Several options for migrating XP/Vista data and settings to Windows 7

From Beta to RC, as the Windows 7 version leaks faster and faster, this next-generation operating system is getting closer and closer to us. A few testers who dare to adopt early adopters have already released Windows 7, which has not yet been officially released, as the main operating system for everyday applications, and for most ordinary users who still use Windows XP or Windows Vista (especially business users who focus on efficiency and benefits) How to smoothly migrate existing applications, important data, personalization settings and usage habits to Windows 7, will become a problem for every user.

According to the conventional thinking, this problem is nothing more than three choices:

1. Install the old version of Windows in-place upgrade to the new version. In-place upgrade installation will retain all the old Windows. Setup, installed software does not need to be reinstalled;

2. New installation of new version of Windows, and coexist with multiple systems of the old version of Windows, and then let the newly installed Windows share some settings of the old version of Windows;

3. Delete (format) the old version of Windows, install a new version of Windows, all data must be manually backed up and transferred, all software needs to be reinstalled.

Let's take a look at Windows XP or Windows Vista. There are several options for migrating to Windows 7.

Windows XP to Windows 7:

Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 7 will not support in-place upgrade installation from any version of Windows XP, which is a long time since Windows XP has been used. It’s not a good news for users who retain a lot of data and personal settings. Although Windows 7 and Windows Vista kernels are not much different, Windows 7 can do it in theory, but Windows 7 can add a lot of new features, and Windows XP and Windows 7 represent the era. A long time ago, software, hardware, drivers, etc. have undergone earth-shaking changes. It is difficult for Microsoft to guarantee all the problems that may arise after installing Windows 7 from Windows XP. Therefore, we finally chose to give up.

If we have to upgrade Windows XP to Windows 7, only Windows Vista as an "intermediary", perform two upgrades to install this "curve save the country" method, just like first Windows 98 Upgrade to Windows 2000 and then upgrade to Windows XP. However, the process of two upgrades is believed to be enough to drive users crazy, and two upgrades do not mean that all possible compatibility issues can be resolved, so this slightly extreme approach is generally not recommended. Another point is that even if you take two upgrades, you can only upgrade Windows XP to x86 Windows 7, x64 Windows 7 is always unable to upgrade, unless Windows XP is also x64 version.

Generally speaking, Windows XP users can only choose to install Windows 7 after formatting Windows XP, or coexist with Windows XP and the newly installed Windows 7. But no matter what, the newly installed Windows 7 must reinstall all the software needed, which will be a huge project for the old users. The author believes that since the steps to reinstall all the software are inevitable, it is better to complete the transition from 32-bit system to 64-bit system and directly select 64-bit Windows 7. Anyway, 32-bit Windows XP can't be upgraded to 64-bit Windows 7 anyway. The transition from a 32-bit system to a 64-bit system needs to be reinstalled sooner or later. It's better to take the opportunity to migrate to Windows 7 in one fell swoop. It may be a little more balanced. Especially with the increasing popularity of 4GB of memory and 64-bit software, it is now time to fully switch to 64-bit systems.

If we choose to make Windows XP and Windows 7 coexist in multiple systems (the coexistence configuration method is no different from Windows Vista), you can set some of the settings of the two systems to be shared by the method of configuration file redirection. This creates a habit of transition between the old and new systems. Windows Vista/7 provides the command MKLINK to create a directory symbolic link that redirects the specified NTFS folder to a new destination, for example:

MKLINK -D "C:\\Users\\%Users Account name %\\AppData\\Roaming" "C:\\Shared AppData"

Redirect AppData\\Roaming to C:\\Shared AppData and the created symbolic link can be accessed and pointed to the real location.

Next we can also create configuration directory redirection in Windows XP, redirect Windows XP's Documents & Settings\\% user account name %\\Application Data to C:\\Shared AppData, so Windows XP can share the same AppData settings as Windows 7. Although Windows XP does not provide the MKLINK command, you can download JUNCTION.EXE to do this:

http://download.sysinternals.com/Files/Junction.zip

If we choose to format Newly installed Windows 7 after Windows XP, you can perform the Windows Easy Transfer (Windows Easy Transfer) wizard provided by Windows 7 in Windows XP before formatting, and set some settings and data of Windows XP through cable, removable storage or network. Back up, install Windows 7 and then import Windows 7 using Easy Transfer. This is also the official Microsoft recommended migration from Windows XP to Windows 7. The Easy Transfer Wizard MIGSETUP.EXE can be found in the Support\\Migwiz folder on the Windows 7 installation CD.

Windows Vista to Windows 7:

Windows Vista can be upgraded to Windows 7 in-place, but requires Windows Vista to have at least SP1 installed, and the RTM version of Windows Vista cannot be upgraded. I feel that Microsoft's restrictions on Windows Service Pack versions have become more stringent in recent years. For example, Windows Vista SP2 can only be upgraded from SP1, Windows XP SP3 cannot be upgraded from Windows XP RTM. Now, even the in-place upgrade installation has been added to the limit, which may prove once again that the version number 18000 of Windows Vista SP1/Server 2008 is the real official version, the version number 16386 of Windows Vista RTM is only a premature baby. .

In terms of specific distributions, Windows 7 is the same as Windows Vista except that Business is renamed to Professional. Whether it is an upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7, or a "self-upgrade" from Windows Vista to Windows Vista or Windows 7 to Windows 7, follow the guidelines shown in the table below, otherwise the "Upgrade" option will be automatically disabled: Br>

Windows Vista/7

Distribution

Can I upgrade? Home Basic

Family Starter Edition

Can I upgrade to Home Premium

Home Premium

Can I upgrade to Business/

Professional

Business/Professional

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Can upgrade to Ultimate

Fairball

Home Basic

Family Starter Edition

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Home Premium

Family Advanced Edition

No

Yes

No

Yes

Business/

Professional

Business/Professional

No

No

Yes

Yes

Ultimate

Flagship

No

No

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No

Yes

Outside of these retail versions, the upgrade to any other retail version is not supported as a special version of Enterprise and Starter.

In addition, there are several special cases that will cause the "upgrade" option to be disabled:

1. The old system and the new system one is x86 and the other is x64, both must be the same x86 Or the same x64 can be upgraded;

2. The old version of the system does not match the language version of the new system, both must belong to the same language to be upgraded;

3. The partition of the old system is not available. Unable to meet the requirements of the new system;

4. The new system is an OEM version provided by the brand computer, and the OEM version generally shields the upgrade installation function.

If the "Upgrade" option is not available for the above reasons, then like Windows XP, we can choose to format Windows Vista and then install Windows 7 freshly or coexist with Windows Vista and Windows 7. Windows Vista can also share some system settings with Windows 7, or transfer some data and settings through the Easy Transfer Wizard. But in any case, the newly installed Windows 7 must reinstall all the software needed.