Planning Clean Installs vs. Upgrades

Windows systems have always supported upgrading from previous versions. An upgrade attempts to maintain existing applications and settings while installing the new version of the OS. Although the option of upgrading an older OS to the newer version may seem like the best choice at first glance, with further investigation problems can appear. In this section, you will learn about the pros and cons of a “clean install” compared to an upgrade. You will also explore application compatibility issues and learn about the solutions Microsoft provides for these issues. Finally, you will examine the important steps required to perform either an upgrade or a clean install of Windows 7.

Understanding Upgrade Paths