Windows 7 Installation Troubles
OK, I must admit that I was eager to see Windows 7 on my laptop. I had installed the Release Candidate this summer in a virtual machine, but I wanted to see it in all of its glory, unhindered by any issues that may be caused by the virtual environment.
Once I saw Windows 7 available for download through Microsoft’s Software Assurance, I downloaded Windows 7 Pro (x64). My laptop is running Windows Vista Ultimate (x64) because that is what came preinstalled, and Windows 7 Ultimate is not available through the Software Assurance program.
This began a day-long journey through Microsoft installation hell.
The install program started without issue, and I ran the upgrade compatibility test. According to the test, my computer was ready to go. I started the installation only to be informed that I could not upgrade from Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Pro.
OK, so I’ll try it on my desktop, which is running Vista Business x64. Again, my computer passes the upgrade compatibility test with flying colors and I begin the installation process. I make it through the complete installation and have Windows 7 running on my desktop. Everything is looking good, except the video display looks fuzzy. I do some investigating, and soon discover that my graphics card needs a Windows 7 driver. No problem, I think, I head to the manufacturer's website, click on drivers, find my graphics card, and download the Windows 7 64-bit driver. All is well. Click on the install program for the driver, and an error box pops up telling me that this driver will not work with the current operating system. Thinking I may have downloaded the wrong driver, I repeated the process and made sure I was downloading the Windows 7 64-bit driver. Click on the install and get the same error message. Hmmmm.
So, my troubleshooting mind goes to work, and I decide to try the Vista 64-bit driver. Download the file, click the install program, and get the same “this file will not work with your current operating system” error. I’m at a dead-end. I hookup the USB drive and restore my backup image. My desktop is now back to Vista Business.
OK, so I have one last option to try. I am running Windows XP Pro within a virtual machine on my Mac using VMWare Fusion. Unfortunately, I am running Windows XP Pro 32-bit on my Mac, so I need to download the Windows 7 Pro 32-bit install file. These install files are well over 2 gigabytes each. I download the install file, go into Windows XP Pro on my Mac, and try to do the upgrade. Unfortunately, Windows 7 Pro will not do an in-place upgrade from Windows XP Pro. Basically, it will be a clean install, which means having to reinstall all of my applications.
It’s at this point that give up on Windows 7. I’ve wasted five hours of time and I’m no closer to having Windows 7 running on one of my computers than I was when I started.
Does it really need to be this difficult? I couldn’t help but remember my upgrade experience a month ago when I upgraded my Mac OS from Leopard to Snow Leopard. I dropped the DVD into the drive and came back in an hour; my computer was fully upgraded and ready to go.
XP Pro to Windows 7 Easy Migration
What’s next? I came across this article on TechRepublic.com by Greg Schultz. He outlines an easy migration using a dual boot process. It looks promising. Maybe when I have a free day or two to try it again, I’ll try this process.
Until that time, I’ll stick with Vista and let all of the techies out there determine the best way to upgrade to Windows 7