Windows Vista: Vista upgrade...Do you have to reformat?
Vista upgrade...Do you have to reformat?
by chanceharp - 1/10/07 3:31 PMI just bought a new toshiba with a free upgrade to windows vista business edition. Will I have to reformat my computer when installing the OS or can it simply be added on? Sorry, im too young to remember the big 95-98-xp OS change so I dont know how this works exactly.
Yeah, me too.
by MultiMuse - 1/12/07 2:35 PM In reply to: Vista upgrade...Do you have to reformat? by chanceharpI was just wondering the same thing. I'm still using Win 2000 and Win XP MCE and remember how we always had to avoid headaches and hassles by reformatting drives to do a "clean" OS install, when upgrading from Win 95/98 to Win NT4, then from Win NT4 to Win 2K. It would be great to hear from Vista users about their failures and successes in going from earlier versions of Windoze to Vista.
At any rate we all know by now it's necessary to backup or archive ALL your data files off HDD before attempting to reinstall or upgrading any OS.... right???
my experience
by kellenjb - 1/12/07 10:09 PM In reply to: Vista upgrade...Do you have to reformat? by chanceharpWhen I upgraded from XP to Vista Beta I had the option to do an upgrade. There was an important driver that got messed up in the upgrade process that forced me to reformat. So no you probably won't have to reformat, but be careful. Also I have heard reports of better performance in Vista when you do a fresh install rather than upgrade.
(NT) can I revert bact from windows vista to windows xp and how
by Willmax8 - 2/1/07 6:14 AM In reply to: my experience by kellenjbMatter of Performance
by msft - 1/16/07 1:56 PM In reply to: Vista upgrade...Do you have to reformat? by chanceharpIf you choose to simply perform an upgrade installation of Vista, you will be able to revert back to Windows XP but will lose a significant amount of performance.
Even though it seems like an upgrade would be the best option, reformatting the hard drive and performing a clean install of Vista will give you the most satisfactory results.
Re: Matter of performance
by stonehkm - 1/16/07 4:31 PM In reply to: Matter of Performance by msftI have, as a member of Windows Feedback Panel, have tested Beta 2, RC1 and RC2. I will be receiving my final version shortly. It is rumured that the final version will upgrade properly. I had to clean install all prior versions.
I hope this true as it is a pain in the A** to have to re-install everything-even from backups!
I will be receiving my final version shortly.
by jconner - 1/18/07 5:22 AM In reply to: Re: Matter of performance by stonehkmWhen or how did you receive notice about a final upgrade? I've been testing RC2 build 5384 for about 6 months at work and here at home with no notification of receiving upgrades, only updates as they have occured for this build.
Just curious are there categories of testing?
John
Re: I will be receiving my final version shortly.
by stonehkm - 1/18/07 12:50 PM In reply to: I will be receiving my final version shortly. by jconnerMembers of Windows Feedback Panel were randomly selected for Beta 2 and RC1 with a promise of the retail version for appropriate feed back and continued use of Windows Feedback Panel software.
I received an email from Microsoft indicating I would receive a complimentary copy of Vista Ultimate 32 bit when it goes retail.
I also beta tested XP SP2 and upon release of SP2, received a choice of complimentary software.
Join Windows Feedback Panel and you may also receive invitations to participate. Again, it is random and use of WFP software is required for Microsoft to monitor the performance of their programs.
My experience
by Cirick - 1/17/07 7:32 PM In reply to: Vista upgrade...Do you have to reformat? by chanceharpI had RC-1 installed, decided I didn't like it. I tried to put Windows XP Pro back on that drive. I kept getting error messages when I tried to install Windows XP over Vista. I had to delete the partition and reformat the drive using my Windows XP installation, then it was no problem to install the OS.
I have been told this in not a reinvention of Xp. They started from scratch to build Vista not using XP. I don't know how you can have a smooth transition from one to the other.
Some problems
by mopscare42 - 2/1/07 7:29 AM In reply to: My experience by CirickWhen trying to upgrade my Windows XP media center to Windows Vista home premium it would get to 58% and stop. The upgrade advisor said there was no conflicts be it hardware or software.
I tried 3 times with the same results.
I always backup my files and important data so I tried with the clean install and Vista loaded with no problem.
It appears that the upgrade to Vista advisor isn't always right.
It is better to do a clean install anyway as it cleans out old problems and lets you get used to Vista while loading everything back in.
Now I need to find a Vista for dummies book.
Systemax VX2 formatted with FAT32
by jancawa55 - 2/2/07 3:48 AM In reply to: Some problems by mopscare42I just got this machine 2 weeks ago with XP2 installed and an Express upgrade entitlement. I had RC1 on my older computer and went to put it on the new one and found that this brand new spanking computer was formatted in FAT32 and Vista would not install. So, I did reformat to NTFS and then clean install. Old stuff was saved in Windows.old and it has been no prob since. Except when running I-tunes, which gave me my first BSOD in years. The good part is that whatever the junk on XP desktop was disappeared with the new install.
Problems here too
by happyRDJ - 2/2/07 11:20 PM In reply to: Some problems by mopscare42I had similar problems. I used the upgrade advisor, which stated no problems. I tried to upgrade three times. It failed each time right at the end when it was finishing the upgrade. I talked to Microsoft help for 3 hours and got no where. The tech told me it was my video card, so I got a new one (old one was crap anyway). After installing the new one, it failed again in the same place. My ticket is still open with Microsoft and I will update as things resolve.
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