The World of Windows

We highly recommend that you print this tutorial. Your computer will restart during the Win dows 7 installation process, so having a printed copy will help you follow the steps if you can't return to this webpage. Introduction. Depending on your hardware and your current edition of Windows Vista , you can use the Upgrade option during Windows 7 installation to upgrade from Windows Vista to a corresponding or higher edition of Windows 7 . Upgrading is the most convenient way to get Windows 7 on your computer, because it keeps your files, settings, and programs from Windows Vista in place. If your current edition of Windows Vista can't be upgraded to the edition of Windows 7 that you want to use, you can still install Windows 7 by using the Custom installation option instead. However, the Custom option doesn't preserve your files, programs, or settings. For a step-by-step tutorial on ...

Just a day before Microsoft drops support for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) , the company announced on Monday that people running some versions of Windows 7 can "downgrade" to the aged operating system for up to 10 years. The move is highly unusual. In the past, Microsoft has terminated downgrade rights -- which let customers replace a newer version of Windows with an older edition without paying for two copies -- within months of introducing a new OS. While few consumers may want to downgrade from Windows 7 to XP -- unlike when many mutinied against Vista three years ago -- businesses often want to standardize on a single operating system to simplify machine management. Monday's announcement was the second Windows XP downgrade rights extension. Microsoft originally limited Windows 7-to-Windows XP downgrades to six months after Windows 7's release, but backtracked in June 2009 after an analyst with Gartner Research called the plan a "real mess." In...