# Windows 7 Upgrades: Block out a Day



## RootbeaR (Dec 9, 2006)

"Microsoft said that some "in-place" upgrades from Windows Vista to the new Windows 7 may take some users more than 20 hours to complete."
http://www.pcworld.com/article/171897/windows_7_upgrades_block_out_a_day.html?tk=nl_cox_h_crawl


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Good thing I'm not intending to upgrade from Vista!


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## new tech guy (Mar 27, 2006)

JohnWill said:


> Good thing I'm not intending to upgrade from Vista!


Why not? Win7 has multiple improvements to vista? Im personally waiting til after my school semester to upgrade my main laptop, thats all i need, downtime a week before finals


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## RootbeaR (Dec 9, 2006)

Upgrade discs may be cheaper, but what happens when you need to do a re-install of your OS? Install Vista, upgrade to 7? You'll want to wait for summer break to do that.


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

RootbeaR said:


> Upgrade discs may be cheaper, but what happens when you need to do a re-install of your OS? Install Vista, upgrade to 7? You'll want to wait for summer break to do that.


A good reason to make a drive image of an upgrade.
Do a 're-install' quick and clean.


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## RootbeaR (Dec 9, 2006)

Stoner said:


> A good reason to make a drive image of an upgrade.
> Do a 're-install' quick and clean.


So long as the install from which you are upgrading is also clean.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

new tech guy said:


> Why not? Win7 has multiple improvements to vista? Im personally waiting til after my school semester to upgrade my main laptop, thats all i need, downtime a week before finals


I'm not "upgrading", I have three Win7 machines running here. A clean install is always the best option.


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

RootbeaR said:


> So long as the install from which you are upgrading is also clean.


Well, that is the point.
If you do an upgrade from Vista to 7, a drive image of that final system would be extremely advantageous as it involves minutes rather than a reinstall of Vista and then the timely upgrade process to 7 ......if 7 were to get hosed for any reason..

Actually, a drive image in either case, upgrade or full install is advantageous time wise if a 'reinstall' becomes necessary.
With dual drives, it takes me about 5 to 6 minutes to replace a damaged XP 13 gig system with a saved drive image.
With win2k and dual drives, ~2 minutes.
I had my battery backup UPS fail several days ago and my XP system took some corruption. It's usually quicker to flip my saved drive image on rather than track down the damage.

You use Linux a lot. Do you keep a drive image of it for a backup?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

FWIW, I always do a couple of image backups during an install. First when I get essential stuff and all the updates loaded, next when I have the "final" system configuration with the stuff I routinely use loaded. Those are saved long term in the event I might want to go back and start fresh.


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## lotuseclat79 (Sep 12, 2003)

Reference: Use a Separate Partition to Speed Up Windows 7 Upgrades.

Simplify Your Windows 7 Install with One Easy Step.

*Locating your data in the proper place can save a lot of Windows 7 upgrade headaches.*

Ya'll knew that from the get go and practice separation of data/system - right guys? 

-- Tom


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I've used a separate partition for all my data for at least 10 years, this isn't exactly news.  This is also why the image backup works so well, I can restore without worrying about any modified data, all I have to do is reinstall any applications since the backup and perhaps configure a couple of them.


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## RootbeaR (Dec 9, 2006)

Stoner said:


> You use Linux a lot. Do you keep a drive image of it for a backup?


No. It only takes 10 minutes to re-install. Another 20 to be fully updated(All software and OS). Data and settings are stored on a separate partition and important data is backed up onto DVD.

I could save the update time if I made a re-master of my distro(Updated LiveCD).


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## new tech guy (Mar 27, 2006)

Ah, i misunderstood the title, I also believed that you were stating you wouldnt move from vista to 7 at all John. As myself, i plan on a clean install for my machine/machines as well.And good point about imaging  good way to go back if a user doesnt like the new setup or it goes awry for some reason.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

You can't have too many image files, or at least it's difficult.


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