One of the biggest frustrations for most people upgrading their systems to Windows 7 is that what Microsoft calls a “custom upgrade” is nothing less than a full system install. Some Windows Vista users won’t have to re-install their programs after upgrading, but many will and all Windows XP users will, too. Here’s where LapLink’s PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant steps in.
PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant will transfer most of your programs, settings, and files, but it will take a several hours.
(Credit:
LapLink)
For $30, LapLink will pack up your programs, settings, and data, store them as you upgrade to Windows 7, and then re-install them using its proprietary VAN file format. The process is simple, says LapLink: install and run the upgrade assistant, upgrade to Windows 7, then re-install PCmover and restore your programs and settings.
While that’s the gist of the process, it’s not quite as simple. Reading LapLink’s Quick Start PDF guide (PDF download) is a must. PCmover requires 200 MB of hard disk space in addition to the 16 GB that Windows 7 will need, and you’ll probably have to reboot your computer. If you don’t regularly run your antivirus program, you’ll need to do that, and it’s a good idea to run your defragger as well. Users will need to turn off their screensavers and power management options should all be set to Never. If the computer hibernates or goes to sleep during the upgrade, it will damage the process.
The guide recommends using the Windows Task Scheduler to make sure that all scheduled tasks and programs have been disabled, and warns that you should disable your security programs. If you’re not comfortable performing this kind of maintenance on your computer, PCmover is definitely not for you. …
Originally posted at Windows 7 Insider
Post a Comment