You will need to buy a version that is as good as or better than your current version of Vista. Windows 7 is no longer the current version, and there are scammers selling pirate copies, so caveat emptor. However, you don’t need to upgrade your programs. You could also update all your PC’s drivers to the latest versions – there’s some help online – and check your PC manufacturer’s website for Rom upgrades.

Make sure that Vista is patched and up-to-date before upgrading. It is, of course, important to back up your PC and all your data first, because things sometimes go wrong. All your current programs and data should stay the same as they were before. The upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 is what Microsoft calls “an in-place upgrade”. If I upgrade to Windows 7, do I need to upgrade my programs etc first? Lynn Check to see whether you will be able to run all your essentials on Linux, or find usable replacements.Įither way, make a clone of your hard drive first, so that you can go back to Vista if Windows 7/10/Linux doesn’t work properly. Linux is not directly compatible with programs such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Apple iTunes and other mainstream software. (If you have problems getting the Wireless LAN card to work, this might help.) You could also try installing a version of Linux, such as Mint 18.1, which is free. Anyone can install it at zero cost simply by not activating it (if you can cope with the nagging to buy it): see below. If in doubt about Windows 10, try it for free. Search for your CPU’s score at PassMark and see if it’s higher. This processor has a PassMark CPU score of 1482. The minimum useful spec is something like a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo T8300 and 4GB of memory. People who have faster or newer Vista laptops should find they run better under Windows 10.

Upgrade window 7 to windows 10