XP>Windows 7 upgrade problems attracting attention
It’s little news to followers of tech sites that upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 could be a whole bunch of hassle. But now mainstream news sources are starting to spread that message to the masses.
Anyone running Vista who upgrades to the equivalent edition in Windows 7 should find it a relatively simple process using an upgrade DVD. However, when it comes to machines running XP, things are more complicated. In reality, there is no upgrade process: the only option is a completely fresh install.
That brings up multiple hassles. First the user must make a complete back-up of all data they need on their machines. (Good practice would mean making such back-ups regularly anyway, but few people in the real world bother with good practice.) Then they must install Windows 7, a process which will completely wipe the hard drive.
Once Windows 7 is in place, the user needs to reinstall all their programs. (And ethics aside, anyone who’s running less than 100 percent legitimate software may consider this a barrier to upgrading.) Then they need to restore their backed-up data. Finally they need to sort out any hardware drivers which aren’t in Windows 7 by default.
That message will have reached many potential upgraders through a story in the Wall Street Journal today. As well as potentially putting off casual users who were considering an upgrade, it’s not great for Microsoft to have the WSJ’s business audience reading stories such as this amid all the good news about Windows 7 advance sales.
Such messages will be particularly offputting to small businesses. While a home user might go through the hassle of performing an XP to Windows 7 upgrade, those who’d have to do it on, say, a dozen machines might find the process a dealbreaker. That’s a problem as these are exactly the type of customers which Windows 7 needs to attract after the widespread business rejection of Vista.
While Microsoft wouldn’t get away with saying so explicitly, it likely feels the simplest thing is for people to buy new computers, particularly those whose machines couldn’t cope with Vista. But in the economic climate of 2009 that’s simply an untenable argument.
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July 23rd, 2009
And after the clean install who is to say that the XP applications are win7 compatible ?
July 23rd, 2009
HDDs are so cheap, clone.
It’s the only safe and vastly more versatile answer.