I purchased my current laptop with the optional XP Pro x64 downgrade, and I am now ready to move up to Windows 7. However, I can not figure out how to do this. The machine did not come with the windows 7 disks (apparently Dell no longer ships these disks with the computer), but the install is supposedly located on a hidden partition on the hard drive. I have no idea how to access this!
Does anybody have any experience with re-upgrading a downgrade from Dell? Any idea how I go about it?
usually the “restore” disc they supply you is a simple boot disc which re-images the main partition with the as-sold software load. So I think you just boot from the recovery CD and follow the instructions.
at least, I hope they gave you a recovery CD. failing that, you should go to Dell’s support site and look up the info for your machine. I’d wager they have the procedure on there.
A lot of laptops I’ve seen lately come with a program that makes the restore disks for you with disks you provide. This would have been something the laptop reminded you about (IME) the first two or three times you logged on.
If you’re trying to access the backup OS that’s hidden on your Dell OEM hard drive, have you tried Ctrl-F11 during the bootup process? It should bring up an option to restore your hard drive to its original shipped configuration. I did this once on my Dell PC. It’s easy, but it’ll wipe out whatever is on your drive except for what was originally there.
Something to keep in mind is that you cant’ actually “upgrade” from XP to 7, you have to do a full re-install.
I don’t think it formats the entire harddrive, so something in the folder c:\awesome stuff should still be there, but anything in my documents, my pictures, etc…, will be lost if you don’t back it up, as will almost all program data.
if you’re installing from a Windows 7 DVD, then IIRC it does a clean install but first archives the existing user data to C:\Windows.Old.
restoring the copy of Windows 7 that the Dell in question came with is a bit different; it’s a disc image so it will just obliterate the XP install already there and put it back to the way the system was when it shipped.