Changing the OS on a Laptop

[dinkydow]

I have a fairly new HP laptop. As an OS it has Vista, home premium, installed. I want to upgrade to windoz 7. The question is, if I re-format in W-7, does the new OS ask me, if, it is for a laptop, or a desk top? I don't want to lose my ability to launch a wireless brouser. I have never reformated a laptop.

 

[chubbyzook]

it should be just an upgrade, shouldnt affect any functions of the laptop. i have windows 7 on my laptop and it has all the functions its supposed to

 

[okie556]

Not to hijack the thread but I think dinkydow wouldn't mind clearing this up. Do you first Unistall Vista before installing Windows 7? And will the upgrade to 7 effect things like your Itune account??

 

[tweek]

Get your Windows 7 disk, drop it in the CD drive and boot up. Answer the questions, enter the product key and you should be good to go.

Personally I repave from the ground up: reformat the hard drive and install from scratch. Takes longer but the end result is a stable system that I have no trouble with. This also means you have to reinstall everything like iTunes, Office and other applications. However, upgrades some times are dicey and iTunes installed for Vista may not be perfectly (as if) after the upgrade.

One option to consider is paying Geek Squad at Best Buy to do it for you. Or that pimply faced nerd down the street.

And regardless of which way you go - Windows 7 is Windows 7. The mobile stuff is just there.

 

[zembonez]

I reformatted my HP laptop and installed a clean copy of Win7 on it a few months ago. I highly recommend just backing up your vital files, and then wiping the hard drive. I would NEVER do any sort of upgrade from Vista.

 

[dinkydow]

Not to hijack the thread but I think dinkydow wouldn't mind clearing this up. Do you first Unistall Vista before installing Windows 7? And will the upgrade to 7 effect things like your Itune account??

I had planned on deleting the Vista OS.. And installing a Builders edition of win 7. I do not particularly care for all the bundled up crap that comes with the retail copy. A clean wipe is what I was going to do.

 

[dinkydow]

Get your Windows 7 disk, drop it in the CD drive and boot up. Answer the questions, enter the product key and you should be good to go.

Personally I repave from the ground up: reformat the hard drive and install from scratch. Takes longer but the end result is a stable system that I have no trouble with. This also means you have to reinstall everything like iTunes, Office and other applications. However, upgrades some times are dicey and iTunes installed for Vista may not be perfectly (as if) after the upgrade.

One option to consider is paying Geek Squad at Best Buy to do it for you. Or that pimply faced nerd down the street.

And regardless of which way you go - Windows 7 is Windows 7. The mobile stuff is just there.

The answer to the question. Thank you.

I installed windows 7 from scratch with a builders copy on my desktop. I have reformatted various PC's, from the curb up, more than once. I must have purged everything and re-installed Win 98 on several much older machines, all desktops ...twenty times! Just was not sure about the lap functions in particular the wireless brouser with a ground up re-format on a flip top.

Re-installing the software of MY choice, is the only option, as as I am concerned.

 

[dinkydow]

I reformatted my HP laptop and installed a clean copy of Win7 on it a few months ago. I highly recommend just backing up your vital files, and then wiping the hard drive. I would NEVER do any sort of upgrade from Vista.

There are no files on my LT that I do not have already on a CD... Poor choice of words on my part perhaps. Upgrade. No upgrade on Vista is contemplated. I am wanting to kick Vista to the curb completly. I have had HUGE doses of pure JOY by doing a clean re-install of windoz-7 on my DT... Just never completed one on a LT before. Sounds like no big deal.

 

[dalto]

It should install fine. No different than your desktop.

If you don't have access to your desktop while you are installing I would consider downloading the windows 7 network drivers beforehand, just in case you need them.

 

[tweek]

Both of my daughters got new Toshiba laptops for Christmas (they were freaking cheap) just too damn lazy to put a proper build on them. I just uninstalled a bunch of the garbage that affects stability. My workstation on the otherhand - nothing but the best. But then again it is what pays for this mess.

 

[dinkydow]

Installed win7 in my laptop today...piece of cake.

 

[San Antone RR]

Glad it was easy.

 

[Wolfwood]

Get your Windows 7 disk, drop it in the garbage can.

much better.

what happened to giving good advice ont his forum eh?

do yoruself a favour and go get you some *nix

 

[zembonez]

Nothing wrong with Win7. Works great on my laptop. Sure beats anything Vista ever offered.

 

[Eli]

much better.

what happened to giving good advice ont his forum eh?

do yoruself a favour and go get you some *nix

Ubuntu homepage | Ubuntu !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[San Antone RR]

Eli,

You use Ubuntu instead of Windows? I haven't played with it, but just spent a couple of hours clearing a virus from the GF's laptop. Tired of fixing her stuff.

 

[zembonez]

I have a Linux machine. It's an extra and I'm not on it all that much. It's a cool OS, but I find it a bit too geeky for every day use. Linux is improving rapidly though.

This site is on a Linux server.

 

[Eli]

Eli,

You use Ubuntu instead of Windows? I haven't played with it, but just spent a couple of hours clearing a virus from the GF's laptop. Tired of fixing her stuff.

I've used Ubuntu as my primary desktop OS since 6.06 came out in 2006! It's REALLY easy to install, just follow the instructions. There are NO viruses, it comes with an office suite, and installing additional applications are a few mouse clicks and a password away. Download the LiveCD and try it out! Just follow the instructions, "RTFM" does hold meaning in *nix!

Eli

 

[San Antone RR]

It's gonna have to wait. I have the laptop and a bunch of 1GB Flash drives. The only thing bigger I have are a couple of external HDDs that have data. The USB installer wants to format these before it writes the iso. I would lose the data and I don't want to do that. Will go buy a 4GB flash later today.

 

[Wolfwood]

i jsut got a 500 gb usb drive. jsut a tad bigger thna blackberry, runs on USB power.

so awesome.

i use it to run fedora on the secondary pc at work.

much lighter than carrying my laptop.