Step-by-Step Instructions
To upgrade your Windows XP computer to Windows 7, follow these steps:
Note
: Only users with administrative rights can perform the upgrade procedure.
-
Make sure the system disk (the disk where the operating system is installed) is using the NTFS file system. If it is the FAT file system, you will have to convert it to NTFS. For detailed instructions on converting FAT to NTFS, please refer to
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307881
.
Note
: To find out what file system your disk is using, click
Start
->
My Computer
, right-click the system disk,choose
Properties
from the pop-up menu, and you will see the file system of the drive listed along with other information about the drive.
-
Disable your antivirus, close all currently running programs, and start Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7.
-
If you purchased a boxed version of Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7, insert the installation disk into the CD/DVD drive.
-
If you purchased the program online, locate the
ParallelsDesktopUpgradeToWindows7-5.0.xxxxx.xxxxxx.exe
file and double-click it.
Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7 will connect to the Parallels update server and check for available updates. If there is a newer version of Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7 available, you will be offered to download and install the most recent version of the program. If for any reason you don't want to install the most recent version, you can choose to install the current version.
-
In the first window, click
Upgrade this computer
.
Note
: When the first window opens, Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7 occupies full screen. To get back to the Windows XP desktop, press the Windows key on the keyboard and the Windows XP
Start
menu together with the taskbar will reappear.
-
In the
Choose Transfer Options
window, read the important information, confirm if you want to continue, and choose how you want to transfer your Windows XP programs to Windows 7.
If you want to transfer all your Windows XP programs to Windows 7, click
Standard Transfer
. If you want to specify what Windows XP programs will be transferred to Windows 7, click
Custom transfer
.
-
In the
Backup
window, you are highly recommended to create a backup copy of your Windows XP computer data and save it on an external storage device. Backup is important since upgrading to a new version of operating system usually involves some risk. If something goes wrong during the upgrade, you will be able to restore your data from the backup.
To back up the entire computer, you can use a third party backup utility of your choice. Click
Minimize this window
and create a backup copy of your Windows XP computer.
When finished, return to the
Backup
window and click
Done with backup
. If you do not want to back up your computer, click
Continue without backup
.
-
In the
End User Software License Agreements
window, carefully read the Parallels end user license agreement. If you agree with the stated terms and conditions, click
Agree
.
-
In the
Customer Experience Program
window, read about the Parallels Customer Experience program and click
Agree
if you want to take part in this program. Otherwise, click
Disagree
.
-
In the next step, you will see the
Activate your copy of Parallels Desktop
window. Type the activation key for your copy of Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7 and click
Activate
.
-
After Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7 is activated, you are strongly recommended to register it. With registration, you will be able to:
-
download and install the latest Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7 updates
-
create a backup copy of the product key on the Parallels web server and restore it at any time
-
contact the Parallels support team
-
stay informed about Parallels news and announcements
All these services, including the product key backup, are free of charge for the registered users of Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7.
In the registration dialog, please provide your name, e-mail, and address in the corresponding fields. You should also specify where you are going to use Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7.
If you choose
At work
from the
For use
list, you will be asked to specify some additional information. Parallels needs this information to know our customers better in order to provide them with the best software and service.
Click
Register
to register Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7. After that, the Upgrade Agent installation will start automatically.
-
The
Disable antivirus program
window reminds you that you need to disable your antivirus software. If you disabled it in Step 2, click
Continue
. If you did not disable it in Step 2, click
Minimize Upgrade Wizard
, disable the antivirus software, return to the
Disable antivirus program
window, and click
Continue
.
-
If you selected
Standard Transfer
in Step 4, go to the next step. If you selected
Custom transfer
in Step 4, in this step you have to specify the Windows XP programs that will be transferred to Windows 7.
Select the programs that you want to be transferred to Windows 7 and click
Continue
.
-
If you enter credentials to log in to your Windows XP computer, in the next step, you will see the
Automatic Logon
window. In this window, you can provide your Windows XP account password (This is the password you use to enter your desktop on a regular basis). If you provide the password now, you will not have to provide it each time when starting the Windows XP virtual machine.
If you want to provide your Windows XP account password now, type it in the
Password
field and click
Enable Automatic Logon
. If you do not want to enable automatic logon, click
Skip this step
.
-
Before proceeding with the upgrade process, you need to provide the Windows 7 installation DVD disc. If your computer CD/DVD drive is occupied by the Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7 disc, replace it with the Windows 7 installation DVD disc. When Windows 7 is detected, click
Continue
.
Note
: Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7 does not come with the Windows 7 installation DVD disc. You should purchase it separately.
-
In the next step, enter your Windows 7 activation key and click
Install Windows now
.
-
Upgrade Agent will start the upgrade to Windows 7 in unattended mode and transfer all the Windows XP programs and files to Windows 7 and to the Windows XP virtual machine that will be created on the Windows 7 computer. After the upgrade is complete, you can use
Parallels Program Switcher
to run programs that are not supported in Windows 7 using the Windows XP virtual machine. During the upgrade, the computer will be automatically rebooted and you may be also asked to eject the Windows 7 installation DVD disc.
Note
: The upgrade process may take a considerable amount of time. If you perform the upgrade on a laptop computer, make sure it is plugged into a power outlet.
-
When the upgrade is finished, the wizard will inform you about it.
After the upgrade is finished, you can start
getting acquainted with Windows 7
and
working with Windows XP programs and data
.
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