Almost ready to give 'er, just checking in and a last question


  1. Posts : 19
    Windows 10 Professional Version 10.0.18363 Build 18363
       #1

    Almost ready to give 'er, just checking in and a last question


    Since my last post almost a week ago, I've been prepping for my attempt at upgrading W7 to W10.
    So far, here's my checklist, in no particular order:
    I
    • updated Windows
    • new OS drive has lots of room (330 GB free on C)
    • ended up removing all programs and games from my other internal drives so I can disconnect them for the upgrade
    • run sfc
    • created Macrium reflect disk image and recovery USB (and DVD for good measure)
    • disconnected all peripherals
    • bought a wired keyboard
    • plugged in my wireless mouse to usb
    • uninstalled Malwarebytes
    • will uninstall Avira just before proceeding
    • run disk cleanup
    • made sure I don't have secure boot or fast boot
    • backed up all files
    • printed out my activation info for Windows7 Pro and OfficePro (very old....)
    • uninstalled ZeroTier and PIA
    • removed virtual drive from Alcohol 120
    • recorded all my Astute Graphics serial numbers
    • did NOT flash my BIOS

    I've used the lastest version of Rufus to download Win10_1909_English_x64.iso and verified it's checksum, and used Rufus to load it onto a new USB drive.

    During the upgrade, I intend to answer "NO" to updates, keep my internet connected, and decline the creation of a MS account.

    Have I missed anything?

    And of course, a few more questions:

    - is the consensus to start the upgrade after a clean boot?

    - in addition to unplugging all peripherals, should I uninstall my wirelessly connected Brother printer, plus all the other things I can see listed under "Devices and Printers" (some virtual printers, plus things that aren't connected now - another USB printer, an MP3 player...

    - in addtion to unplugging all peripherals, should I disable them in the Device Manager? I have a hard time knowing exactly what's what in there

    - is it ok to plug my Win10_1909_English_x64.iso and my keyboard into a USB 3.0 port, or is USB 2.0 preferred?

    - my motherboard has a built-in Bluetooth dongle thing that I cannot remove - what to do about that?

    I have been truly awed over the last week by the dedication, patience and desire to help that I've seen on TenForums and SevenForums. You're wonderful.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 2,487
    Windows 10 Home, 64-bit
       #2

    Do you intend this to be a so-called "clean install"?

    If Windows 7 is activated, as far as I know you can still do a clean install of Win 10 at no cost.

    If so, you'd boot from this Rufus stick and delete all partitions from the destination drive.

    You shouldn't need Rufus. It can be a bit testy, but should work if you made the USB stick correctly.

    Not sure why you want to be connected to the Internet until after the install is finished.

    I recall some contention that USB 2 can lead to fewer issues than USB 3; can't recall details, but why ask for trouble?

    I don't think you have to fiddle with Device Manager.

    Generally---I'd want the bare minimum of other devices connected....ideally mouse and keyboard and monitor.

    And just one hard drive.

    Maybe not understanding your intent or situation.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 2,123
    Windows 11 Pro (latest update ... forever anal)
       #3

    EdieShack said:
    new OS drive has lots of room (330 GB free on C)
    Depending on your device architecture, consider smaller SSD for OS and ALL programs, and larger HDD for personal data.

    ended up removing all programs and games from my other internal drives so I can disconnect them for the upgrade
    So you had software/programs installed on other than your OS/system C:| drive?? Not a good idea if you're looking at image backups.

    run sfc
    not necessary if you're going to do an upgrade, Win 10 will rectify any problems

    will uninstall Avira just before proceeding
    ... and never re-install it.

    Interesting the number of other programs you're going to uninstall ... if that's the case, might as well consider the much better option of a clean install rather than an upgrade of an old system.

    I've used the lastest version of Rufus to download Win10_1909_English_x64.iso and verified it's checksum, and used Rufus to load it onto a new USB drive.
    A simple Windows Media Creation Tool would've been just as good ... I'd do one anyway. And Rufus created USB is much more suited to a clean install rather than an upgrade.

    During the upgrade, I intend to answer "NO" to updates, keep my internet connected, and decline the creation of a MS account
    *NO* internet connection during installation, then you won't even be asked about a MS account. Connect when installation is completed and running.

    - is the consensus to start the upgrade after a clean boot?
    If you're going to persist with the upgrade notion, then won't make any difference.

    in addition to unplugging all peripherals, should I uninstall my wirelessly connected Brother printer, plus all the other things I can see listed under "Devices and Printers" (some virtual printers, plus things that aren't connected now - another USB printer, an MP3 player
    Again, If you're going to persist with the upgrade notion, then won't make any difference.

    TIP : Download the wireless network driver in case you do need an internet connection on completion, and no network drivers are avaialble.
    in addtion to unplugging all peripherals, should I disable them in the Device Manager? I have a hard time knowing exactly what's what in there
    No, will only confuse Win 10 installation of updated drivers.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 19
    Windows 10 Professional Version 10.0.18363 Build 18363
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Thanks, ignatzatsonic and idgat.

    Just to be clear, yes, an upgrade in place as per my initial post last week. If I knew how, I'd link to it. If it fails,then I'll do a clean install but the upgrade sounds like the simplest way re: activation, and if it can keep my settings and programs,I'll be happy.

    Thanks, ignatzatsonic - I will use USB2 ports to keep things simple, and not worry about the device manager.

    Idgat - Can I ask which is your preferred antivirus? I've used various ones over the years.

    Yes, I did have some programs and all my games on my 2 other drives. My OS drive was only 125GB and full, so that is what I had done. Now I have a bigger C drive, I'll keep my graphics and writing programs there, and utilities, and just use the other drives for games.

    Rufus seemed to me a well maintained and easy to use way of getting the .iso and for getting it on to a USB drive; I'll let you know if there are problems.

    I am asking about the "yes" internet connection because tutorials and advice have indicated that it is the way to go; just checking.

    I really appreciate the feedback.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 31,459
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #5

    EdieShack said:
    Just to be clear, yes, an upgrade in place as per my initial post last week. If I knew how, I'd link to it....

    This one?
    I have 4 questions (for now!) before I take the plunge and upgrade.

    If it fails,then I'll do a clean install but the upgrade sounds like the simplest way re: activation, and if it can keep my settings and programs,I'll be happy...

    There is a way to capture the Windows 7 activation as a GenuineTicket.xml file and use it later to activate a clean install of W10. You may want to do that now, just in case the upgrade fails and you need to do a clean install after all. This tutorial tells you how...

    Clean Install Windows 10 Directly without having to Upgrade First

    Idgat - Can I ask which is your preferred antivirus? I've used various ones over the years....
    Personally I find that the built in Windows Security (aka Defender) is as good as any these days. I don't use anything else.
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 2,123
    Windows 11 Pro (latest update ... forever anal)
       #6

    EdieShack said:
    Idgat - Can I ask which is your preferred antivirus? I've used various ones over the years
    Agree with @ignatzatsonic, built in Windows Defender is good enough for most computer users who practice "safe computing". Me, with my tin foil hat on, still like that little bit extra layer of protection offered by Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS).
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 19
    Windows 10 Professional Version 10.0.18363 Build 18363
    Thread Starter
       #7

    This one?
    Yes, Bree, that's the one. Thanks; I hope it adds some context to this thread.

    Appreciate the recommendations for Windows Defender/Security, Bree and idgat.

    There is a way to capture the Windows 7 activation as a GenuineTicket.xml file and use it later to activate a clean install of W10. You may want to do that now, just in case the upgrade fails and you need to do a clean install after all. This tutorial tells you how...

    Clean Install Windows 10 Directly without having to Upgrade First
    I will check that out right now!

    - - - Updated - - -

    Whelp, here is the promised progress update:

    Everything went absolutely seamlessly. So slick. I am over the moon.

    Rufus was a super simple all-in-one solution for downloading the iso, checking it, and creating the USB drive. The whole upgrade only took 40 minutes, 10 minutes to get the "done" message, and then another 30 minutes of "working on updates".

    I'm SO relieved that all my legacy programs transferred over without a hitch: MS Office 2003, MS Money 2000 Deluxe (how's that for awesome!), and all my Adobe programs with their plug-ins and extensions. Nothing beyond that really mattered to me, but I was pretty impressed that my desktop and layout was transferred nicely too, and all my other utilities. I had to laugh, the only messages I got about programs that could not be transferred due to incompatibility were Speccy and KeyTweak. Not a problem.

    Because I did the upgrade without an internet connection, I couldn't get my NVIDIA driver to show up in the device manage until I connected. Once online, that was corrected, and Windows 10 was activated automatically.

    Reconnecting my peripherals went well, too. It took some googling to get my USB mic to hear me, but it's OK now (although the input volume seems a bit hinky).

    I thought I'd resent the change to the W10 interface more, because I've never been able to get the machine I use at work to bend to my will, but either it's an older install, or the corporate tech guys just have it locked down. I think I'm going to have fun tweaking W10 to my style.

    One last question (of course) – if I link my MS Account to Windows 10 will that change the way I log in? Right now my user account names are the same as I had on Windows 7, which I prefer to keep.

    Big thanks again to all who helped me prepare for this: @Brink, @Bree, @dalchina, @AddRAM, @bobkn, @zbook, @Garan, @zbook, @idgat, and @ignatsatsonic. I suspect the process might have been a mess without your guidance.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 31,459
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #8

    EdieShack said:
    Everything went absolutely seamlessly. So slick. I am over the moon....


    I thought I'd resent the change to the W10 interface more, because I've never been able to get the machine I use at work to bend to my will, but either it's an older install, or the corporate tech guys just have it locked down. I think I'm going to have fun tweaking W10 to my style.

    Yes, there are lots of ways a corporate machine can be locked down by applying Group Policies...

    One last question (of course) – if I link my MS Account to Windows 10 will that change the way I log in? Right now my user account names are the same as I had on Windows 7, which I prefer to keep.

    I don't have a Microsoft Account so I just use a local account sign in.

    Linking to a MS Account is an optional extra. The main benefit of linking the licence to a MS Account is if you make substantial hardware changes then you can use the Activation Troubleshooter (only available in Pro) to reactivate it. You digital licence is already linked to the Hardware ID of your PC so you can now clean install without needing to give a key, it will activate automatically from the digital licence. You can change the hard drive and RAM without changing you Hardware ID, but a motherboard swap would count as a 'substantial change'.

    Yes, you have to have a MS Account sign in to be able to link your digital licence to your MS Account, but you don't have to switch your main account to a MS Account in order to do that. You can instead create a new account on the PC and link that one, then continue using you local account to sign in as before. See Option One in this tutorial.

    Link Microsoft Account to Windows 10 Digital License
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 19
    Windows 10 Professional Version 10.0.18363 Build 18363
    Thread Starter
       #9

    Aha, smart work around. Then I can have the best of all worlds. Thanks for the idea.
      My Computer


 

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