Many PC users trying to upgrade to Windows 7 have been presented with some serious bugs. However, we've got a few tips that will ensure your migration to the new OS goes smoothly.
Make migrating to the new OS painless
If you're about to upgrade to Microsoft's latest OS, Windows 7, there's a chance you may encounter a few problems - the OS has presented a handful of well documented upgrade bugs.
However, don't worry: we've got a few ways to exterminate them.
Before beginning your Windows 7 upgrade, attach your PC directly to your router via a wired ethernet connection. This will ensure that Windows 7 has a chance to download the latest installation updates directly from Microsoft at the outset of the upgrade process.
By the time you read this article, it's possible that Microsoft will have created a fix for some of the following upgrade bugs, so your first step in any upgrade scenario should be to make sure that you have a wired internet hook-up to your PC from the start.
Installation hangs at 62 percent
The first installation problem you're likely to encounter in your upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 may not be obvious at first. But after your progress bar sits at 62 percent for more than 10 minutes or so, you'll know something is wrong.
The culprit is a service called Iphlpsvc, which may stop responding to the system during the installation.
Fortunately, the solution is relatively easy. If you don't feel like messing around with your system settings, download Microsoft's automated fix, MicrosoftFixit50319, and install it. Follow the wizard, and it should resolve the problem in about a minute.
If you'd rather just correct the problem yourself, start by rebooting your PC. After logging back in, click Start, right-click Computer, and click Properties.
Click Advanced, Environment variables, then System variables, New. In the 'Variable name' field, type MIG_UPGRADE_IGNORE_PLUGINS. In the 'Variable value' field, type IphlpsvcMigPlugin.dll. Click OK to close the windows, and then start your installation again.
Endless reboots
A more annoying (and more common) Windows 7 upgrade headache is the reboot loop. This irritating bug causes the system to reboot and to present a message stating that Windows 7 could not be installed, and that the previous version (Vista) has been restored.
The next time you reboot the PC, Windows begins the upgrade process again, leading to the same error after the next reboot. And so on.
To escape this endless reboot cycle, select Vista from the boot menu at startup, and then insert your old Vista installation disc into your PC's optical drive.
When the Vista setup menu appears, exit setup. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories. Right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator from the contextual menu.
At the command prompt, type D:\boot\Bootsect.exe /NT60 All, replacing D with the letter of the drive that contains your Vista installation disc. This will reset the boot parameters for the system.
Now reboot your machine and begin the installation process again.
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Comments
David said: Vaughan get the full version like I did might cost more but you avoid the so called headaches of the upgrade version Anyway the clean install option is always the best way to install an operating system wheather it be the upgrade or full versionBefore you totally ignore windows 7 try to get your hands on the RC version and install it on a second hard drive and at least trial itDont let the above comments put you off until you at least try it Like me I think you will be impressed by its overall responsiviness and speed at getting things done
Vaughan Roberts said: Think Ill wait until Windows 7 SP3 then
Bob Sullivan said: Am I one of the few who had an easy upgrade to Windows 7My 3 year ols Sony VGC LA1 all in one computer behaved impeccablyI did away with the Sony Recovery partition and the other hard drive partition and now have a hard drive of 300GB and with Windows 7 its running faster starting and shutting down like lighteningI had a problem with Internet Explorer so changed to Firefox and now all ok