Rebuild question Installing and Upgrading Vista Discuss Rebuild question in the Windows Vista forums; Hi all, Here's my story: I installed Vista on my P4 system about a month ago. It runs real well but I got upgrade fever! I'm sure if ...

[franco]

Hi all,
Here's my story: I installed Vista on my P4 system about a month ago. It runs real well but I got upgrade fever! I'm sure if your reading these forums you can understand this need for speed sickness!! Anyhow I have a core 2 6400 coming along with all the other neccesarry goodies.Here is my question, I did a full backup of my computer to my external HD. I fully expect I will have to wipe my main drive and reload Vista since too much will have changed. Once vista is running I plan on restoring my settings and files from the backup. Will this work?? Or will vista see the backup with the old configuration and stop me in my tracks?? Please don't tell me I should not have gone with Vista , I really like it. Has anyone actually done this yet?
If I do need to call MS to reactivate, where can I find the phone #??
Thanks!!!
Frank

[Znod]

Hi franco, and welcome. If you reinstall Vista cleanly on your drive, then your disk image will be useless to you unless you want to restore the whole image. If you reinstall Vista, then you will have to reactivate. Vista will allow you to activate online. After installing, be sure you activate even though you think that you may have activated when installing (which is not true). Vista is not as fast as XP, so it is not the program for speed currently. I am positive that you should have gone with Vista. You will end up with an installation that is as good as a clean install, while retaining your settings and installed programs, by reinstalling Vista from with Vista--i.e., by starting up to Vista, inserting your Vista DVD, and ruining the Vista installer. Below are some reads for you. They deal with upgrading, but the procedure is the same as I have suggested; thus, they are pertinent to you.

Read 1: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...2082983,00.asp

Read 2: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...2089952,00.asp

Read 3: http://thevistageeks.com/forums/inde...wtopic=847&hl=

[franco]

Thank you Znod, I appreciate the info. Will let you know how I make out later this week when stuff arrives from Newegg. God this upgrade sickness is gonna bankrupt me!! ( But I LOVE it!!!!)))

[felix8406]

You should be able to use Windows Easy Transfer

1. Boot up with the DVD and select Transfer files and settings from another computer
2. On the welcome page, click Next.
3. Under How do you want to transfer files and settings to your new computer?...select Use a Type of Removable Storage or Use a Network.
4. Under How to transfer files and settings, select the location you want to save the files. If you are saving to a network, select Use a Shared Network Location. If you are saving to removable storage, choose CD or DVD, USB Flash Drive, or External Hard Disk.
5. Under Where do you want to save your files?...click Browse to go to an external storage.
6. Under What do you want to transfer to your new computer?...select "All user accounts, files, and settings"; My user accounts, files, and settings only; or Advanced options

Note that you can also save the files on the drive where you will be installing Vista. Here's how: Select Use a CD, DVD or other removable media > select External hard disk or to a network location > for a network location, choose to save the file to your desktop. The files will be saved to a folder called Windows.old and the file will be called "SaveData.mig".

[Znod]

Originally Posted by franco

Thank you Znod, I appreciate the info. Will let you know how I make out later this week when stuff arrives from Newegg. God this upgrade sickness is gonna bankrupt me!! ( But I LOVE it!!!!)))

You are very welcome, and, yes, let us know how it all turns out.

[franco]

Originally Posted by felix8406

You should be able to use Windows Easy Transfer

1. Boot up with the DVD and select Transfer files and settings from another computer
2. On the welcome page, click Next.
3. Under How do you want to transfer files and settings to your new computer?...select Use a Type of Removable Storage or Use a Network.
4. Under How to transfer files and settings, select the location you want to save the files. If you are saving to a network, select Use a Shared Network Location. If you are saving to removable storage, choose CD or DVD, USB Flash Drive, or External Hard Disk.
5. Under Where do you want to save your files?...click Browse to go to an external storage.
6. Under What do you want to transfer to your new computer?...select "All user accounts, files, and settings"; My user accounts, files, and settings only; or Advanced options

Note that you can also save the files on the drive where you will be installing Vista. Here's how: Select Use a CD, DVD or other removable media > select External hard disk or to a network location > for a network location, choose to save the file to your desktop. The files will be saved to a folder called Windows.old and the file will be called "SaveData.mig".

Thank you for that. I do have one question though..I plan on formatting the drive and doing a clean install of Vista. Can I than retrive those files and settings that I tranferred like you suggested from my external HD? In other words is transfer files and settings a backup where you can transfer back the other way?? I always thought it was a one shot deal where you wanted to set up a new computer or something?? Thank you for your time!!!
Frank

[felix8406]

Originally Posted by franco

I plan on formatting the drive and doing a clean install of Vista. Can I than retrive those files and settings that I tranferred like you suggested from my external HD? In other words is transfer files and settings a backup where you can transfer back the other way?? I always thought it was a one shot deal where you wanted to set up a new computer or something??
Frank

Whatever you do, make sure you use Easy Transfer before formatting the drive, it should work just fine. However, since you are going to format the HD, and even if you are not, do not choose Easy Transfer to backup the files to the same drive as where you are installing Vista, unless it's your only choice. You can do it, but if something happens during the Vista installation, you could end up loosing the Easy Transfer files.

[Znod]

Originally Posted by franco

Thank you for that. I do have one question though..I plan on formatting the drive and doing a clean install of Vista. Can I than retrive those files and settings that I tranferred like you suggested from my external HD? In other words is transfer files and settings a backup where you can transfer back the other way?? I always thought it was a one shot deal where you wanted to set up a new computer or something?? Thank you for your time!!!
Frank

I don't think there are that many settings for one to worry about. Whatever I do I have very few settings to alter, and doing so takes just a small amount of time. Why not just copy your files to the external drive and then copy them back after your clean install?