Microsoft’s free upgrade offer for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users ended way back in 2016, but you can still upgrade to Windows 10. As expected, Microsoft says it will continue to support Windows 11 users upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 as long as they meet the minimum system requirements.
However, there’s a catch – Windows 7 to Windows 11 upgrade could wipe your apps, settings and customizations. That’s because a proper direct upgrade path is not available for Windows 7/8.1 users, according to a support document from Lenovo, which was published on June 24 and spotted by us earlier today.
This isn’t entirely unreasonable. Windows 7 was released 12 years ago, and received its last (and only) service pack 10 years ago. Mainstream support ended 2015, six years ago. I think this is a fair point to say – no more in-place upgrades. I mean, I think most people do fresh Windows installations anyway.
I can understand no direct path from 7 to 11, but since 7 is upgradeable to 10, and 10 to 11, there is probably an indirect upgrade path there (even if you have to mess with partitioning and stuff in the process, and leaving aside hardware compatibility issues).
Do most people do fresh windows installations though? For troubleshooting or for new machines sure, but for upgrades on the same hardware… in place was pretty decent for the 7-to-10 step (in server land you had to go via 2012/2012r2 but still pretty good for most cases)
@The1stImmortal
Agreed, the suggestion that most do clean installs seems to be a gross generalisation, from my experience it’s probably the exact opposite.
Maybe anybody with a clue does a clean install?
Hey even after a years or so I tend yo do a clean install as it’s a lot easier than gettingf rid of the crap (and I have far less crap than most).
I hate to burst your bubble but in business, where there can be tens of thousands of machines, this isn’t an option. Your PC in your house has little to do with this.
I always do a clean install when dealing with major version changes (7 to 10 for example). Even when the upgrade “works,” usually the system exhibits odd quirks and behaviors eventually that aren’t there when a clean install is done. It’s just less of a pain to get it over with the first time around. As always, ymmv.
This video shows shows how to upgrade from DOS all the way to Windows 10 on a VM. Just one more stop to Windows 11.
You could do it on physical hardware if you were a complete masochist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzIxmLTHXow
Micrososft were lazy the first time and dumped the responsibility on the users which often meant a clean install. Microsoft having been lazy the first time I think Microsoft coming up with the mechnism now is a bit of a stretch. The amount of money this would cost would be equivalent to one of their executives annual bonuses and I think they would rather keep the money for themselves and cost end users ten times than in outsourced costs. Reasonable? It all depends on your point of view. By this definition Microsoft is the pinnacle of reasonable business. It’s why Chen would rather spend his idle time writing fortune cookies than solving real problems. Admitting Microsoft is selfish and has been burdening end users with costs which balloon the cost of ownership way beyond what people pay for Windows is more than his job is worth!
Constantly describing a blog written by a man with a Chinese name as “writing fortune cookies” just seems questionable at best, if you had only done it once.
Doing it twice in as many days seems pretty damn racist. Seriously. WTF?
Not at all. Accusing someone of writing “fortune cookies” is old one around some casual philosophical circles. I find his dialectic tiring as much as I find people who disagree with a consensus and want to begin a “discussion”. I could accuse him of writing “koans” but koans are a Japanese thing. Mostly, from the Japanese Zen tradition of Japanese Bhuddism which itself is derived from Chinese Cha’n.
As it turns out according to wiki fortune cookies are unlikely to be of Chinese origin and more likely of Japanese origin. I personally associate fortune cookies more with Americans specifically Chinese Americans simply because of popular culture via movies and televisions shows. I didn’t know until I checked and discovered their origination was likely elsewhere most likel Japan. I’m sure some people find fortune cookies amusing but I personally find them as amusing as Christmas cracker jokes which is to say not a lot.
Personally I’m bugged by the fact I think Chen knows exactly what he is up to and the things which bother me especially this Windows 11 nonsense go unremarked. He’s not stupid and I doubt he is unaware of what is happening.
HollyB,
Perhaps you meant nothing by it, but I think Drumhellar’s feedback is valid. It does sound like a racial trope and you deserve the benefit of knowing what it sounds like to others.
What is sounds like… is people need to lighten up and stop dropping *UR A RACIST* accusations at their earliest convenience.
I mean I can’t imagine the SNR of conversations has improved in 2021 due to this alone.
Even if he racism is the reason who gives a flying hoot?
cb88,
HollyB is not going to be happy you called her a “he”, haha.
I didn’t say she was racist. Like I already said maybe there was no racist intent at all, but “Chen would rather spend his idle time writing fortune cookies than solving real problems” does come across as racially derogatory. Whether she’s ok with it or not is completely up to her, but if she didn’t realize that it comes across as derogatory, at least now she’ll know.
As to your other point about who cares about racism, well a lot of people do. I’d like for everyone to feel welcome. Honestly this “stop dropping *UR A RACIST* accusations at their earliest convenience” doesn’t seem to fit with what I said, but I think I recognize that it stems from a pent up frustration with cancel culture, and that’s understandable. Cancel culture can attack good people over trivial nonsense. There’s a big different between being hateful and just playing around.
https://www.thewrap.com/the-simpsons-will-no-longer-have-white-actors-voice-non-white-characters/
I don’t think people realize the irony of using a person’s skin color to preclude them from certain roles, it all seems so petty.
HollyB probably could’ve avoided this racial controversy had she said “It’s why Tyrone would rather spend his idle time deep frying chicken than solving real problems.”
Sucky-sucky, 5 dollar. Me love you long time.
What is the intersection of supported devices between 7 and 11? I thought Windows 11 required a Gen8 CPU or above, and 7 is only supported on a Gen7 CPU or below.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/windows-processor-requirements
Even if this changes, we’re talking about devices from around 2017 where a user intentionally chose to install Windows 7, after 10 was released, and stuck with it after support for 7 ended. I’d like to meet the people that despise 10 so passionately and are hanging out for 11.
I’m one of those people I depise Windows 8/8.1/10 so much that I skipped them all. Metro/Flat Design is an abomination.
And I fail to see what differecne and OS makes to anyone. How much time are you useing it directly. You use the apps. they are responsible for how they look (and they can take the new look to your old os if they feel the need).
I did wait for 8.1 though.
I also upgraded to vista at SP1 as 64 bit was needed and the OS’s were behind the times. Was fine. No SP may have been a pain in the same ways 8 was to 8.1 but it would have been minimal.
tomchr, part of what I was getting at is finding the people who see 8/8.1/10 as an “abomination” but also think 11 is really good and worth moving to. It seems to me like a continuation of 10. Is 11 an upgrade you would want, and if so, why?
Is Windows 11 an upgrade I would want? Well, Windows looks better than it has ever done, but I have come to expect Microsoft’s persistence for design inconsistencies and unnecessary bloat (i.e. at least 27GB for a clean install) Would I upgrade, and if so, why? Eventually, simply due to necessity.
Looking better is subjective. Windows 7 was the peak for me.
Uhh the entire premise makes no sense, as MSFT is only supporting Ryzen 2xxx and Intel 8xxx with TPM V2 (which means my 2019 Ryzen 3 1200 build and Ryzen 3 3600 gamer build aren’t even supported cuz TPM) so no way in hell is anything that came with Win 7 or 8.1 even able to run it.