Microsoft has not provided an upgrade path to Windows 7 from XP.  This tutorial helps you install Windows 7 on your Windows XP PC, as long as your PC can support Windows 7.  Technically, you are doing a fresh installation of Windows 7 on your computer.  It means you will need to reinstall all of your programs.  But you can avoid buying an entirely new PC, or reformatting your existing hard drive. 

How the 'Upgrade' Works

This of the hard disk drive on your computer as a room.  You've got some chairs and tables in the room, but also some empty space as well.  You'd like to create a separate space in the room to create a workshop, and you want the two parts of the room to be fairly separate.  The best way to do so would be to put up a wall.  It's the same physical room, with the same total space, but now you're taking the empty space and walling it off (partitioning it) to use it for a separate purpose.  The hard disk drive can be partitioned in much the same way.  One part of the partition (room) will contain Windows XP.  And one part of the partition will contain Windows 7.  You'll be able to start up your system and use either operating system, in fact.  That means if you decide you don't like Windows 7, or your PC just can't support the hardware requirements, you can go back to XP.

Time Needed

• Actually Working - 2 hours
• Total Time - up to 4 hours

Supplies

• 1 CD
• DVDs or an external hard disk drive to back up your data
• 50 GB free hard disk space
• Partition program (GParted or commecial application)
• Windows 7 (note:  Wait until you've completed Steps 1 and 2 before you buy a copy!!)
• Roxio Creator or Nero Burning ROM
• Original CDs/installation files for all the old XP programs you want to install on Windows 7
• Optional:  A tool like Laplink's PCMover to move your programs (see a review of the software here)

Preparation

Step 1

Make sure you have enough hard disk space.  Select "My Computer" from your desktop, then look at the amount of Free Space listed for your C: drive.  You will need at least 30 GB of free space.  If your current drive holds pictures and documents taking up more than 30 GB, that is all right.  In Step X, you will create a new partition

Step 2

Download and run Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.  You will need to know if your machine can fundamentally handle Windows 7. Follow the Upgrade Advisor's wizard, where it will scan your PC and provide you with a report.

Important Notes

Take special note of any programs that Windows 7 will not support.  You may choose to stop here since you need one of the programs, or need to go out and buy a new version that is supported under Windows Vista/7.

Risks

None

Step 3

Backup your hard drive (or at least vital documents/files) to DVD or an external disk drive. 

Risks

None

Step 4

Download GParted Live, the free software to partition your hard disk drive.  First read the warnings in red to confirm it doesn't apply to you.  If the warning does apply to you, stop and read the "Alternative Solutions" section.  Otherwise, click on "Browse Stable releases."  Choose the highest version with the ending ".iso" and download to your desktop.

Important Notes

Select only the "Stable" options.

Risks

None

Step 5

Create your GParted CD.  First, you can see if your computer already has a program configured to handle the iso file, such as Roxio Creator.  You can do so by double clicking the gparted-live-####.iso file on your desktop.  If a program like Roxio does not open, you may need to locate it in your Start Menu.  Cilck here for a list of programs that support creating CDs from an iso image.

Risks

None

Step 6

Create your new partition.  Follow these steps carefully.  We srecommend you print these instructions now so you don't forget a step.

	6a	Make sure your new CD is in your CD/DVD drive.
	6b	Restart your computer.
	6c	When the black intro screen appears, select the "Boot Menu" option.  Depending on your PC manufacturer, the keys may be F12 or something else.
	6d	Choose your CD/DVD drive. The names may be somewhat ugly, so locate the one that has "CD" or "DVD" in the name.
	6e	Select any key if promted to start from CD.
	6f	The GParted (Gnome Partition Editor) welcome screen will appear.  Choose "Default Settings".
	6g	GParted will start, and yes, it's supposed to look like those 80's movies where scary text scrolls down the screen for a while.  Eventually, you'll get to the actual program.  And yes, it's supposed to look like Macintosh circa-1987.
	6h	Select 'Don't Touch Keymap' in the next screen, then when prompted, your language (hit enter to default to US English). Note:  Your number pad on your keyboard will not work.  Use the numbers above the alpha keys on your keyboard to avoid frustration!
	6i	Select 'Continue to start X to use GParted automatically'
	6j	You'll be in a Windows-like screen now with a window that displays all the hard drives and partitions on your PC.  Look for the partition that has the Label you recognize as your "C:\" drive.  Right click it and select "Resize/Move" .0
	6k	In the window that appears next, enter the size of the new partition on your hard drive in the "Free Space Following" field.  It should be at least 35000 (which will be 35GB).  Ideally, enter 50000.  You will see a "Maximum Size" that tells you the most you could allocate to the new partition.  When you leave the "Free Space Following" field, the "New Size" field will change automatically.  Click "Resize/Move"
	6l	Select "Apply" from the toolbar.  GParted will prompt you to confirm you want to proceed, and warns that you may lose data.  Note:  GParted runs a simulated partition before actually trying it.  This is an extra safeguard to prevent data loss from common issues.
	6m	GParted will begin working, which may take a few minutes to complete.  If for whatever reason it returns with a failure message, DON'T PANIC.  GParted runs a simulated partition operation before actually trying it.  This is an extra safeguard to prevent data loss from common issues.  The failure does not necessarily mean your data is lost.
	6n	Once the partitioning is complete, right click the "unallocated" partition and select "New"
	6o	In the "Create as" box, select "Primary Partition."  In the "File System" field, choose "ntfs."  In the Label field, enter something that will help you remember this is your Windows 7 partition, like "Win7."  Click "Add."
	6p	Congratulations!  You've got a new partition ready to install Windows 7!   Double click the little red Exit icon at the top left of the screen.
	6q	Insert your Windows 7 CD and restart.  Make sure to open the Boot Menu like in step 6d.
	6r	Follow all the Windows 7 Installation steps.  When you see the screen that "Which type of installation do you want?" choose "Custom (advanced)"
	6s	Select the new partition you've created in this step.  You may need to match based on size rather than name.
	6t	Now proceed with the Windows 7 installation process.  When you're done, you'll notice a new menu to choose whether to start your system with Windows 7, or "Earlier Version of Windows," which is your old XP version.
	6u	Now install all of the programs you want to use in Windows 7 that you used on Windows XP.  Will you need separate licenses?  Not technically, since it is a single PC, and you can only use a single version of Windows at any one time.