Quote:
Originally Posted by Stitchawl
I'll be interested to hear your experience. I'm thinking about doing the same. I have no problems using WinXP, but in another year or two the newest software might not support it. I need to make the switch just to keep up with the evolution. CostCo is selling a teeny tiny ASUS notebook for about $350 USD but it has a Japanese version of Windows7 on it. It would be perfect for handling e-mails and the Internet while traveling. I also have to figure out how to install the OS without using a CD. This unit is too small to have a CD player. I guess I could use an external CD player, but I'd like to learn how to use a Thumb Drive memory stick to do an install.
Stitchawl
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We'll I've got through it relatively unscathed. A couple or three things worth a mention (okay, four):
- if you want to upgrade and keep current settings and installed software (rather than a clean install), ensure the version of Win 7 is appropriate to upgrade with. I didn't, and found that you can't upgrade Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional, which is the version I had bought. Had to get a refund and order Windows 7 Ultimate - more expensive...
- there were problems with .NET. I eventually found the solution was to completely uninstall .NET and then let Windows Update take care of reinstalling it
- check the output of the compatibility test that the installer runs and saves to your desktop (Windows Compatibility Report.htm). There were a couple of products I had to reinstall with W7 friendly versions
- you will need to import your Outlook mail into the new Windows Live Mail (assuming you are upgrading), which should happen automatically the first time you fire Mail up. I got a message at the end of the import that it had failed, but when I looked at the mail folders, everything was there.
All the above come with the caveats that I was upgrading from Vista, not XP, so your experience is bound to differ.
Otherwise it seems to be okay, and I'm just tidying up bits and pieces. I am about to look into Homegroups and link the various home laptops into my desktop system, which was part of the reason I upgraded, as I was having trouble doing that with a mix of XP, Vista, Win 7 and Win 8 platforms around the house.
I recently bought a Netbook, and ended up buying a USB DVD Writer as well, so that I could install software as needed. Maybe I should have tried the thumb drive route...?
