Considerations for upgrading to Windows7

There are two ways the enterprise can choose to deploy a new version of the Windows operating system. Either a clean installation or an upgrade to the original operating system. These two ways have advantages and disadvantages, need the system administrator according to the actual situation of the enterprise to choose the appropriate way. This article does not say a word about the use of Windows 7, and interested friends can see the article Practical tips for Windows 7 using the new experience.

The advantages and disadvantages of performing a new installation.

The benefits of a new installation are clearly visible. The original operating system after a period of time to run, will produce a lot of garbage data. And there may be some destabilizing factors. To do this from scratch, a new installation of the Windows operating system eliminates the original spam data in the operating system. It also eliminates some of the previously unstable factors in the operating system. For this reason, if the original operating system of the enterprise has appeared some unstable situation, at this time by the opportunity to upgrade the operating system to install a new, is a good choice.

However, the new installation of the operating system will also cause a lot of trouble. If the original configuration is lost. If the operating system is an authentication server for the enterprise, it will need to be reconfigured. The most troublesome thing is to install some application software. Because some application software because of the copyright problem, need the software manufacturer authorization to be able to install. They will be based on the server's CPU or some information in the network card to calculate an authorization sequence number, and then be able to install. For this new installation or careful use is better. It is also a good idea to install it on a new server if you really want to install it completely. Because the services on the old server will be relocated to the new server, it may not be done immediately. It may take days, even longer. In order not to affect the use of other employees, it is best to be able to have a new server system with the old server system. Wait until the application on the old operating system is fully ported to the new operating system, and the operating system is turned off when the test runs correctly. While this requires a certain amount of hardware investment, this investment may be worthwhile for the continuity of network application services.

Second, from the low version to the Windows7 notice.

In addition to a new installation, you can upgrade your operating system from an older version to an WINDOWS7 operating system through a systems upgrade. If the system upgrades are completed by upgrading, the system retains the existing user, settings, permissions, and other related configuration. Therefore, after the upgrade, the system administrator does not need to reinstall the application or take action to recover the data. If the enterprise uses the Windows operating system as a server, the author recommends that the upgrade be done by upgrading instead of a new installation. However, when upgrading from version to Windows7, the following considerations need to be noted.

1, need to pay attention to the operating system after the upgrade of the application compatibility.

Although the Windows operating system in the design, has been in the forward compatibility and backward compatibility of a great effort, but also achieved good results. However, it is still not possible to guarantee that all applications will run smoothly on the new version of the operating system. This system administrator needs to do the compatibility test of the application software before the system upgrade. Sometimes, the system administrator can also have the software vendor cooperate to test. In general, some large application companies will have their own compatibility tests when a new version of the Windows operating system is present. However, this often comes after the new version of the Windows operating system exits for some time before the results. Because most of the enterprise will not Windows7 a push out on the use. Since just quit the version often has a relatively large defect, for this reason did not take a business will be the first to eat crabs. Therefore, the application software vendors will wait, only to ask more customers, they will be tested and published test reports. As a result, system administrators also need to postpone their upgrade plans. However, whether it's a software vendor test or a system administrator testing it yourself, this application is not necessarily compatible with the new version of the operating system.

2, before the upgrade to do a backup.

Although it is said that in the process of upgrading a lower version of the operating system to the WINDOWS7 operating system, the chances of failure are not very high. For security reasons, however, the system administrator should do a good job of backing up the operating system, application software, and related data before upgrading. In fact, this is the most basic requirement, before any type of server maintenance, there will be more than any application and data for a full backup. The system administrator can use the Ghost tool to back up the entire hard disk, or to back up the system partition with the tools provided by the operating system. In the event of an unexpected upgrade, you can also use this backup file to restore the original application in the shortest amount of time. In addition, you may need to back up the operating system status if you are backing up a few versions of the operating system.

3, only the same version of the appropriate upgrade.

When the Windows operating system is upgraded, there is always a version limit. The limitations of this version are mainly embodied in two aspects.

One is the limit of the version number. Since the official document for the WINDOWS7 version has not yet been released, the limitations on its version number are not clear. However, from the 2008 operating system upgrade, you can see a little clue. To upgrade from a lower version of the operating system to 2008, it must be a 2003 operating system, and at least a SP1 patch of 2003 operating systems. Upgrades directly to 2008 from operating systems such as XP Server, xp-based, and so on are not supported. If you want to upgrade, you must first upgrade to 2003, and then upgrade to 2008. To this end, I speculate that there will be similar restrictions on WINDOWS7 operating system upgrades. However, since Windows7 also provides a generic version, the upgrade may not be so stringent. It may be possible to upgrade directly from XP to the WINDOWS7 operating system.

The second is the limitation of the version category. The same version number of the operating system, Microsoft is often divided into attached server operating system and ordinary operating system (home operating system). or the standard version and the Enterprise version. This version category is restricted when upgrading. If the lower version of the operating system is a standard version, it will not be able to upgrade to a higher version of the enterprise operating system. So when you upgrade Windows operating systems, the limitations of this version category also need to be noted.

But one thing is better, the system will decide whether to upgrade before the upgrade. If not, the system forces the upgrade process to be interrupted without affecting the original system. For this reason, system administrators sometimes do not have to focus on whether or not to upgrade. Test the test server now, let the operating system itself to judge.

4, do not make many upgrades.

such as from Windows2000 upgrade to Windows7, often is not able to complete one step, and need to upgrade step by stage. Although this is feasible for multiple upgrades, the author does not recommend that the system administrator do so. On the one hand, the operating system has been upgraded for generations, and applications are often upgraded. They will be based on the characteristics of the new operating system, the development of more stable, more powerful application systems. For this reason, the original application software can be run on a new version of the operating system, but the stability and performance of the system may be worse than before. To do this, you may need to upgrade your application software even if the operating system upgrade succeeds. It's better to come up with a new safe and easy time.

Second, the Windows operating system version upgrade has a feature, that is, each upgrade will be the system's hardware to make a higher request. The features of the new version of the operating system are only reflected when the hardware configuration is improved. If the operating system needs to be upgraded multiple times to Windows7, then some hardware, such as CPU or memory, may be obsolete. If you do not upgrade your hardware at this point, the upgraded operating system performance may still be the original operating system. There is no need to upgrade at this time.

For this reason, although the lower version of the operating system can be upgraded to Windows7 through multiple upgrades, the author does not recommend that the system administrator do multiple upgrades. In general, a level of upgrade is possible. If you go through multiple levels, then you need to be cautious.

Finally, I would like to remind that, whether the upgrade security or a new installation, it is best to test the server in advance to carry out detailed testing. After the test is not a problem, do a new installation or upgrade the installation. At the same time, it is best to back up your existing operating system, including applications and data. Minimize the risk of operating system upgrades.