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How To Upgrade Vista To Windows 7

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Haven’t you installed Windows 7 yet? It’s time to move on. Tons of positive reviews have been written on Windows 7 ever since the first beta was released back in January 2009.

One can give a number of reasons on why should a XP or Vista user upgrade to Windows 7. I will be focusing only on Vista to Windows 7 upgrade steps that you need to know before starting the actual upgrade process.

Upgrade vista to windows 7

To check the Windows 7 compatibility with your system, please use Windows 7 upgrade advisor. Once you get green signal from Windows 7 upgrade advisor, follow the steps given below.

Upgrade Vista to Windows 7

Step 1: Insert your Windows 7 DVD in the optical (CD/DVD) drive. Click Install Now option once you see the screen. If you have disabled autorun, open the root of the DVD drive (Windows 7 DVD) and run setup.exe file.

vista to Windows 7 upgrade process

You can also use an USB stick to install/upgrade to Windows 7. Refer install windows 7 from USB guide to install/upgrade Windows 7 from USB guide.

Step 2: Once you run the setup, you will see two options:

* Check compatibility online

* Install Now

Windows7upgrade_install_Windows

Since you have already verified the system compatibility using Windows 7 upgrade advisor, you can safely click Install Now button.

Step 3: In the next screen, you will see two options:

* Go online to get the latest update for installation

* Do not get the latest updates for installation

install windows 7 go online option

If you have the latest version of Windows 7, then you need not to check for updates. You can select Do not check for updates if you wish to check for updates post upgrade process.

Step 4: Accept the license agreement (I accept the license agreement) and click Next to continue the procedure.

Windows7upgarde

Step 5: In the next screen again you will see two options:

* Upgrade

* Custom

upgrade vista to windows 7 procedure

Here you need to select Upgrade option to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Click Next.

Step 6: Once again, Windows will check for the compatibility and will generate the report. If Windows finds any compatibility problems, it will display the problem and will save the report to the desktop. If no incompatibilities are found, Windows 7 Setup will proceed without further interaction

From here onwards, you need to follow the default Windows installation procedure. You can refer Windows 7 installation procedure guide for more details.

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Comments

  1. Tanigo says

    I been trying to install window 7 on my window vista am running it form my DVD Rom the output is that system copy the OS files it come up to the window icon after that all i see is just the pointer on the blink screen for more than hours please am in need of help.

  2. Jane Cousens says

    I have a Dell Inspiron 530 with windows vista on it, and have upgraded it to windows 7. It has been fine for months but all of a sudden when you turn it on it says windows is not genuine, but it is.
    Please can you help

  3. WinXP User says

    I have a Toshiba satellite A105 and I really need the Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade. I also need office 2010, too. In my opinion, Windows 7 Home Premium will run great on the laptop, but I still have some concerns. Are there compatible drivers? Is Windows 7 gonna work properly? And so on. Help!

  4. wayne says

    Hi help required please
    I have a dell 1545 when i bought this lap top it came with a free update to windows 7 and i installed and have been running this successful until recently, when i have a problem the computer would not start up windows now i have got it fixed i have windows vista on is there any way i can put win7 back on without buying a new one,

    cheers

  5. http://tinyurl.com/ says

    “How To Do Vista To Windows 7 Upgrade” ended up being genuinely compelling and useful!
    In todays society that’s very hard to carry out. Regards, Genia

  8. Alicwong says

    I bought my Acer pc 3 years ago and I get the free upgrade cd to window 7. But recently I have formatted my pc but it going back to window vista originally and I can’t go back to window 7. The upgrade cd I had lost it. Is there anyway I can upgraded back to window 7 without having the upgarde cd? Please advise

  9. Vista Frustrating says

    Have eMachinw E625 86x running on Vista Home Basic. Had Bitdefender antivirus, but caused system instability. When installed AVG 11, found out laptop was full of virusses. Tried uninstalling Bitdefender, couldnt & forcefully removed it (not completely, still shortcuts). Wireless, networking etc. stopped working. Tried installing WIn 7 thru DVD bootup, couldnt. Ps help!!!!

  10. Makeityourring says

    Really this is a great post from an expert and thank you very much for sharing this valuable information with us.

  12. Jacqui says

    I recently upgraded my Toshiba Satellite from Win. Vista to Win. 7 and cannot access files, downloads, programs, etc. from my old system. For example: I have a Chicony USB 2.0 web camera in the computer but I can’t use it because the Camera Assistant Software no longer runs. I need help figuring out what I need to do to use old products with the windows 7 system. Please Help???

  13. James says

    I am new at this. Been using Windows Vista for 4 years. 32-bit, 2GB Maximum, Decided not to buy Windows 7. When Windows 8 is released in 2012, can I bypass Window 7 or do I have to install Windows 7 to get to Windows 8? Sounds expensive to me.

  14. Anthony Henning says

    Hi. I have a Dell inspiron 1525 running Vista Home basic. Is there a link where by i can upgrade to Windows 7

    Thx

  15. Abdul Haseeb O P says

    I bought Thoshiba Satellite Laptop 3 years ago with windows Vista Installed.After 1 year I removed Vista and installed windows 7 ,for which the licence I got from my college(for a period of 2 years of my study).Now I have left the college and officially the license got expired.So what I have to do to update my license.

  16. Nayak says

    i am currently working on vista home basic. i want to upgrade my system to window7.how can i do this without having window7 original disk. i want that my windows remain genuine. please reply

  17. Medical Alert Systems Reviews says

    I have been browsing online more than three hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all website owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be a lot more useful than ever before.

  18. Tom VanDyke says

    My employer has replaced an old Dell system with a new Gateway. I want to use the Microsoft office software from the Dell on the new Gateway (Windows7)….how do I do that? The Dell CDs for Office are not available to reinstall, but I have copied the old C drive to the new system. The old system motherboard has failed and will not be available to use for this effort.

  20. Jeffrey says

    i just got a dell 1525 and it was equipped with windows vista. can i get a free upgrade?

  21. raymond says

    my laptop has a pre installed OS windows vista home premium. i bought it 2 years ago and i upgraded it to windows 7 four months ago. i got problems in updating drivers and software of my HP dv2999ee. im no longer receiving updates from hp after the upgrade. i only receive updates from microsoft. how can i fix this problem?

  22. Matt says

    Hi,

    currently have windows Vista 34bit installed on my rig and i am looking to buy 64 bit home premium edition. Can i upgrade the normal way or is their any complications in updating from 34bit os to 64bit os.

    Also can i keep my existing files when upgrading the OS.

    Ta

  23. Dharmendra Singh says

    I want to upgrade win vista home premium to win 7 home premium. Can you provide me the license fee which i need to pay for upgrade.

  24. Anita Sandhu says

    Hi, i bought a HP DV9000 On December 27th 2007 (it was either 2007 or 2008, i cant remember :/ ) what can i upgrade to? and if i can upgrade to anything, could you please provide me the links? and is it free?

    Thanks,

  25. fryertuck says

    yes i have recently upgraded from vista to windows 7 ultimate but im having hd issues i have a hp laptop it has a TOSHIB DVDW/HD TS-L802A ATA an it wont read an meadia or cds period tried uninstalling then reinstalling tried updates do you know any good fixes for this would much appreciate thanks much an windows 7 is amazing besides the slight issue

  26. Cindi says

    I was given a laptop as a gift and it had a pamphlet that said I could upgrade to windows 7 for free but I have lost the cd that came with it. Can I still upgrade for free and how do I do it without the cd?

  27. Gareth Wheeler says

    I will NEVER buy Windows 7 again.It is the most problematic version ever made. Absolutely appalling.

  28. Hossein says

    can I upgrade my dell os from vista to seven for free using a dell dvd windows 7 re installation disk, does it install a geniue registered copy of window on my system

  29. Valent says

    My NEC Versa S1300 had been installed Vista home basic 32-bit in a hide file of hard disk and hadn’t a original Vista disk. My question is if I buy a Window 7 upgrade disk foe Vista to 7, Can I upgrade to 7 successfully ? And, when my computer once “get error”. Can I use this Upgrade version disk of 7 for reinstall purpose? That is, to format the hard disk when the computer “get error”, then use the upgrade 7 disk to reinstall 7. Because I heard that the upgrade disk is not a complete Window 7 software & can not use it as a fresh installation.

  30. thankachan says

    I had purchased a toshiba laptop windows vista buisiness edition but the cd damage/not working. After I installed widows7. But I cannot update this. So some features are not working. When I call from computer to phone I can hear one side only. (But the computer to computer call sound is both party can hear very good). Can I free update this window7.How can I solve this probem? windows vista orginal cd is not working. Please give your advise.

  31. thankachan says

    I puchased a toshiba laptop vista buisiness edition but the cd is damage/not working. After I installed windows7. Can I update this window7 free. Now some features are not working properly when I call from computer to phone then we can hear one side only.But computer to computer calling is very good sound. How can I solve this problem.

  32. sabeer khan says

    hi i’m using windows vista home premium,i hav bought hp laptop on last year,can i upgrade 2 windows 7,is tis possible?

  34. rishabh bhandari says

    i’m using toshiba m600,i want to know that can i upgrade windows vista bussiness to windows 7 ultimate??

  35. Gary Worsfold says

    Having just done an upgrade from Vista to Win7, search refuses to work, library’s are a mess. Going to go back, backup data, overwrite current install and do a full install of 7 to resolve, and reimport data. I used win7 at home, and think its pretty good, but would expect an upgrade to just work, not need lots of digging around reindexing, opening folders etc to get it to work correctly.

  36. ABHI says

    i would like a to ask that i have win vista home premium 32 bit , i want to upgrade it to win 7 ultimate can it happen? also i have 160 gb hard disk but only 29 gb in local disk c because of that my local disk c remains full. i want to increase it’s space, can i increase?please help .. Thank you.

  37. Balaji says

    am using windows vista(home basic-genuine)and i need to upgrade to win 7,do i need to use the genuine win 7 CD to follow the above steps.

  38. bernard says

    i was told if i bought my acer aspire ax1300 with windows vista home premium 64 bit, addition, after july 2010 i can have free upgrade of windows 7 is this still true thank you.

  40. Calumgreen says

    I bought a computer; this computer in july and i just found out about the windows 7 upgrade option and it says its not available and i really want windows 7!

  41. Comfort Babatola says

    I bought an HP Pavilon Slimline with a Windows Vista home premium Nov. 2009, registerd for the Windows 7 upgrade and got the DVD package, but it got broken during our renovation before I could even get to install it. What do I do? Is it possible to get a new package or an e-copy of it? Thank you.

  42. V.K.Sekharan says

    I have a windows vista home premium to be converted into windows7 home premium and I just received the CD I need assistance and guidance to proceed with the updating process. Can you provide in detain step by step

  44. Jennah says

    I purchased a Toshiba Satellite in 2007 and it has Vista on it and we are trying to upgrade to Windows 7 but with the Toshiba Upgrade Assitant it won’t allow us to so i am scared to proceed with the Windows 7 upgrade incase it stuffs the laptop. Any clues? Thanks in advance.

  45. Susan Barker says

    I purchased my laptop 10/09, with the preface that when Windows 7 was available I would recieve it…THAT IS THE ONLY REASON I DID NOT WAIT UNTIL IT WAS AVAILABLE…I am a loyal HP customer, and jumped thru all the hoops, mailing in registration forms, etc. registering online and I never recieved my discs. I thought maybe it came in the form of updates to my computer, but no. When will I get it? and WHY DIDN’T I GET IT?

  46. Mani Krishnan says

    Can u pls assist me with the upgrade for Hp Laptop Pvilion Dv 6500. I have vista Ultimate. I want to upgrade to Win 7. Also it ll be good if u provide me the link to download the win 7 os

  47. Emma says

    Hello, I have just upgraded to Windows 7 from Vista. Now my slide bar on the touch pad of my laptop does not work and on the battery icon in the bottom right hand corner of the screen it says ‘consider replacing battery’ and the charge does not hold for overly long. Has this got anything to do with the upgrade or not?, If it does can I go back to Vista? Thanks.

  49. Charlotte says

    Hi, I have an advent laptop which I got last summer, it has Vista Home Premium OS but I’m really not happy with it, how do I go about getting Windows 7 on it? Do I have to pay? What is the easiest way to do it as I am a bit of a novice with this stuff! Thanks.

  51. Al says

    The migration path from XP to Vista was a joke and so is the migration from Vista to Windows 7

  52. horatio ordonez says

    will my new fujitsu siemen Amilo eligble for free Win7 upgrade? please provide me the link to upgrade it

    tnx

  54. mike says

    does vaio gate, the mac like bar at the top of sony win 7 computer screens come with the sony win 7 upgrade?

  55. admin says

    You needn’t to format the Vista partition. Just start the upgrade by selecting Upgrade option.

  56. admin says

    @Donnie
    We recommend your turn off your antivirus/internet security/spyware programs while doing the upgrade.

  59. Michelle says

    Hello I just purchased windows 7 to upgrade from vista, however I’m concerned that my info on my current laptop will be erased, is this true?? Thanks

  63. Rick says

    I bought a HP dv5-1244la notebook in March with Vista installed and I want to upgrade to Windows 7. I am currently in Argentina and they tell me that the upgrade will not be brought down here. What can I do?

  64. george says

    having recently purchased a toshiba laptop with vista what site do i use to get the free update to windows 7 i am writing from ireland – the info above at query 20 only relates to U S A

  65. Brian LeClair says

    I have been trying to install an upgrade on my new HP laptop for more than 8 hours. The compatibility checks lists dozens of software items I must delte. Some I cannot find, like PerfectDisk! It includes
    HP Wireless Assistant, Windows messenger 5.1, ATI Control Panel. My effort to delete the last one keeps failing. It also asks that you update device drivers. I have updated all and the compatibility report keeps listing everything.

    Is there a work-around other than a full installation rather than the upgrade? Any other suggestions?

  66. admin says

    @Izabel
    As you are talking about Windows anytime upgrade option, you still need a DVD copy to upgrade to Windows 7 from Vista. Windows Anytime Upgrade can’t upgrade previous versions of Windows to Windows 7. Windows Anytime Upgrade is designed only to upgrade your computer from one edition of Windows 7 to another edition of Windows 7.

  67. Izabel Oliveira says

    Hello, yes I am talking about that , but the Curry’s staff who sold me this poduct key, I paid £65 for that, said that on my windows vista, on the control panel, have a site saying upgraded anytime and I only need the product key for that. But the upgraded anytime don’t open a file to me insert the product key. What I can do about it?
    Thank you,
    Izabel Oliveira

  68. admin says

    @Izabel
    Did you mean Windows 7 product key? You need to have a upgrade disc to do the upgrade process.

  70. Nora says

    i bought a laptop two month ago they told me that its free to download windows7 on it how and where should i start
    And the brand of the computer is Compaq CQ60.
    thanx Nora

  71. Izabel Oliveira says

    Hello, I bought a computer with windows vista on 2008, I went to Currys and I saw the windows 7 upgrade key number and the staff there said that I can upgrade using the upgrade anytime site in the control panel, but it will not let me use a key number as they only let me ugrade to windows vita again.
    I really don,t understand that . How can I upgrade window vista to window 7 with my key number?
    Thank you,
    Izabel oliveira.

  74. Jason Chen says

    hi i just bought a samsung R470 and wondering how do i upgrade it to windows 7, its running on vista home premium now…can any1 give me a link??

  76. admin says

    @Ravitesh

    Yes, you can upgrade from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Ultimate. But note that you can do 32-bit Vista to 32-bit Windows 7 or 64-bit to 64-bit only.

  78. Roy says

    Everyone crying about purchasing Vista to Win7 upgrades and moving to Mac have fun. Can’t believe you’re willing to spend over a thousand dollars over a stupid Software OS upgrade. Mac updates their OS too. You think they have been running off one O/S for years and years? Stop whining. Things change. Things get better. Evolve with the rapid technology times we live in and either get in or get out.

  80. Ben says

    Hi, I am just about to do an upgrade from Vista to 7, I’ve got the green light from Upgrade Assistant but please can you tell me if I need to disable my Norton Internet security before upgrading??

  81. alan says

    I have vista ultimate and am trying to upgrade to window 7 ultimate. i can not get this to install i have a dual core processor with 2.5 gb ram, the only compatibility i have is my epson r300 printer, does anyone have any answers to why this may be happening

  82. Sam says

    I purchased Lenovo laptop on 27 Nov 2009.I’m having Windows Vista home premium.Can I upgrade to Windows 7 for free?

  85. admin says

    @ Craig Roach
    Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional upgrade is not possible. You can upgrade to Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium or Ultimate only.

  86. admin says

    @ Awen
    To qualify for the Asus free Windows 7 upgrade you need to register yourself in the below link:
    event.asus.com/2009/windows7/

  87. AWEN says

    i buy a new asus laptop N61VG, wanted to upgrade to windows 7. i go to the address that the brosure provide, but i can’t!
    please teach me the easiest ways!

    thank you and best regard
    Awen

  89. Swaroop SM says

    i bought a hp dv4 laptop 3 months back.. n they tld u can freely update it 2 windows 7 through the net.. can u plz tel me hw 2 do dat…..

  91. Craig Roach says

    I am running Vista Home Premium and have just purchased Win7 Pro. It won’t let me do a simple upgrade it wants me to do a full install then reload everything. Is there a way around this task?

  93. Belinda Maxim-Scott says

    I have purchased a vista computer a month ago and i have now received my free upgrade disc to windows 7, but i’m scared that it will totally mess my computer up and it will not run properly after. is it really that easy to do??

  96. Tomas says

    Hi guys, just got my Upgrade Win7 DVDs and goin to do upgrade from Vista….Can somebody help me whats the better….Upgrade or Custom upgrade as I heard thet custom will work better. Whats the different ? Please writte me some advise ….many thanks guys.

  98. admin says

    John, you need not to backup your data as you are just upgrading. Btw, note that you can upgrade from 32-bit Vista to 32-bit Windows 7 only.

  99. admin says

    I suggest you go for FW-490 only as it’s cheap by $200. You will not face any compatibility problems with that.

  100. admin says

    @ Ranjit
    Since your CD/DVD drive is not working, I suggest you follow our how to install Windows 7 from USB guide:
    intowindows.com/how-to-install-windows-7vista-from-usb-drive-detailed-100-working-guide/

  104. jimmy says

    hi
    i have toshiba laptop and i have vista in it but i got in year 2008 how can i upgrade to windows 7 and if i have to buy, what will be the cost.thank you

  105. roblues says

    I have a PC Asus X50GL running Vista basic (OEM).
    Can I do the upgrade to Seven Home Premium? Buyng the upgrade, of course.

  106. andyq says

    I bought a Dell laptop with Vista home premium in July and I was told I would ne entitled to an upgrade to Windows 7. How do I do it?

  107. Nanang pamuji says

    I wanna upgrade to 7 from vista. are all my data in my document will be safe, without necessary bzck-up prior to upgrade?

  108. Ranjit says

    Can you let m know how to upgrade windows vista to windows 7. I am using HP Pavillion DV5 series with AMD turion 3Gb RAM and my cd/dvd drive is not working.

  109. Ravi says

    Hi, I am planning to buy Sony FW-490 with Visa which offers Windows7 upgrade. But I want to know if there wouldn’t be any compatibility issues with the upgrade or should I go for FW-590 which comes with Win7 (but expensive by $200). Kindly advise. Thanks.

  110. Jack says

    I bought an Acer desktop. model AX3200, on june 22, 2009. Do I qualify for a free upgrade, Vista to W-7?

  111. John Simons says

    Just wondering i’m downloading a copy of Windows 7 ultimate from MSDN subscription.

    i’m currently using Vista 32bit

    if i do the upgrade will i have to backup any programs / files i’ve already got installed?

  112. Marcus says

    I Bought my sony laptop 1 oct 2009, looked at the websites admin posted but my model is not there, if its of any importance I live in the UK (Europe) model is:
    Sony VGNFW41EH

  113. Kees says

    I have a Dell Inspiron 1720 laptop (summer 2008).
    Do I understand it well that:
    1. when you upgrade from vista to windows 7, you don’t have to reinstall all other programs like office, dictionaries, sopcast, torrent and DIVX player?
    2. Also al your drivers are updated automatically?
    3. Akshay Shukla says Dell doesn’t support upgrades when the pc is more than a year old. Does this mean you have to pay or that the upgrade doens’t work?

    Thanks for answering my questions.

  114. admin says

    Welcome to Windows 7 users group. May I know what version of Kaspersky anti-virus you are using?

  115. Kim says

    OK, did the Upgrade from Vista Home Premium (64-bit) to Windows 7 Equivalent and it went very smoothly except for it asking me to uninstall IntelPRO wireless and Kaspersky Anti-Virus. Left laptop ON overtime to do install, woke up to it prompting me for KEY and am now using Windows 7. I did back-up my documents just to be extra safe but nothing got deleted which is Awesome! Looking forward to using 7

  116. Sultan says

    Hi I gust bought HP laptop and the OS is VISTA .Is it free to upgraed it to Windows 7 ??

    Thanks

  118. Aaron says

    I purshased a Sony Vaio two weeks ago that was supposed to come with a Free Windows 7 upgrage. How do I get the upgrage to W7? Do I need some kind of code?

    Thanks,
    Aaron

  121. Md Murtada says

    i bought sony vaio in november 2008, it has windows vista installed, how can i upgrade to windows 7. if its free that would be awesome. please advice

  122. promote your website says

    I hate Microsoft! I agree with James I am switching to Mac. Windows 7 said I was OK to upgrade, after I downloaded the new drivers for my wireless adapter. I did this, saved the drivers, install windows 7 and Now I cant get online. Great!

  124. james says

    I am so upset about this that I cannot even spell. I am going to switch to Mac because I have had nothing but issues with microsoft products all the way from my pc to xbox.

  125. james says

    I purchased my pc about 10 months and now vista is a thing of the past… I have to now purchase the windows 7 package to upgrade??? This is crazy I am not seriously thinking about going to a Mac.

  126. STaRDoGG says

    When doing an upgrade from Vista 32Bit, can you successfully do an upgrade to 64Bit Windows 7?

  128. admin says

    @ Stephen
    You are eligible for the free upgrade (please provide the notebook model so that we can tell you exactly). Register for the free copy here:

  129. stephen dsouza says

    I purchased toshiba laptop with windows vista on july 2nd.can i ugrade it to windows 7 for free. please advise

  130. Krystyne says

    If I have Microsoft Office 2007 on my Windows Vista laptop, will Office 2007 still work if I upgrade to Windows 7?

  131. admin says

    @ Craig
    Have your purchased a PC with Vista Home Premium or retail box? If it came with new PC, please mention the brand (Acer, HP, DELL?) so that we can provide you the free upgrade registration link.

  133. Daus says

    Hi, I just bought acer AS3810 laptop last month with vista. Please let me know how to upgrage to windows 7? Link?

  134. Jim says

    But, I run XP in a virtual machine (in Parallels on my Mac). I ordered the Windows 7 upgrade disk and installed it in a new VM (the only way). Then Microsoft refuses to accept the registration key because it is a clean install!

    Does anyone know how to fix this?

    And I also had dumped the XP VM in favor of W7 RC because it worked.

  136. rupesh says

    i bought sony vaio (VGN-NS25G) 4 months ago, it has windows vista installed, how can i upgrade to windows 7. if its free that would be awesome. please advice

  137. TJ says

    hii i want to upgrade to windows 7 from vista…i have lenevo Y series..my cd/dvd hard drive is currently not working,is there any other way of upgrading w/o to use dvd

  138. admin says

    @Manuel
    Please mention your laptop brand (HP, Dell, Acer, or Asus?) so that we can provide you the appropriate registration link.

  139. manuel guingab says

    i bought a laptop a month ago they told me that its free to download windows7 on it how and where should i start thanx manuel

  145. Arthur says

    When will Windows 7 be available in Southe Africa. I boughtVista Home Premium package a last month
    This written on it.

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