My Own Migration to Windows 7 ...
... is in the planning and preparation stage.
I've been personal computing since 1983, initially using CTOS on a Convergent Convergent Technologies NGEN box which was known to Burroughs users as the B25. In 1985 I purchased a used IBM PC/XT for home office use and I've used a Wintel combo ever since but my newest box running Vista SP2 purchased a few weeks back in preparation for an inplace upgrade to Windows 7 is AMD powered.
I've been using XP Home since late 2001 on a Dell Dimension 4100 (upgraded from Win98 SE) and XP Pro preinstalled on a Dell Dimension 8200 since 2002 with the 4100 moved to secondary status (and retired two weeks ago). I compute on an a L-shaped workstation with my primary desktop DPE facing forward and my secondary DPE to my left, and I can swivel from one to the other and use either one easily. Backups for both are stored on a 500 GB Iomega external drive. I use Verizon's FIOS broadband service and both systems have internet connectivity via a Verizon supplied Actiontec wired/wireless router. Both systems are connected to the router by ethernet cable.
A few weeks back I took advantage of Microsoft's free upgrade to Windows 7 offer and purchased a budget priced 32-bit Vista Home Premium enabled Compaq Preasario QC51100F with 2.5 GHz Athlon Dual-Core Processor, 3GB SDRAM (expandable to 4MB) and 320 GB SATA hard drive, then added a 2nd 320 GB drive and 1GB RAM. Total investment to date <$400 not including the Dell 21.5" WS LCD monitor I moved from the DD 8200 which was replaced by the 19" Dell LCD from the DD 4100. In a year or so I'll likely purchase a more powerful, more highly optioned (graphics card and sound card) and more expandable quad-core system with Win 7 SPx 64-bit preinstalled, but for now I'm not interested in 64-bit. In the interim the system is now my primary DPE and the DD 8200 is secondary. I'll continue to run some older software on the XP Pro SP3 enabled DD 8200 (MS Office 2000 Pro, MS Office XP 2002, MS Streets & Trips 2007, ACT! 2000, Acronis True Image 2009, etc.) and move selected newer software to the Compaq while adding new software to it.
I'm proceeding slowly in prepping the new Vista machine for Win 7 and not moving much software on to it yet, although I'm browsing using Firefox 3.53, using the Vista Windows Mail e-mail client, and I've partitioned the primary hard drive in similar fashion to my DD 8200 using (free) EASEUS Partition Master HE 4.0.1. This afternoon I'll be installing Acronis True Image Home 2010 for backup and recovery. There's plenty of time. HP has advised by e-mail that I can expect to receive my free Win 7 upgrade kit between October 30 and November 9.
My migration strategy is still soft and evolving, although I do plan an inplace upgrade from Vista instead of a clean install. When I originally moved to XP in late 2001 I relied heavily on Ed Bott's and Carl Siechert's "Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out" to familiarize myself with XP. For this migration I've purchased a copy of their "Windows 7 Inside Out" (with Craig Stinson) ...
tinyurl.com
It will be a big help in completing the migration strategy and mastering the new OS.
- Eric - |
