Windows 7 backup after installing Windows 10?

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I am about to have Windows 10 installed on my computer and a friend’s both running Windows 7, by a local custom computer store.  I’m not as technically astute as most here seem and I’m worried about using our Windows 7 backups after installing Windows 10 and have many questions.  The technicians at the store seem very good and we’ve used then for some time, originally buying our computers from them so I assume they know what their doing and will do this without problems.  However, I would like to ask how this is done without corrupting our new Windows 10 and if just personal data will be transferred like photos, documents, email addresses and messages, favorites links, etc.  Will none of our Win 7 programs no longer run till we laboriously update then one by one?  I try to do my homework so I’m not lazy but trying to find a tutorial on this in these forums is beyond me.  Please help or refer me if you don’t mind, I will be more than grateful if you do, thank you now.

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If they do an In-Place-Upgrade, there is a choice to keep your programs (providing they work on Win10) and data, just your data, or nothing. You should tell them you want the first choice.
If they do a Clean Install, nothing is saved and you have to restore your data from a backup and reinstall all your third-party programs.

Also, it’s a good idea to tell them you want a Local ID, NOT a Microsoft ID.

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WSClouddancer

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Or perform a backup with a 3rd party product, creating a backup recovery USB, do the upgrade yourself, then reinstall the backup program to access your old data.
If the upgrade goes pear shaped you can restore from your recovery USB.

No requirement to be technically astute, ask here for the bits you need.

cheers, Paul

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WSClouddancer, Mr. Austin

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[Mr. Austin]

WSCloudDancer:  “However, I would like to ask how this is done without corrupting our new Windows 10 and if just personal data will be transferred like photos, documents, email addresses and messages, favorites links, etc. Will none of our Win 7 programs no longer run till we laboriously update then one by one? ”

Windows 10’s functions and features will remain intact and unaffected if you simply have your Windows 7 files and data imported. Once you migrate into 10 from 7 there’s no turning back, but 10 will work most of the time, saving for the ridiculous Cortana-related Windows Search breakages which are fixable. Yes, you should expect that none of your 7 programs will work in 10 unless and until you test and run each one of them. Sorry. There’s no way around that. See below about LapLink?

PKCano wrote:

If they do an In-Place-Upgrade, there is a choice to keep your programs (providing they work on Win10) and data, just your data, or nothing. You should tell them you want the first choice.
If they do a Clean Install, nothing is saved and you have to restore your data from a backup and reinstall all your third-party programs.

Also, it’s a good idea to tell them you want a Local ID, NOT a Microsoft ID.

I second PKCano’s observation about *not* using a Microsoft ID. Keep your data in your control and local unless you’ve got especially good reasons to put them in the cloud.

I’d vote for a clean install of your 7 files and data into 10, given the assumption that I myself used the my Windows 7 restore which worked great inside the Windows 10 interface. That was in September ’18. I’d suggest the Windows 7 Backup and Restore could still work now on 10. But double-check that with your preferred geeks?

When I migrated from 7 to 10, I did so with a third-party software, LapLink. There were positives and negatives to doing it this way. I wouldn’t recommend LapLink for you. Mainly negatives in my experience because LapLink imported Windows 7 features and drivers which really and truly broke 10 in creative and very time-consuming ways. Because I didn’t want to wipe the drive and its migration and start from blank disc, I instead opted to have a senior Microsoft engineer spend several hours diagnosing and cleaning up the problems, which centered around Bluetooth issues and other drivers. Microsoft finally had to wipe and reinstall 10  —  twice  — to make it work right. My 7 files and data remained intact and unscathed. That was done while I patiently awaited the outcome with two solid backups of my 7 data, including one on an external drive which I let no one else ever touch.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Mr. Austin.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Mr. Austin.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Mr. Austin.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Mr. Austin.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Mr. Austin.

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rick41, WSClouddancer

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Mr. Austin wrote:

Once you migrate into 10 from 7 there’s no turning back

Yes, there is.
There are 3 options :

1. You have a Window of 10 days to revert to previous OS. No data will be lost.
2. Restore Windows 7 for image backup taken before Windows 10.
3, Re-install Windows 7.

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rick41, jabeattyauditor

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Alex5723 wrote:

WSClouddancer

So, ask WSClouddancer if they’re interested in, or care about that. 10 days go by far too fast for most users of a new OS. My observations were designed for someone, WSClouddancer, who made it a point to explain they preferred easy-to-implement solutions they’re used to.

Human, who sports only naturally-occurring DNA ~ oneironaut ~ broadcaster

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WSClouddancer

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I really appreciate all the help , I really do.  I’m thinking when I bring in our boxes for upgrade I might show the tech some of these responses on my phone, hoping he doesn’t blow a cork though it might be fun to hear what he/she has to say anyway 🙂  Thanks again to all.

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Mr. Austin

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It would be great to have good backups before you hand the computers over.  If you make the backups yourself that could save quite a bit of money.

As above, the main decision you have to make is do you want Windows 10 installed keeping as many programs and data as possible – upgrade install.  Or do you want some variation of a clean install.  A clean install may be more reliable, but reinstalling your programs could be a lot of work.  If a tool like Laplink is used after doing a clean install, much of the bad stuff that would have been in an upgrade could be transferred.  You (or your professional) should usually uninstall antivirus software before upgrading.  So if you have a paid one, print out your purchase and license information if you think that will help you reinstall it later if you want to.  But I think that upgrades instead of clean installs are good enough to be the better choice for most.  It is possible that an upgrade will leave some bad windows 7 drivers or old buggy software.  After you get the computer back, take a look at “startup apps” and ask someone if they really need to be enabled, could prevent problems and lessen the risk of something left over doing harm.

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