Transferring with an External Storage Device
To use this transfer scenario, you will need an external storage device to transfer the Windows XP computer data to Windows 7. The transfer process using an external storage device consists of the following main stages:
-
Installing Upgrade Agent on the source computer (Windows XP). Transferring the Windows XP computer data to a Parallels virtual machine. The virtual machine is saved on a USB drive or another removable storage device connected to the Windows XP computer. Disconnecting the storage device from the Windows XP computer.
-
Installing Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7 on the target computer (Windows 7) and connecting the storage device to the Windows 7 computer.
-
Transferring the resulting virtual machine to Windows 7 from the storage device.
Note 1
: Only users with administrative rights can perform this transfer procedure.
Note 2
: If you have several user accounts on your Windows XP computer, their files and programs will be also transferred to Windows 7. In addition to that, a Windows XP virtual machine will be created for each user account when the corresponding user logs in to Windows 7 for the first time after the transfer. Using these virtual machines, users will be able to run their transferred Windows XP programs if they are not supported in Windows 7.
Transferring Windows XP to a Parallels Virtual Machine
-
On the Windows XP computer, 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 disc 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 a newer version of Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7 is available, you will be offered the opportunity to download and install the most recent version of the program. If you do not want to install the most recent version, you can choose to install the current version.
-
In the first window, click
Move to another 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
.
Installation of the Upgrade Agent will begin.
-
After the Upgrade Agent is installed, you will be asked to restart the computer. Click
Restart Now
.
-
In the
Delete unnecessary files
window, you can use the Disk Cleanup utility or Windows Explorer to delete unnecessary files from the hard disk. Deleting unnecessary files can significantly reduce the size of the resulting Windows XP virtual machine and speed up the transfer procedure.
-
The
Disable antivirus program
window reminds you that you should disable your antivirus software. If you disabled it in Step 1, click
Continue
. If you did not disable it in Step 1, 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 3, go to the next step. If you selected
Custom transfer
in Step 3, 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
.
-
In the
Start Parallels Upgrade Agent on your Windows 7 computer
window, click
I have already installed Parallels Upgrade Agent
.
-
At this point you should see the
Prepare to Transfer
window.
Connect an external storage device to your computer and click
Transfer via external storage
.
-
In the
External storage
window, you can see how much space will be occupied by the virtual machine with the Windows XP files on your external storage device. In the list of available locations, choose where you want to create the Windows XP virtual machine. You can also click
Other
and provide the path to your external storage device. Upgrade Agent will transfer the Windows XP computer files and programs to the Parallels virtual machine and save it on the external storage device.
Note
: This transfer may take a considerable amount of time. If your source computer is a laptop, make sure it is plugged into a power outlet.
-
When the transfer is finished, click
Done
and disconnect the storage device from the Windows XP computer.
Note
: Use the
Safely Remove Hardware
icon in the Windows taskbar to safely disconnect the external storage device. if you simply unplug it, the data may become corrupted.
Installing Parallels Desktop Upgrade to Windows 7 on the Target Computer
-
On the Windows 7 computer, 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 the opportunity to download and install the most recent version of the program. If you do not want to install the most recent version, you can choose to install the current version.
-
In the
End User Software License Agreement
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 this 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.
-
In the
What do you want to do
window, click
Move
to transfer your files and programs from the Windows XP computer to your Windows 7 computer.
-
In the next window, select the transfer method. Click the
External Storage
button to transfer using an external storage device.
-
In the next window, you are offered to install the Upgrade Agent on your Windows XP computer if you have not done it yet. Click
I have already installed Parallels Upgrade Agent
as you have already installed the Upgrade Agent on the source computer.
-
You will see the
External storage
window. This means that your target computer is ready for transfer.
Transferring the Virtual Machine to Windows 7
-
Connect the storage device to the Windows 7 computer and click
Continue
in the
External storage
window.
-
Parallels Desktop will search for Parallels virtual machines. Select your Windows XP virtual machine. The wizard will start transferring it to Windows 7. After this transfer all your Windows XP files and programs will be available in Windows 7. In addition, you will be able to access these files and programs in both Windows 7 and the Windows XP virtual machine. You can use
Parallels Program Switcher
to run the transferred Windows XP programs that are not supported in Windows 7 using the Windows XP virtual machine.
Note
: Transferring the Windows XP virtual machine to Windows 7 may take a considerable amount of time. If your target computer is a laptop, make sure it is plugged into a power outlet.
-
When the transfer is finished, the wizard will inform you about it. To close the wizard, click
Done
.
-
Now you can
start working with your Windows XP programs and data
in Windows 7.
|