How To Upgrade the Windows Xp Edition

Introduction

Windows XP is one of the most famous and most used operating systems. This Microsoft Corporation’s operating system has stood the test of time and is preferred among many users because of its simplicity and usability. This windows edition was released in the year 2001, and was a blockbuster operating system in its own right. Since then, many variants of this windows edition have surfaced like the Media Center Edition. There are two variants of the Windows XP series which are the Home, and Professional edition. Below are 5 points to consider before upgrading this particular windows edition to Windows 7. There are few difficulties in upgrading the windows edition, which we are going to discuss.

Step 1

Windows Vista was the immediate successor of the Windows XP series, but it was not accepted as a good operating system among users. The hardware requirement for Windows Vista was too high and had many bugs, which resulted in system crash. Due to this, many users skipped upgrading to Windows Vista. Windows 7 on the other hand was stable with the least amount of bugs. This is the reason that many users upgrade to this particular windows edition. Check your priorities and your system specification before performing the updating process.

Step 2

The hardware specification with which you are using Windows XP will not work on Windows 7. It is advised that user must upgrade their hardware to enjoy the full experience of Windows 7. Many users think that a simple upgrade will work, which is untrue, because the drivers of Windows XP are incompatible with the Windows 7. This is a major problem in this windows edition. It is advised to the users of Windows XP to use the “Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor”, as a clean installation is recommended for an error free installation.

Step 3

You can visit Microsoft's website for the Windows 7 Compatibility Center in order to download the particular software that will inspect your system to let you know whether the system is upgradable or not. Those who use Windows Vista can use Windows Vista Compatibility Center to check the system configuration. Very few Windows XP applications don’t work for Windows Vista, which is also true for Windows 7. After downloading the software, it will tell you which application will work, or what patches are required to use this windows edition.

Step 4

There is also a Windows XP mode for Windows 7. This will create a virtual machine in Windows 7 operating system. Many desktops don't support this feature as it requires a large chunk of CPU. It is recommended to visit the Microsoft website to check whether your CPU is capable of using this feature or not. One most important things to point out is that this feature doesn’t come with this windows edition; OEM users are required to download it specifically.

Step 5

Windows XP data files are generally stored in the main partition where the installation was done in the “Document and Settings” folder. After upgrade to this windows edition, you will notice that the old XP data files are now stored in the Application Data folder of  Windows 7.

Tips

Before doing any upgrades, you must not forget to upgrade your hardware first.

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