Re: Windows 7 - Upgrading Inspiron 1545



"Ben Myers" <ben_myers@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:hbsm66$klk$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Stan The Man wrote:


"TM" <tee_emm@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:QyjEm.75861$lR3.59230@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


"Tom Scales" <tjscales@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:ED1DC6A2F356495B82DB779E8EEE740D@xxxxxxxx


-----Original Message-----
From: Stan The Man [mailto:stantheman58@xxxxxxxxx]
Posted At: Thursday, October 22, 2009 11:30 PM
Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
Conversation: Windows 7 - Upgrading Inspiron 1545
Subject: Windows 7 - Upgrading Inspiron 1545

I just got my Windows 7 upgrade in the mail today. I took advantage of
the
$50 offer.

In addition to upgrading my notebook, I'd like to update the restore
volume
so that it restores my system to Windows 7 instead of Vista. Is there
any
way to do this? Will I need to get a Windows 7 restore disk from Dell?
If
so, does anyone know how much this will cost?

Also, I'm currently using the free demo version of Windows 7 Ultimate.
Setup
says it can't upgrade from Ultimate to Home Premium. Does anyone know
if
it's possible to downgrade my demo copy to Home Premium so that I can
do an
upgrade to the final version of Windows 7 Home Premium?

I never used any of the Ultimate features, so I opted for the cheaper
Home
Premium version.



Can't be done, even with Dell's upgrade. Dell's upgrade will just be a
Windows 7 disk, not a restore disk.

Also, you can't upgrade a demo version. And you have to have Vista actually (re)installed for an in-place upgrade.

What about the restore partition? Can I replace Vista with Windows 7 so a restore reinstalls Windows 7 instead of Vista?




Possibly. Anything is possible. But you get to do the homework to figure out how to do it.

Frankly, the OS restore partitions are a large waste of time. The same reinstall problem can be solved with an OEM reinstall CD + drivers from the Dell web site. The only possible convenience of an OS restore partition is that the system hardware drivers get reinstalled as part of the restore process. Now, balance this against the utility of the restore partition when the hard drive goes south. At that point, the restore partition is useless. Do not bother with it. Restore partitions are merely a cost-saving excuse for the OEM mfr to not include reinstallation media with your system... Ben Myers


My mother has an older Dell and it really has saved a lot of time. I usually do a restore for her at least once a year. It takes about 30 minutes and it's done. Much easier than reinstalling Windows from a DVD.

I'd like to go one better. I want to do a clean install of Windows 7 plus all my applications, fonts, etc. and back that up to another partition. That way, if Windows becomes corrupt (it usually does), I can do a restore from my partition in a fraction of the time it would take to reinstall everything.

But what can I do to create this type of backup partition? Would Norton Ghost be the best program to use?



.

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