Upgrading to Windows 7

BloggingSuits  - Tracy Coenen, C.P.A. - Forensic Accountant
Feb 8, 2010
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I realize this blog is supposed to be about blogging and social media, but sometimes I feel compelled to share my technology adventures with you as well. This weekend I had a big one…. moving from Windows XP to Windows 7 on my office desktop. I was scared out of my wits, but I didn’t have much of a choice. A major software problem was the driving force behind the switch, and the sooner the better.

So first I did some reading…. First stop, Microsoft’s site. I looked at the hardware requirements and software compatibility. Then I compared the 3 versions of Windows 7 available. I hate choosing. Microsoft makes the whole enchilada, and then turns off certain features for users who want to pay less. How do you know which one to choose? Take a careful look at the comparisons. I ended up going with the middle-of-the-road choice because it included the option to run in “XP mode.” I knew this might be necessary for some of my older tax programs. I didn’t want to take my chances by not having that option available.

Then I went to Google and started searching for how long the upgrade might take, as well as tips and tools I might find useful. I found plenty of tips to make the upgrade run smoothly. And this is how I found the most amazing tool ever…. LapLink PCmover.

Normally, when you install a new operating system, you will have to install all your software from scratch once you’ve got the new system running. PCmover did away with this labor-intensive process. Basically, PCmover bundles up all your data and software, and then lets you move it to the new system and unpack it there. AND IT REALLY WORKS.

I did a separate backup of all my data to an external hard drive, just in case PCmover wasn’t all I’d heard. Worst case scenario, I’d have a clean backup of all my data and would just have to manually install all my software and restore my data. (In which case, I’d really be no worse off than I originally thought I’d be.)

After doing the separate backup of my data, I ran PC mover and followed the instructions to pack up all the data and software I wanted to move. Then I installed Windows 7… a completely clean install so that I’d have no lingering problems from my previous operating system issues. The install went just fine.

Next, I unpacked my data and software with PCmover. And it worked like a charm! A few programs didn’t run on the new operating system, but all I had to do was reinstall those from scratch and they were fine. All of the other programs functioned perfectly! AND I SAVEDHOURS AND HOURS OF TIME.

All told, I spent about 6 hours on the upgrade. Most of that time was waiting for data transfers, so very little time was spent actually interacting during the process. I simply worked on my laptop while the upgrade and data moves were happening on the desktop.

And how about Windows 7? I love to hate Microsoft…. so it shames me that I’m saying I love Windows 7 so far! It looks and feels amazing. I think I’m going to love this operating system!

One word of warning: Some people are apparently having problems with older hardware like printers and such. Apparently, there aren’t drivers available for older hardware, so you may have to get new stuff in order to use Windows 7. That wasn’t a problem for me, because the only hardware I depend on at work is a newer printer and fairly new scanner. Both work fine.
Obviously, this might create a lot of costs at your office. However, remember that you’ll eventually have to make the move to Windows 7, so start planning now if you’ve got older hardware that will need to be replaced.

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