7 vs. Vista reinstall (or Linux)

I'm probably going to go ahead and try to upgrade my 4-year old Acer laptop to Windows 7, but if that doesn't pan out I might try a clean reinstall of Vista (crazy I know, I don't even have a disk for it). I've also looked at Linux but it seems to work better for servers than for desktops, so I'm not going to use it often if I get it. I liked using Vista SP2 with the except of getting malware and having the Update and Backup functions disabled. I have the understanding that 7 is what Vista should have been when it first came out.

I've dl'ed the Windows 7 Upgrade advisor from Microsoft's site and aside from the obvious need to upgrade my memory or get another computer entirely, it says that it's fine to go ahead. I need to know what exactly I need to do get 7 to run smoothly on my current laptop with my current applications and other little things that I need know about this OS. I've been kind of out of the Windows OS loop, which is unusual for me since I've using Windows and PCs forever.

Thanks for your help.

bitesized1612,

You've run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. Good.

I would check on the Acer web site for your specific model to make sure that there are Windows 7 drivers for your hardware. You can't assume that they are all on the Win 7 DVD.

Here is a guide for performing an inplace upgrade: Upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7.

Make sure that all your data has been backed up before performing any upgrade. It's just good policy to always have important data backed up.

Note: My personal preference has always been to perform a clean install of a new operating system. Less chance of bringing old problems with you. Better system stability. It does mean that you have to re-install all other software.

Good Luck.

I have VirtualBox and tested Windows 7 and Ubuntu 12.04 and they both seem to work fine. Sluggish and slow in the current environment on my computer, but I've managed surf the internet and watch youtube in the Box at least. The adviser said most of my pre-installed hardware should work with 7, but I'll check to be sure. My laptop's 4 yeas old this August.

My laptop can get a memory upgrade to 4GB so I don't have to worry about the sluggishness after a nice, clean install. Hopefully,

Thanks for the advice and the link!