The H-Factor

I have a 5 year-old machine running Windows XP 64-bit and have been quite happy with it. But, some newer things that I need to do with it require Windows 7 and I have put if off long enough.

Going from Windows XP to Windows 7 requires a complete 'clean' install of Windows, as does going from 32-bit to 64-bit (ie. Vista 32-bit to 7 64-bit)

I have existing data and programs on my hard drive and I do not want to lose them, no way, no how. Here is a solution that worked really well for me – I added a new hard drive (F:) and installed Windows 7 64-bit on that drive. I can now boot up on either drive/OS and do whatever I need to do until I get things transferred/reinstalled on the new drive. For some of these steps, you might need an IT person for help. Here are my steps:

Step 1 – Check to see if your hardware can support Windows 7. Run Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to find out.

Step 2 – Install new hard drive. I got a 1T (terabyte) drive from Best Buy for about $200

Step 3 – Mark the new hard drive as active using Disk Management found in the Computer Management administrative tool. Assign it a drive letter

Step 4 – Format the drive using the same tool

Step 5 – Install Windows 7 on new hard drive. When you run the installation, choose the Custom Installation and choose the new drive's letter

When Step 5 is complete (after numerous re-boots), Windows will automatically create a dual-boot situation. When you turn your computer on, you will be able to choose Older Windows Version or Windows 7 as an option. The following steps require that you choose the Windows 7 option.

Step 6 – Create your User profile on Windows 7. Assign rights to that user (admin may be required)

Step 7 – Use the Windows Easy Transfer tool to copy settings from your old OS (Windows XP) to your new one

This tool worked great. It will convert what it can. It will also give you a list of installed programs that could not be transferred and need to be re-installed.

For me, it brought over:

My Desktop
Mapped my network drives
Many of my files (but not all)
V45 HydraCAD
Folder settings
Browser settings (needed to reinstall Firefox)
Passwords in browser for websites
Many registry keys

It did not bring over:

V50 HydraCAD
AutoCAD
Virus checker
About 1/2 my programs

The best part of this process is that none of the steps above were 'destructive'. I can still boot up on my old C: drive with XP and keep on working, as I am doing as I write this.