Is this possible ?

nOObie_09

February 18, 2010 4:43:54 PM

First and foremost thanks for allowing me to join this site and I hope to contribute in the near future.

I am currently building a new computer from the ground up. I have a 200GB hard drive with Windows XP Professional SP3 which was pre-installed on it. I just recently bought Windows 7 Professional (Upgrade Version) and I also plan on buying an Solid State Drive. I want to use the Solid State Drive for basic use such as MS. Office, MS. paint, Internet, etc and use the 200GB hard drive for storage of my media files. I would like to know the following.

1. Is it possible that a restore CD can be created for Windows XP Professional SP3 and then use the restore CD to install on the Solid State Drive and then upgrade Windows XP on the Solid State Drive to Windows 7 ?

2. If it is possible how can it be down ? (Step by Step)

3. Does the size of a Solid State Drive matter when using Windows 7 ?

Thanks in advance

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sminlal

Storage Expert

February 18, 2010 4:57:30 PM

1&2: No. There is no supported "upgrade" from XP to Win7, only from Vista to Win7. So even if you were able to transfer your system image to the SSD, you still wouldn't be able to upgrade it. (Note that you can still buy an upgrade disk if you're replacing your XP version, but you'll have to use the disk to to a "clean install", not an "upgrade".

3: You should plan on getting an SSD large enough for Win7 itself (about 10-15GB), your applications, and room for a pagefile and hibernate file (approximately 2X your RAM size) plus perhaps 50% extra beyond that if possible to allow for growth and to make it easier for the SSD to manage written flash memory blocks. (The pagefile can be move to another drive if you wish, but the hibernate file cannot be moved.)

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Paperdoc

Storage Expert

February 18, 2010 5:17:50 PM

1. You would not want to do this. You CAN NOT "upgrade" from XP to Win 7. You MUST actually do a brand new Install of Win 7. I have not done mine yet, but if you bought an "upgrade" version of win 7, I expect it will ask you early in the Install process to type in the License Key on your OLD XP Install disk. But that's about all the linkage there is between old XP and new Win 7. I would really suggest that you do the fresh install of Win 7 to your new drive with the old 200 GB drive NOT connected. Then after it is running you reconnect that old drive and it will simply be recognized as a valid drive full of data you can use.

2. Don't try it.

3. Depends a lot on what you plan to do for a boot drive. Will your new SSD be your boot device with Win 7 installed on it? Or, did you plan to use your old 200 GB unit as the boot device and use the SSD only for fast data storage? I am assuming your plan is that the SSD will be the boot device with Win 7 installed. Next consideration, then, is what applications and what data files you plan to have on that C: drive. You should plan to re-install all your applications under Win 7. I suggest you consider installing many to the older 200 GB unit, and also consider having Win 7 configured to put many of its default file folders (like My Documents, My Pictures, etc. on that drive. Obviously, to do that you'll have to install first to the SSD only, then reconnect the 200 GB drive, then reconfigure Win 7's default file locations, THEN look at re-installing apps.

Size of the SSD should be maybe twice the size of the recommended minimum space for Win 7 if you plan to mount most apps and data on the other drive. If you plan to put a lot of apps on that SSD in addition to the OS, allow that much extra space, plus some extra margin.