit Vista. Check and see. The upgrade to 32 bit Win 7 would be easy and well worth it.

How much memory does it have? If it has 4GB, or can be upgraded to 4GB or more, then you will be better off doing a complete reinstall using the 64 bit Win 7. This will be a lot of work as you would have to install all your software again. But the end result will be better.

 

[turtile]

It's very easy. The only problem I had was Capture (not that this is a surprise) and Wacom Software. I can't upgrade Capture anymore but Wacom just needed to be reinstalled.

 

[vinman]

And to add to what GT said, see if the processor is a 64 bit model. When I upgraded my laptop from Vista 32, I went first to the win7 32 beta (RTM) and then to the 64 bit release. I was then able to add more RAM (6GB).

All I can say is that 7 will remind you why we used to love computers - all the whiz-bang stuff PLUS reliability AND speed that Vista never dreamed of!

For the record, even if you can't go 64 bit, the update is far beyond worth it - and yes, it's a super easy transition.

 

[operknockity]

Before you do anything else, run the Windows 7 Update Advisor. It'll point out where you have issues, whether your hardware is up to the task and what software you have that won't be compatible or can be upgraded to be compatible. In particular look out for driver issues and older hardware (my g/f had a not very old printer that had to be replaced because there were no Win7 drivers for it).

 

[BourbonCowboy]

Thanks guys! I'll give it a shot this weekend.

 

[Bill N]

Hey Mark, my 2 pennies would be to keep an eye on "SlickDeals", Newegg and others and pick up a new machine. I managed a new laptop PC with win7, 4 gb ram, 500gb HD and plenty of goodies from newegg for $399 delivered last month. I am getting to the age where it is much easier to just swap out a machine every few years. Keeps you on your toes backing up your data and is just plain easier. I'd rather spend time out with my camera rather than trying to figure out why a driver or what ever won't work.
The older I get the more value I place on my time. Just ain't as much of it left as there used to be!

 

[gaidin]

Also Nikon dont have a RAW codec for the 64bit operating systems yet so be aware that you wont be able to browse through thumbnails of NEF files if you move from 32b Vista to 64b Win7 :smile:

 

[1hawaii50]

My laptop is 32bit Vista, and my desktop that I just re-builit is now 64bit Windows 7...There's no comparison between the two...Windows 7, hands down.

 

[Growltiger]

Also Nikon dont have a RAW codec for the 64bit operating systems yet so be aware that you wont be able to browse through thumbnails of NEF files if you move from 32b Vista to 64b Win7 :smile:

This is not entirely true. You can buy the codec for 64 bit from here:
http://www.fastpictureviewer.com/codecs/

You can also browse them without buying the codecs by using any of the free image viewing programs, e.g. Nikon ViewNX2, FastStone Viewer etc.

 

[1hawaii50]

Nikon ViewNX2 works just fine on Windows7 64bit.

 

[Keithj34]

Hey Mark I just upgraded from XP to Win 7 64 bit and had to do a clean install but I dont believe you would need to do the same dont mark my words though.. It took me 3 tries to get it right due to first I tried to just download the files and install (FAIL), second Loaded windows 7 32 instead of 64 (FAIL) Complete install of Win 7 64 and PC is loving it just ordered a Gforce overclock series 460 gpu for it and am running 8GB 1066mhz RAM its like a new machine.. Good luck bro
Oh the only issue you will have if you game with same machine is older cards run Directx9 and Windows 7 Ultimate runs Directx11 so you would have to replace your gpu, wasnt sure if you gamed on same system or not just thought I would let ya know

 

[Max Power]

Keith, Windows 7 from XP always requires a clean install. There is no upgrade package, just a straight install.

I believe you can upgrade from Vista though.

 

[Keithj34]

yea I found that out the hard way Bob, lol.. But now just working on a couple minor things new video card will be in tomorrow which should improve my video and graphics dramatically goign from current Gforce 9400gt to the Gforce overclock series 460, checked package and weight is 7 lbs , lol and going to need 2 slots in PC runs 2 fans and takes 2 power inputs..LOL should make a radical change.. Im big into my gaming if you couldnt tell
My setup is Custom built
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
Asus Extreme Rampage 3 mobo
AMD Phenom 2 965 quad core (2.5Ghz)
8 GB Geillo Black Dragon RAM @ 1066mhz
as of tomorrow GTX 460 overclock series gpu

 

[Max Power]

I just got a 460 card and thankfully my new Dell had 2 power connectors. Some people have been complaining that the proper wiring doesn't come with some of the cards.

Per usual, I cheaped out when ordering the new box on the video card. You would think that an XPS9100 with an i7 quad core and 9gb of tri-channel ram would have a base card that could run Call of Duty, but nooooo.....

I got the Asus 460GTX or whatever it's called and that did the trick. I think next time I will just man up and get the big boy card with the box. It costs a little more, but it is a lot less screwing around.

 

[Pete]

Hi Mark,
I just upgraded my Thinkpad T400 from Vista 32 to Windows 7 64. I ordered the T400 with all high end hardware but with the Vista, it never had the "WoW". Been wanting to do if for some time and your thread made me get off my... but I wanted to get a new hard drive. Laptop 500gb hard drives are $60 but I spent a bit more and got the Seagate hybrid drive and did a clean install.

The install went easy and fast. The partitioning utility is simple to use. Lenovo has a nice system update utility that downloads and installs all the necessary hardware drivers and I am sure the other companies have something similar. Lightroom installed easily in 64 bit mode and also View NX. Even my fingerprint reader went right to work, the data must be stored on the MB. Then I realized the OS installed in the big partition leaving the small one for all my photos... Only one do-over so it was not bad...

I keep my photos and Lightroom catalog on a separate partition and just copied all the data to the new drive. I started Lightroom by clicking on the Lcat file and it started back up where I left off in Vista. That was easy...

Not sure how much is Windows 7 and how much is the new hybrid drive but the T400 now has the "WoW" that I bought it for. I can boot it and start Lightroom in less time than Vista could resume. I had lots of trouble with the wireless in Vista, often requiring a reboot but Windows 7 is working great and I have been on several hot spots. Lightroom is running way faster especially when zooming in on the raw files. The only issue I had is that I need to do a BIOS update to get the screen brightness hot key to work. Definitely not a show stopper and I have done BIOS upgrades before so it should be no big deal.

I should have done this upgrade a long time ago...
Pete

 

[jim hughes]

I think Win7 is the first release where Microsoft started to face up to the boot time issue. It had been the elephant in the room for many years.

Here's hoping that for tablets, they come up with something that's quite a bit pared down from what they've been selling. Otherwise they can kiss that market goodbye.

 

[Pete]

Just did the BIOS update mentioned in my last post. Took all of about 5 minutes and that included downloading and burning the bootable CD. Now my screen brighness hotkey works as before. It has been a few days now and my boot time is extremely quick and everything is working when the desktop appears. Lightroom loads instantly but still shows the banner for 3 seconds and no waiting for the thumbnails to load. I would definitely recommend the upgrade to others.
Pete

 

[Keithj34]

@ Bob yea got my GTX 460 OC in and loving it, I had to remove my second hard drive due to its size..LOL.. Bad Company 2, my BF2 Project reality are amazing graphics wise. I havent even attempted to mess with the overclock options..
Here is the size difference between my old Gforce 9400GT and my new GTX 460 OC on left

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