For many, the hardest part about using Windows 7 is actually getting up the nerve to migrate to it.
After all, you have all of your data files, email, photos, addresses — and more — stored on your existing operating system. What if you should lose some of it in the move?
It’s a reasonable concern. But with some careful planning, you can have both a seamless transition to Windows 7 and set yourself up to make future upgrades even easier. Here’s how.
Assemble Drivers
Before you make a move, look at what’s attached to your existing PC. Special sound card or audio interface? Exotic video card? Brand new webcam? A printer from the dark ages?
Spend some time surfing for the latest drivers for these devices. You might not actually need the drivers, since Windows 7 comes with the best driver support of any previous version of the operating system, but you won’t really know until you install Windows 7.
XP or Vista drivers will probably work if you can’t find drivers that specifically say they are compatible with Windows 7. Assemble your drivers on a USB flash drive or an external drive, and then proceed to the next step.
Prepare Your Software
Some software companies today — especially Adobe — are requiring you to deactivate your software on your existing machine before reinstalling it on a new machine. If you fail to take this step, you will probably have to suffer through a frustrating and time-consuming call to tech support to get your serial numbers deactivated before you can be reactivate the software on a new machine.
Avoid this hassle by taking an inventory of the software on your existing computer now, and deactivate any software that has a “deactive” option in the Help menu.
Even when deactivation is not required, take stock of the software you rely…