Thumbing Windows 7 onto Netbooks
Microsoft has shown Windows 7 running on Netbooks ever since it introduced the operating system last fall. However, helping consumers get it on their notebooks has proven more tricky.
(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET)Microsoft is considering offering Windows 7 on a thumb drive to allow Netbook owners to more easily upgrade their machines, a source tells CNET News.
The move, which is still under consideration, is one of several things Microsoft has looked at to try to make it convenient to upgrade machines that don't come with a CD or DVD drives.
Microsoft executives have said that they recognize that upgrading Netbooks poses a challenge and are exploring ways that the company can make it easier. In an interview on Thursday, Senior Vice President Bill Veghte said that Microsoft had nothing to announce on that front.
The challenge of getting Windows 7 on to older Netbooks threatens to cast a shadow over the technical work Microsoft did to get Windows 7 running on Netbooks. Its predecessor, Windows Vista, proved ill-suited to Netbooks forcing Microsoft to continue selling Windows XP as its answer to the low-cost notebook phenomenon.
Although a USB flash drive could offer the simplest way to move a Netbook to Windows 7, there are other options. Buyers with an external drive could hook up that to their Netbook, while another option would be an upgrade through a service such as Best Buy's Geek Squad. Microsoft also sells a downloadable version of Windows today, so, in theory it could do the same with Windows 7, allowing buyers to put the OS on their own thumb drive.
Matt Bonin, a merchant director at Best Buy, said this week that the company is aiming to work with Geek Squad to develop services to streamline Windows 7 upgrades. As for Netbooks, he said the company recognizes the challenge they present and said the store already offers services to load other types of software, such as antivirus programs.
Complicating matters further is the fact that most Netbooks are running Windows XP. Those moving from Windows XP can buy an upgrade version of the software, but must back up their data, do a clean installation of the operating system and then reload their applications.
The same goes for all XP owners, as well as users looking to move from a higher-end version of Vista to a lower-end version of Windows 7 and all users in Europe trying to upgrade to Windows 7 using the browser-less "E" version--the only one Microsoft plans to offer there.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
My question is... can Europeans order Windows 7 from the American version of Amazon... or can they order the discounted download from the Microsoft website? I mean, there has to be a way for a savvy European consumer to get around the EU, right?
...or an OEM reseller, or pricewatch, or from the MSDN sub (which costs about the same per annum), or etc.
...just like those of us in the US do when we want to buy software, but don't want to pay full price. Leona Helmsley once remarked "only the poor pay taxes" - we can modify that phrase to say that "only the tech-ignorant pay retail" ;) .
Personally, I think it's hilarious that, for the first time in their entire history, Microsoft is releasing their flagship product at such deep _retail_ discounts in the first place. Feeling the pressure from Vista's failures, methinks.
A USB stick install is really the easiest and fastest way.
I just hope that they get smart and don't put in that 'control' that keeps people with Windows 7 RC on their computers from easily upgrading.
My Acer Aspire One boots from the SD card slot without issue.
This is a case of different options in different machines. But yeah, you can do it.
[CNET editors' note: Prohibited content deleted.]
PS: Using it with two other desktops usng the 64 bit versions, did encounter a major slowdown copying a large file, the only problem with it.
You said "Windows 7 is probably their best version ever." How can you make this statement when Windows 7 isn't even released!
Prior to the release of Windows Vista, lots of reviews said it was the best ever Windows. I suggest you hold off making such statements until the product is released.
Why borrow trouble?
It is. If you go and pre-order Win7 now, there's a download option.
This makes doing installs from a USB stick take around 15-20 minutes. The longest delay is dependant upon your network connection to obtain any drivers it needs for your hardware from online resources.
If you do an 8Gb USB stick, you can even preload things like Office, Adobe Photoshop, or whatever other business apps you want to have include for your corporate use (or personal, but I'm thinking of corporate uses primarily).
It's a pretty slick way to do it, and it works on any PC that can boot from a USB port- which is pretty much everything these days.
I hadn't heard that MSFT had been considering making it available on USB media though. That's cool and would be a welcome change to the packaging. I also hope the make the stick hardlocked to read-only so it doesn't accidentally get erased or overwritten by someone who leaves it in the port without thinking about it. :)
Now plug the USB drive into your netbook (it does need a working XP or Vista on it), and run setup.exe from the folder on the USB drive. (You'll need to do a custom install if you're upgrading XP) The secret is that the install drive does not have be bootable! You'll need maybe 6 GB or more free on the netbook's drive, which may be an issue for 16GB solid state drives. And it takes about an hour and a half (vs. 20 minutes on a real machine).
But it really worked for me - this seems much simpler. Microsoft has apparently made it easy to install from almost any media - it copies whatever it needs to the target disk, so a booting install disk is not necessary.
But you will still have the issue of migration of data and software! Use the Win7 data transfer wizard for the data, and be sure you have the media you need to reinstall your software before you upgrade! And when you have everything going again, you can delete the windows.old directory created during the custom install.
depends on when the computer parts fail, since I normally upgrade it then,
there are several good reasons for upgrading,
More support, since xp is pretty much on a deathwish sooner or later (though Im still using it)
Newer features
Games will probably support it from the get go, and take advantage of newer graphics and stuff if available.
however, people who are not as adventerous should probably consider waiting a year or two before upgrading, I normaly completely ignore that rule when it comes to my browser, but the OS is a little more important and difficult to change at whim.
Because Win 7 is much better than any Windows operating system ever launched. Personally, I almost exclusively use Windows 7 on my dual bootVista/Win 7 laptop. After tasting the delights of using Win 7, I am finding it hard to go back to Vista again.
Still, I do not see any reason to upgrade, it does not have any advantage on XP.
Windows 7 is.... A 32-bit extension to a 16-bit graphical interface, sitting on an 8-bit operating system, originally written for a 4-bit processor by a 2-bit company without ONE BIT of common sense
worth repeating again :-)
Windows 7 is actually an direct descendant of Windows NT 3.1, which has EVERYTHING running in 32-bit mode for large memory access and stability reasons, unlike Windows 95/98/ME. Windows NT used the Windows 95 interface design but programming for Windows NT graphical API was quite a bit different than programming for Windows 95 graphical API.
But did you know OSX didn't become true 64 bit until Leopard?
Not only are you ignorant and clueless about Win 7, you are clearly out to spread as much FUD , disinformation, and anti-Microsoft propaganda as you can. Luckily, you are not gonna be allowed to get away with it.
I installed Windows 7 RC on a Dell Mini 10v and it runs great. Even aero works! The process was straight forward and simple. I followed the detailed instructions posted on dotnetwizard.net
http://dotnetwizard.net/hacks/how-to-bootinstall-vista-from-a-usb-flash-drive/
The installation was quick and relatively simple. Everything on the Mini 10v worked without the need to install or search for compatible drivers.
:-) ;-) :-D :-P :-)
- by geekspeak09 June 30, 2009 4:54 AM PDT
- I think that Intelligent thumb drives like i-Flapp are currently providing users with an easy mobile storage solution and will reduce the impact that Windows 7 will have.
- Reply to this comment
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(47 Comments)If you load your Windows applications through i-Flapp you can transport your applications on your existing thumb drive. I transfer stuff between my desktop and netbook all the time and my two systems are always synchronised. You can work on ANY computer or notebook, using your applications and settings, and best of all ? leave no digital footprint on the system.
So, I'll stick to what I've got for now. I don't think that I'll be paying a fortune for Windows 7 just because of a thumb-drive.