come with an extensive list of drivers. If your computer’s device drivers are not on the Windows 10 installation media, you should check the device manufacturer’s website.
New Install or Upgrade?
Once you’ve determined that your hardware meets the minimum requirements, you need to decide whether you want to do an upgrade or a clean install. An upgrade allows you to retain your existing operating system’s applications, settings, and files. If you currently have a computer with Windows Vista, you are eligible to use an upgrade copy of Windows 10.
The bad news is that if you are moving from Windows Vista, Windows XP, or earlier versions of Windows to Windows 10, you must perform a clean install. (You can, however, use a third-party tool like the Laplink utility to migrate files and settings from Windows XP to Windows 10 on the same computer.)
You can perform an upgrade to Windows 10 if the following conditions are true:
■ You are running Windows 7 or Windows 8.
■ You want to keep your existing applications and preferences.
■ You want to preserve any local users and groups you’ve created.
You must perform a clean install of Windows 10 if any of the following conditions are true:
■ There is no operating system currently installed.
■ You have an operating system installed that does not support an in-place upgrade to Windows 10 (such as DOS, Windows 9x, Windows NT, Windows Me, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Vista, or Windows XP).
■ You want to start from scratch, without keeping any existing preferences.
■ You want to be able to dual-boot between Windows 10 and your previous operating system.
Table 1.4 shows each operating system that can be upgraded and the minimum edition of Windows 10 to which it should be upgraded.
TABLE 1.4 Windows 7 and Windows 8 upgrade options
Upgrade Considerations
Almost all Windows 7 and Windows 8 applications should run with the Windows 10 operating system. However, possible exceptions to this statement include the following:
■ Applications that use file-system filters, such as antivirus software, may not be compatible.
■ Custom power-management tools may not be supported.
Before upgrading to Windows 10, be sure to stop any antivirus scanners, network services, or other client software. These software packages may see the Windows 10 install as a virus and cause installation issues.
If you are performing a clean install to the same partition as an existing version of Windows, the contents of the existing Users (or Documents and Settings), Program Files, and Windows directories will be placed in a directory named Windows.old, and the old operating system will no longer be available.
Hardware Compatibility Issues
You need to ensure that you have Windows 10 device drivers for your hardware. If you have a video driver without a Windows 10–compatible driver, the Windows 10 upgrade will install the Standard VGA driver, which will display the video with an 800×600 resolution. Once you get the Windows 10 driver for your video, you can install it and adjust video properties accordingly.
Application Compatibility Issues
Not all applications that were written for earlier versions of Windows will work with Windows 10. After the upgrade, if you have application problems, you can address the problems in any of the following ways:
■ If the application is compatible with Windows 10, reinstall the application after the upgrade is complete.
■ If the application uses dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) and there are migration DLLs for the application, apply the migration DLLs.
■ Use the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) to determine the compatibility of your current applications with Windows 10. ACT will determine which applications are installed, identify any applications that may be affected by Windows updates, and identify any potential compatibility problems with User Account Control and Internet Explorer. Reports can be exported for detailed analysis.
■ If applications were written for earlier versions of Windows but are incompatible with Windows 10, use the Windows 10 Program Compatibility Wizard. From the Control Panel, click the Programs icon, and then click the Run Programs From Previous Versions link to start the Program Compatibility Wizard. If the application is not compatible with Windows 10, upgrade your application to a Windows 10–compliant version.
An Upgrade Checklist
Once you have made the decision to upgrade, you should develop a plan of attack. The following upgrade checklist (valid for upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8) will help you plan and implement a successful upgrade strategy:
■ Verify that your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 10.
■ Be sure your hardware is on the HCL.
■ Make sure you have the Windows 10 drivers for the hardware. You can verify this with the hardware manufacturer.
■ To audit the current configuration and status of your computer, run the Get Windows 10 App tool from the Microsoft website, which also includes documentation on using the utility. It will generate a report of any known hardware or software compatibility issues based on your configuration. You should resolve any reported issues before you upgrade to Windows 10.
■ Make sure your BIOS is current. Windows 10 requires that your computer has the most current BIOS. If it does not, it may not be able to use advanced power-management features or device-configuration features. In addition, your computer may cease to function during or after the upgrade. Use caution when performing BIOS updates because installing the incorrect BIOS can cause your computer to fail to boot.
■ Take an inventory of your current configuration. This inventory should include documentation of your current network configuration, the applications that are installed, the hardware items and their configuration, the services that are running, and any profile and policy settings.
■ Back up your data and configuration files. Before you make any major changes to your computer’s configuration, you should back up your data and configuration files and then verify that you can successfully restore your backup. Chances are, if you have a valid backup, you won’t have any problems. Likewise, if you don’t have a valid backup, you will likely have problems.
■ Delete any unnecessary files or applications, and clean up any program groups or program items you don’t use. Theoretically, you want to delete all the junk on your computer before you upgrade. Think of this as the spring-cleaning step.
■ Verify that there are no existing problems with your hard drive prior to the upgrade. Perform a disk scan, a current virus scan, and defragmentation. These too are spring-cleaning chores. This step just prepares your hard drive for the upgrade.
■ Perform the upgrade. In this step, you upgrade from the Windows 7 or Windows 8 operating system to Windows 10.
