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I have a personal computer with windows XP and I want to remove this XP and install windows 7.

What steps should I follow to do this without risking my hard drive's data?

Newstart
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    Backup data, boot from Windows 7 disk, follow instructions. As-is this is "too broad" of a question (IMO anyway). – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 May 06 '16 at 16:19
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    In order to install Windows 7 you are going to have to format your HDD. There isn't an upgrade path from Windows XP to WIndows 7. – Ramhound May 06 '16 at 16:27

2 Answers2

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What steps should I follow to do this without risking my hard drive's data?

Step 1: Backup your personal files

Step 2: Install Windows 7.

There is no upgrade path from Windows XP to Windows 7. If you install Windows 7, your personal files, installed programs, and settings will be lost.

To upgrade your PC from Windows XP to Windows 7, you'll need to select the Custom option during Windows 7 installation. A custom installation doesn't preserve your programs, files, or settings. It's sometimes called a "clean" installation for that reason.

A custom installation is more complex, and it can sometimes take a couple of hours to complete. We created this five-step tutorial to help guide you through the entire process each step of the way.

In order to install Windows 7 you need the following:

  1. An external hard disk. You'll need to move your files off of your PC before you install Windows 7. To make this easier, we recommend a free download called Windows Easy Transfer, which will require an external hard disk. They're readily available at electronics and office supply stores, and they provide an easy way to add additional storage space to your computer.

  2. The original installation discs or setup files for the programs that you want to use with Windows 7. You'll need to reinstall your programs by hand after installing Windows 7. When you run Windows Easy Transfer you will get a report that lists the programs that you are currently using with Windows XP.

Microsoft has provided tutorial on this entire process.

If you don't have a Windows 7 installation disk, you can download one, directly from Micosoft by going here

Sources

Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7

Upgrading to Windows 7: frequently asked questions

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Ramhound
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  • I went ahead and added a basic overview of the installation process. I am not going to fully document the process, once you have the installation disk, the process is literally just following prompts. I also linked to the question, used as a duplicate, when somebody is looking for a Windows 7 installation media. There are several good answers, so I can't or won't, quote every answer from that question. – Ramhound May 06 '16 at 17:08
  • I want to keep my HDD's data safe not windows's settings – Newstart May 06 '16 at 17:11
  • @Newstart - The process of installing Windows 7 means you have to format your HDD, or at the very least, the partition Windows XP is installed on. – Ramhound May 06 '16 at 17:15
  • Is there any way to install W7 without formatting the entire HDD? Can I just format the C partition? – Newstart May 06 '16 at 17:28
  • @Newstart, Yes, absolutely, but you better back up the data on other partitions just in case something goes wrong. – Moab May 06 '16 at 17:29
  • @Newstart - My last comment just said you could do that. You told us nothing about what partitions that exist on the drive. – Ramhound May 06 '16 at 17:35
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Honestly? There are hundreds of tutorials out there that take you through these very simple steps. A little of your own research wouldn't have gone amiss!

Windows 7 can be installed over the top of Windows XP.

  1. Insert the Windows 7 DVD
  2. Restart your computer and select to boot from the CD/DVD drive
  3. You will be asked to press any key to boot from the Windows 7 DVD
  4. The installer wizard will begin and take you through all the necessary steps
  5. When finished the installer will restart your computer and it will then boot into your newly installed Windows 7 to complete the installation and you can then begin using.

Note that these steps will overwrite any existing data already on the disk as the disk will be "quickly" erased (a short erase process that tells the disk it is essentially empty and any free space can be written to) so it is vital that any personal or important files are backed up prior to following these steps!

Kinnectus
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  • Will that affect my hard drive's data? – Newstart May 06 '16 at 16:20
  • @Newstart - Of course it will. The process described in this answer, installs Windows 7 over Windows XP, but that is the only way to achieve your goal. You should backup any personal files for that reason. – Ramhound May 06 '16 at 16:23
  • @Newstart In a word: yes. "To upgrade your PC from Windows XP to Windows 7, you'll need to select the Custom option during Windows 7 installation. A custom installation doesn't preserve your programs, files, or settings. It's sometimes called a "clean" installation for that reason. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-xp-to-windows-7#T1=tab01 Unless you particularly need Windows 7, though, you might be better going to Windows 10: there's a free update from 7 to 10. Btw, thanks Chris for a clean and concise answer very well suited to the Newstart's question. – Peter David Carter May 06 '16 at 16:28
  • So I should backup the other hard drve's partitions before installing win7 ? – Newstart May 06 '16 at 16:30
  • @Newstart If the data is important to you it would be a good idea to do so, yes :). – Peter David Carter May 06 '16 at 16:31
  • The new installation will completely remove xp from my PC? – Newstart May 06 '16 at 16:31
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    in an ideal world you should always have more than one backup of important data. Yes, the steps above, if performed on the hard drive where your XP is installed will erase Windows XP and install Windows 7 over the top. IMO it's always best to disconnect the disks you DON'T want to affect - just to be 100% sure you're installing tot he right hard disk! – Kinnectus May 06 '16 at 16:32
  • So I should backup more than 300 GBs :( – Newstart May 06 '16 at 16:33
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    If you've only got 1 copy of your important 300GB of data and that one copy fails... you're up the creek anyway! – Kinnectus May 06 '16 at 16:33
  • @Newstart Only the data you want to keep, Newstart! – Peter David Carter May 06 '16 at 16:34
  • Thanks @Moab, I've edited my answer to add that it is destructive... I see your point :) – Kinnectus May 06 '16 at 16:49