I'd like to know more specific info regarding upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7. Will doing so erase all of my programs, like my TV tuner software, my printing software that the computer came with and that I cannot reinstall, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Panda Security, my Pop-Up Stopper, my webcam, etc.? I feel completely overwhelmed. I have no clue in the world how to reinstall some of those. Or will it just erase my "My Documents" files? I have those backed up already.
I found a tutorial on the subject. It says, "Select the partition where you want to install Windows 7 and click Next. You will need at least 5716MB free space. If you don't have enough free space to install Windows 7, you will receive a warning. If that's the case, you will need to format the partition where you previously had your Windows XP operating system installed. WARNING: Formatting a partition will erase all existing data on the partition - proceed only if you have backed up all your files."
It only mentions files, not programs. I like that. Also, where is this 5716MB free space? According to Belarc, I have 21.99GB hard drive free space and 36.32GB usuable hard drive capacity. Is that different from these other specs that I knew about when I acquired this computer: 2.80 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4 (what's a gigahertz?), 16KB primary memory cache, 256KB secondary memory cache, 1016MB installed memory or RAM.
Does all that mean that if I have enough free space (and do I?) I can download Windows 7 and have it on my computer at the same time as Windows XP? Meaning the partition formatting, whatever that is, is doing it somewhere else other than where Windows XP is? Meaning that it won't affect my programs or files? I realize that when you turn on a computer you can only see one operating system, in this case either Windows 7 or XP. So I don't know how to word that part of the question - if 7 and XP can co-exist on my computer at the same time, how can I transfer all the programs and files from XP to 7 first before making the computer turn on to 7, with the last step being deleting XP after the programs and files have been moved to 7.
Any help, please? I appreciate it very much.
(Also, I have copied my Program Files folder to a USB stick for now, but I have a feeling copying it back to a Windows 7 system isn't the answer. And I still don't know where to find Word or Google Chrome (my secondary browser), because they don't appear to be under Program Files. Maybe under Application Data?)