I was talking to some people this morning and I recommended they upgrade any Vista Computers they have from Windows Vista to Windows 7.  To me Windows 7 is like Vista the way it was supposed to be.  I don’t have it myself (my computers are still on XP and are not Windows 7 ready) but I from what I’ve seen and heard it’s a good operating system.  So I don’t hesitate to recommend it – especially as it comes on new computers.  If I had a Vista computer I would upgrade it to Windows 7 -as it will work better and has some more features.

Here are some steps I would recommend to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7:

  1. Verify your computer is ready for Windows 7 – see http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1B544E90-7659-4BD9-9E51-2497C146AF15&displaylang=en for to download the upgrade adviser.
  2. Backup – see http://www.anlenterprises.com/2009/11/11/backup-backup-backup-am-i-paranoid for my recommendations for backup.
  3. Ensure you have your disks/downloaded programs.
  4. Backup (got the point yet).
  5. Do a clean install of Windows 7 – there is an upgrade path but a clean install will ensure the best results – especially if you are having problems with you PC now. See http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_install_upgrade_media.asp for help on performing a clean install with upgrade disks.
  6. Restore your data.
  7. Re-install your programs.
  8. Play around with your spiffy new-like computer.

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