Upgrade “in-place” from XP to Windows 7 for under $1

Windows 7 No Responses »
Aug 022011

Posted on Windows 7 News & Tips

Laplink software has reduced the cost of their PC Mover software to under $1.  With prices currently starting at $29.99 this is a significant discount for people still looking to upgrade Windows XP systems to Windows 7.

“We offer the fastest and easiest method to upgrade existing hardware from XP to Windows 7,” said Laplink CEO Thomas Koll. “And now we are removing any cost barrier.”  With PCmover, the upgrade process does not require external media, no programs need to be reinstalled after the upgrade and the PC’s “personality” remains intact.  “Windows XP will not be supported indefinitely by Microsoft,” continued Koll.  “Businesses will need to deploy Windows 7 and Laplink has a much-needed solution.”

The software doesn’t actually perform the Windows 7 installation for you, you still need to do this by installing Windows 7 over the top of your current copy of XP.  AT the installation screen DO NOT choose Upgrade.  Instead choose the Custom (Advanced) option.  Then install Windows 7 onto the same hard disk or partition where Windows XP resides without formatting the disk.  The installer will detect your old copy of Windows and move it, and all your files to a Windows.old folder.

install04 580x362 Upgrade in place from XP to Windows 7 for under $1

When you have Windows 7 installed, install PC Mover which will find the Windows.old folder.  PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant will recognize what is in that folder and put it where it needs to go and install the software where it should go as well.

pcmover Upgrade in place from XP to Windows 7 for under $1There are some caveats with this as not all your software will be compatible with Windows 7, and some could even cause problems with Windows 7 when migrated (this goes doubly so for hardware drivers).  You should download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor first to find any software that is not compatible with Windows 7 and uninstall it.

This is an excellent purchase for anyone still making the move to Windows 7 but worried about having to reinstall all their software.  At less than $1 it’s difficult to complain at this price.

You can buy and download PC Mover here.

Upgrade “in-place” from XP to Windows 7 for under $1 is a post from Windows 7 News & Tips – Latest Microsoft Windows 7 News, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides. Visit Windows 7 News & Tips for the Latest Microsoft Windows 7 News, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides.

Posted by Mike Halsey (MVP) at 11:50 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Official Windows 7 With Integrated Service Pack 1 Downloads

Windows 7 No Responses »
Jul 312011

Posted on Windows 7 News & Tips

Many Windows 7 News visitors are first movers who have bought the Windows 7 operating system when it first came out. This could have been a purchase of a standalone version of the operating system, of a new computer that shipped with Windows 7 or an upgrade from an old copy of XP or Vista. The Windows 7 Service Pack 1 was released in February by Microsoft. Up until now there was only one option to get an integrated Windows 7 with SP1 installation if you owned a Windows 7 copy: Slipstreaming. Many users shy away from slipstreaming as it is perceived as technically complicated.

But it was the only option to avoid the following scenario: If you had to re-install Windows 7 you first needed to install the operating system, and then run a series of updates that included the service pack to bring the OS to the latest version. That may work on one computer system, but what if you need to re-install several computers on a network?

If you are not into slipstreaming you can now download the official Windows 7 with integrated SP1 from Microsoft’s distribution partner Digital River. Here are the downloads:

  • Windows 7 Home Premium x86 SP1 (bootable) [download]
  • Windows 7 Home Premium x64 SP1 (bootable) [download]
  • Windows 7 Professional x86 SP1 (bootable) [download]
  • Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1 (bootable) [download]
  • Windows 7 Ultimate x86 SP1 (bootable) [download]
  • Windows 7 Ultimate X64 SP1 (bootable) [download]

The downloads are provided as ISO disc images which you need to burn to DVD first. If you are running Windows 7 you can right-click the ISO after download to do just that. You will need a blank DVD for that.

The downloads can also be handy for users who have not received physical discs of the operating system, for instance if they have bought a PC or notebook with a preinstalled version of Windows.

The operating system needs to be activated after a 30-day free trial period.

Official Windows 7 With Integrated Service Pack 1 Downloads is a post from Windows 7 News & Tips – Latest Microsoft Windows 7 News, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides. Visit Windows 7 News & Tips for the Latest Microsoft Windows 7 News, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides.

Posted by Martin at 4:18 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pulmon, Windows 8 Tiles For Your Windows 7 Desktop

Windows 7 No Responses »
Jul 292011

Posted on Windows 7 News & Tips

Metro UI. For all we know will be an integral part of the Windows 8 operating system. Part of Metro UI is a tile based design that you may have seen on one of the new Windows phones or on a screenshot of the new operating system. The tile based design is controversial, and it is not clear how it will be implemented in the new operating system.

Windows 7 users who like the idea of adding tiles to their operating system for easier access to features, information and programs can now download and run a program called Pulmon which brings the design to the Windows 7 operating system.

Pulmon is currently offered as a beta version. Make sure you create a backup of your important files before you run the program. While we did not experience any issues on our systems, it is still important to have the means to recover the OS if you should experience some on yours.

The program displays the available tiles in the upper half of the interface on first start. All tiles there are currently not displayed on the desktop. A click moves them to the lower half of the interface, and at the same time on the desktop. You can now move the tile freely on the desktop until you find a suitable location for it.

pulcom windows tiles 580x421 Pulmon, Windows 8 Tiles For Your Windows 7 Desktop

Here is a list of supported tiles in this version of Pulmon. The developer has made an announcement to add more features and tiles in future versions of the program.

  • Internet Explorer, Control Panel, Users – Open
  • Date and Time
  • System State – Shutdown, Restart, Hibernate and Lock
  • Webby – Tech site links
  • System Information

Pulmon needs to be running in the background. When you close the application, the tiles disappear as well. The biggest issues currently are the lack of customizations and the small selection of tiles available.

Pulmon
Pulmon, Windows 8 Tiles For Your Windows 7 Desktop
Download

The program is compatible with all 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 versions. (via)

More: Pulmon

Pulmon, Windows 8 Tiles For Your Windows 7 Desktop is a post from Windows 7 News & Tips – Latest Microsoft Windows 7 News, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides. Visit Windows 7 News & Tips for the Latest Microsoft Windows 7 News, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides.

Posted by Martin at 2:47 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Windows Photo Gallery gets RAW support

Windows News No Responses »
Jul 292011

Microsoft announced that Windows Live Photo Gallery 2011 now support RAW photo files, you can download the pack over here .

Posted by Microsoft Windows News at 2:11 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Microsoft Release ‘Mango’ Beta 2 for Developers

Windows 7 No Responses »
Jul 282011

Posted on Windows 7 News & Tips

In a move that few people expected, Microsoft have released an updates build of their new Windows Phone update, Mango, to developers through the Connect beta site along with a new beta 2 software development kit (SDK).

In a blog post the company announced…

“If that isn’t exciting enough, we’ve also pushed an OS update to the Microsoft Update servers this morning, allowing you to refresh retail Windows Phones that devs updated to Mango over the last month. If you previously updated.”

They go on to say that the new update is “Build 7712, which corresponds to today’s WPSDK 7.1 release. Before you ask (and I know you will, because folks started asking yesterday icon smile Microsoft Release Mango Beta 2 for Developers ), this build is not yesterday’s RTM build – it’s still a pre-release build. For RTM, you’ll need to wait for the official update like everyone else (more on the why later in the post).”

Anybody with the Mango update on their phone already, as I do, will be able to install the beta 2 update easily through the Zune desktop software without having to download an install any additional software from the Connect website.

Zune TEST 2 580x431 Microsoft Release Mango Beta 2 for Developers

The update isn’t the full RTM (Release to Manufacturing) version of the update.  In the post Microsoft explained why they’ve not provided this as the update went RTM yesterday.

“For the folks wondering why we’re not providing the ‘RTM’ version, there are two main reasons. First, the phone OS and the tools are two equal parts of the developer toolkit that correspond to one another. When we took this snapshot for the refresh, we took the latest RC drops of the tools and the corresponding OS version. Second, what we are providing is a genuine release candidate build, with enough code checked in and APIs locked down that this OS is close enough to RTM that, as a developer, it’s more than capable to see you through the upcoming RC drop of the tools and app submission. It’s important to remember that until the phone and mobile operator portion of Mango is complete, you’re still using a pre-release on your retail phone – no matter the MS build. Until that time, enjoy developing and cruising around on build 7712 – it’s a sweet ride, to be sure.”

This means that the very final developer SDK isn’t yet available for download and can be expected in the coming months.  The beta 2 refresh helps give developers a head start on apps for Mango.

The update to the phone itself takes only around 10 minutes and, having just installed it myself I’m off now to see what’s new  icon smile Microsoft Release Mango Beta 2 for Developers

Microsoft Release ‘Mango’ Beta 2 for Developers is a post from Windows 7 News & Tips – Latest Microsoft Windows 7 News, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides. Visit Windows 7 News & Tips for the Latest Microsoft Windows 7 News, Tips, Themes, Wallpapers & Guides.

Posted by Mike Halsey (MVP) at 5:34 am Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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