Bluemage - the jump from XP to Win7 isn't really a painful one. For certain, there are programs that for XP that aren't compatible with 7, but
that's usually because they're either old as dirt or are so cheap that it goes beyond indie programming. Other programs have compatability issues
simply because Windows 7 doesn't play by certain rules anymore. One example of this is that both virtual cd/dvd drive mounting softwares I've used on
XP don't work on 7 (Deamon Tools and Magic Disk). No big loss there, however, as both were quirky at best on XP.
Anyhow, my recomendation is this:
Research your current line-up of programs. Anything that offers a 64-bit solution will be supported in Windows 7, no questions asked. XP has no 64-Bit support
unless you're using the rarely seen 64-Bit edition, ergo all 64-Bit Windows Apps are built for Vista, which is what 7 is based on. For those that
don't, you might need to find a replacement. Note that I said 'might'. 7 is pretty forgiving compared to Vista and whatever you have in there might
work. Just to be safe, though, do a bit of shopping around prior to the big switch.
Next, have all your installation files on hand. I keep afolder on my big 1TB external labeled "Archives" where I keep such a stash. Much more handy
than an actual back-up image in some ways.
Now, just to be safe, go ahead and back-up your system data and make an recovery image of your Windows partition on an external hard drive. This will save you
some trouble later on, because...
Step Four: nuke your XP partition and install Windows 7. IIRC, you said you have your documents on a seperate partition, yes? Smart man! Windows 7 will work
with you on that. It just takes a minute or two of fiddling with your library folders so they point to the appropriate folders on your documents partition.
Rather nice feature, the Libraries folder - allows you to link your document files to a common folder so they appear to be in the same place. Bonus points for
being able to designate a default 'Save To' folder for each library and being able to nix or add libraries as you see fit (defaults are Documents,
Music, Pictures, and Video libraries). I know it seems a bit troublesome, but I think it's a worthwhile thing once you get the hang of it.
If Windows 7 doesn't work out for you, then you should still have that back-up you made, right? Good. Nuke 7, reinstall and restoer XP - you're back
to the way you were before.
Believe me, I have been a rabid opponent of Vista, but Windows 7 is definitely worth a shot. It makes Vista look like a slug and is generally far more
pleasant to use, even if you hate the taskbar-reminiscent-of-Macintosh.
that's usually because they're either old as dirt or are so cheap that it goes beyond indie programming. Other programs have compatability issues
simply because Windows 7 doesn't play by certain rules anymore. One example of this is that both virtual cd/dvd drive mounting softwares I've used on
XP don't work on 7 (Deamon Tools and Magic Disk). No big loss there, however, as both were quirky at best on XP.
Anyhow, my recomendation is this:
Research your current line-up of programs. Anything that offers a 64-bit solution will be supported in Windows 7, no questions asked. XP has no 64-Bit support
unless you're using the rarely seen 64-Bit edition, ergo all 64-Bit Windows Apps are built for Vista, which is what 7 is based on. For those that
don't, you might need to find a replacement. Note that I said 'might'. 7 is pretty forgiving compared to Vista and whatever you have in there might
work. Just to be safe, though, do a bit of shopping around prior to the big switch.
Next, have all your installation files on hand. I keep afolder on my big 1TB external labeled "Archives" where I keep such a stash. Much more handy
than an actual back-up image in some ways.
Now, just to be safe, go ahead and back-up your system data and make an recovery image of your Windows partition on an external hard drive. This will save you
some trouble later on, because...
Step Four: nuke your XP partition and install Windows 7. IIRC, you said you have your documents on a seperate partition, yes? Smart man! Windows 7 will work
with you on that. It just takes a minute or two of fiddling with your library folders so they point to the appropriate folders on your documents partition.
Rather nice feature, the Libraries folder - allows you to link your document files to a common folder so they appear to be in the same place. Bonus points for
being able to designate a default 'Save To' folder for each library and being able to nix or add libraries as you see fit (defaults are Documents,
Music, Pictures, and Video libraries). I know it seems a bit troublesome, but I think it's a worthwhile thing once you get the hang of it.
If Windows 7 doesn't work out for you, then you should still have that back-up you made, right? Good. Nuke 7, reinstall and restoer XP - you're back
to the way you were before.
Believe me, I have been a rabid opponent of Vista, but Windows 7 is definitely worth a shot. It makes Vista look like a slug and is generally far more
pleasant to use, even if you hate the taskbar-reminiscent-of-Macintosh.