After reading strongly positive reviews of Windows & from techies this spring, I eagerly pre-ordered my copy of Windows 7 Professional. Those of you who know me, know that I got a new computer in April (I refused Vista & had XP pre-installed by the computer company). From the first, it was problematic. I reinstalled my entire system in July, and then my computer crashed in August and I had to reinstall again. AAACK! There were still many problems. That’s when it occurred to me that Windows XP is 8 years old. In computer years, that’s amazingly ancient. Physical computers that old barely run current programs. So, given the good reviews & my poor experience (after 8 years of steady use) with XP on my new system, I decided, I’m gonna JUMP in!!
But, because re-installing my XP would take 3-4 days each time, I decided I needed to do my homework. I started by going to Microsoft’s website and follow their directions on Upgrading from XP to Win7. After consideration, I decided that, since XP doesn’t directly upgrade to Win7 (as Vista is supposed to do), I would do a complete “clean install” and wipe my hard drive, while upgrading to the 64-bit version (reasons why found here).
I then went to the Windows Upgrade Advisor webpage and learned what I needed to do to enable Virtualization in my BIOS so that, if necessary, I would be able to run programs in WinXP emulation mode. I also found that the hardware I had was capable of running Windows 7 – an IMPORTANT consideration! If your hardware isn’t going to run it, don’t waste your money! I think that if my computer had been even a year old, I wouldn’t have bothered trying to update & just suffered through my XP woes.
Several of my hardward drivers were not going to work to run on a 64-bit system. So, I went to my manufacturer’s website and searched for Windows 7 64-bit drivers for my system (including my printer, scanner & external audio card). Whenver I couldn’t find Win7 drivers, I downloaded Vista 64-bit drivers. I then saved these separately (in the order that they should be installed – several manufacturers recommend that certain hardware drivers be installed before others, in order to prevent conflict) onto a USB Flash drive. Be aware – if you use “Hibernate” on your computer, it is enabled through the VIDEO driver, not the power manager. I don’t know why, but this is the way it is. Having all these in one place was VERY handy. Not all of them worked (for whatever reason!), but Win7 seems to also have a huge number of good compatible drivers built into the program. I also made sure that I had install copies of all my programs, many of which had been downloaded. I save all my downloaded programs in a special folder on my desktop rather than automatically installed when downloading. This practice has saved me HUGE amounts of time when I need to reinstall. Ialso made a LIST of all programs (and registration codes!) that I wanted to reinstall (don’t forget Adobe Flash Player and Adobe Reader!), and printed it out.
Finally, I ran the “Windows Easy Transfer” program to save my files/settings on an external hard drive (there are any number cheaply available) so that I wouldn’t lose files. It took about an hour to run – 30 minutes of that was “Do not use your computer while files are being backed up.” Make sure that when you do this step it is IMMEDIATELY before you install the new system – any changes you make to your files/programs will only be backed up when you run this program. The program needs to be installed in XP, but comes as part of Win7 (so I only had to search in the new, fabulous, Windows search bar to re-install all my files).
Because of upgrading from WinXP, during installation, you MUST choose Custom install. I chose to do a complete wipe & reformat of my drive – since I chose to go from XP 32-bit to 7 64-bit. I’d also had enough problems, that I thought a fresh start would be good.
Install only took about an hour!!!! I had to say “yes” to about 2 things, and then it was DONE! I started about 6:15pm and by 8:30 pm I’d not only installed Win 7, but reinstalled MSWord and my audio recording program and was able to use the computer as normal to record my student’s lesson!! I was AMAZED!! Later, I moved back the files I’d backed up with Easy Transfer – it WAS easy, and the other users who had been on my system previously (my husband & daughters) were added back in without problem.
Finally, I worked on reinstalling my drivers and then programs. Win7 restarts SO quickly that I was able to completely install everything by 1pm the next day – a total of about 18 hours, WITH time out for sleep & teaching!! I am amazed and overjoyed at how easily everything came together. The computer, so far, is also behaving ADMIRABLY and with much more alacrity than previous. All in all, I am extraordinarily amazed at the ease of install and how wonderfully everything went. I do believe that a large portion of this was that I was overprepared – I didn’t need to search for drivers, programs, etc. I was able to just keep it moving.
Overall, I HIGHLY recommend upgrading your hardward, IF it’s on the new side. If XP is working for you and you’re NOT a tech junkie (as I am!), then don’t bother. But, if you’re wanting to & are wary, JUMP in and join the club! The water is fine.
About the Author
Internationally known Lyric Mezzo-Soprano Rachel Velarde began her music career in Bloomington, Indiana. After receiving her B.A. in Music from Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, Rachel earned two Master of Music degrees at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. Luminaries she has worked with include Vernon Hartman, James Caraher, Lorenzo Malfatti, Shirlee Emmons, Mary Sue Hyatt, John Sikora, David Jones, Kamal Khan, Hugh Keelan, David Britton, and Carol Smith. Rachel offers private, one-on-one weekly or twice-weekly instruction to students of all ages, although she specializes in the young developing voice - currently students range in age from 9-56. She accompanies her students (on piano) as much as possible and encourage healthy singing, coupled with a working knowledge of the voice. Singing is, above all, FUN. If you love it, you can learn it. Rachel's goal as a teacher is to give her students a “toolbox” for their vocal technique, so that they can work towards a healthy, free and easy production. She believes her students should be able to sing for a lifetime of enjoyment, so she strives to provide them with a firm foundation of knowledge in how their own voice works.
by Terry — Mon Nov 2, 2009 @ 12:36 am