Okay, the difference is fairly simple, but important.
If you have files, settings or other things you simply MUST keep how they are now, then you need to upgrade. That will maintain as much as can be kept between versions, although I personally dislike this method. I think it leads to more issues than it prevents in the long run, and I try to do a clean install whenever possible. That doesn't mean 'Full Version' or the expensive one.
It just means you tell Windows 7, during the install process (I believe..and it's been a year or more since I've worked with 7) that you want a fresh install, and format of the target drive. It will recognize Windows Vista for qualifying to use the cheaper upgrade version of Windows 7 install, but will install after wiping everything and starting fresh. This is what I always try and do because Windows just builds up crap over time. Every version has. So, as clean a start as you can get? The better.
BTW.. The versions have support left, but Vista is almost done. That is EOS or End of Service in 2017 and Windows 7 is scheduled for 2020.
VirtualBox runs like any other program. The virtual drive it creates for each box is a single file and, as you can imagine, can get to be a very BIG one. You tell it when you set up a new box, how much you want to give it/allow it in Gigabytes and whether you want a file made static to that size or to expand as needed.
You don't need anything special at all though, and that is what makes VirtualBox worth mentioning and easy to use. It's just another program to Windows. Nothing special to install or run like anything else.
I'd leave BIOS alone. Record, print or just use your phone to take a screen photograph of what BIOS settings are now. Really tho...it's a place to go only when something is broken and needs fixed, or you really intend and fully mean to change something.
I dunno what the issues might have been all about before, or what finally fixed them...however it looked. Still? If Vista works now, 7 wasn't THAT radical a change. It isn't like they changed the kernal or core of the OS itself. (Windows 10 WILL be a major change, as I understand it. It's supposed to be capable of running on a tiny RaspberryPi even!)
I'd leave BIOS alone. Record, print or just use your phone to take a screen photograph of what BIOS settings are now. Really tho...it's a place to go only when something is broken and needs fixed, or you really intend and fully mean to change something.
I dunno what the issues might have been all about before, or what finally fixed them...however it looked. Still? If Vista works now, 7 wasn't THAT radical a change. It isn't like they changed the kernal or core of the OS itself. (Windows 10 WILL be a major change, as I understand it. It's supposed to be capable of running on a tiny RaspberryPi even!)
Even tho many claim after me researching/googling that it should be on "ACHI" setting for windows 7, not sure if that's a good idea just yet, being as Vista wouldn't work on it after installing the new hard drive.......which that in of itself has me puzzled
All I can do is try it on 'IDE' and if it acts up, then reset the BIOS back to ACHI
You're right, you can always get back to BIOS. No matter what changes are made on the hard drive. So, as long as you have the settings now and whenever you make changes (to know how to un-break something..hehe) then you shouldn't have any issues.
I'm just the opposite - I've never, ever had a dual boot setup give me an instant's trouble, and I've never, ever gotten a virtual machine to run any resolution higher than a dismal 800 X 600. In other words, I've never gotten a virtual box to cover enough screen real estate to make it worth my trouble, which is why I stopped messing with them at all, and deleted all of the virtual machines to free up space for other stuff.
Okay..I'm a bit confused. Windows 7 would be an upgrade over Windows Vista? ..or would Windows 7 be a clean install?
There's the small matter of what's possible... some combinations of upgrade from Vista to Seven REQUIRE a clean install, and will not "upgrade in place" at all. In those cases you have to back everything up first, do a clean install, and then retore your files from the backup. The backup has to be on another drive, because the installer wipes the drive Windows is being installed to to ensure a clean install, and prevent any in-place upgrades.
Should I leave the BIOS as is to install Windows 7 or put the BIOS setting back to it's original setting?
I have a very simple rule that I used to have to explain to my dear old dad over and over and over again, because he had issues with it, but the rule is this: "When I get something working properly, I stop fixing it". That rule has never failed me. My only problem is sometimes getting it working right in the first place - once it works, the fixing is done.
Following this rule, if I had the BIOS settings set to where everything was working the way I wanted it to, I would stop fixing the BIOS settings at exactly that point. By continuing to "fix" the BIOS settings after that, we run into problems where things get broken instead of further fixed, and don't work any more - a Vista update failing or refusing to update would be a good example of that.
I don't think I ever did get Dear Old Dad to understand that "if it works, don't fix it". He fixed everything. that was his role in life, and he would even "fix" things that already worked, resulting often in whole new needs to fix stuff.
I'd leave BIOS alone. Record, print or just use your phone to take a screen photograph of what BIOS settings are now. Really tho...it's a place to go only when something is broken and needs fixed, or you really intend and fully mean to change something.
I dunno what the issues might have been all about before, or what finally fixed them...however it looked. Still? If Vista works now, 7 wasn't THAT radical a change. It isn't like they changed the kernal or core of the OS itself. (Windows 10 WILL be a major change, as I understand it. It's supposed to be capable of running on a tiny RaspberryPi even!)
Windows 10 requires a special version to run on Pi. they had to chop it up and hammer the hell out of what was left to make it fit. Think along the lines of "Windows 7 Starter Edition", and you'll have the idea.
For what it's worth to some of you, Microsoft has done away with anything to do with Windows 7 as early as Feb. 2015
Found many sources that used the DigitalRiver which is a MS (was) site and it's no longer available
Microsoft software recovery is no longer available...tried several sites that had that link (404)
The Win 7 I downloaded earlier will not work...the Win 7 tool installer will not even recognize it (may be missing legal components, dunno)
Oh and that video above that was done in 2011, the process is not the same any more as it showed there Now a days, it takes you to the "Windows Anytime Upgrade", then to Win 7 Adviser, which said I had one Marvell driver to update for it (I've done that process several times already)
Well I downloaded the one it called for....keeps saying not correct driver (when I inserted the dvd and tried it that way) So I downloaded the only 3 left remaining on the Marvell site for Win 7 and tried them as well....no go
So am back to square one again (sigh)
Finally found a site that still has workable links for a "trial" version of Win 7 ..... so if I can get it to download properly, will try to use the activation code that was in the video (if it hasn't been blocked by now)
-First will try the Win 7 installer tool -Then if that doesn't work, I'll burn another disc with the new download and try that way
I know one thing....Microsoft has put a stop on any download version of Win 7-- in fact, many sites were talking about that All that stuff on google from 2011-2014 does not apply to what is going on now with MS...actually all the way up to Feb of this year
After spending hours researching, can't believe how Microsoft has quit cold turkey when it comes to Win 7, and all the MS pages do is make you go in a circle over & over again
Oh well, at least I got Vista to update it's SP2 finally...that's one good thing for today! Erm yesterday I mean ...lol
I know one thing....Microsoft has put a stop on any download version of Win 7-- in fact, many sites were talking about that All that stuff on google from 2011-2014 does not apply to what is going on now with MS...actually all the way up to Feb of this year
After spending hours researching, can't believe how Microsoft has quit cold turkey when it comes to Win 7, and all the MS pages do is make you go in a circle over & over again
To quote Mr. Universe from "Serenity": "They can't stop the signal, Mal." Once it's "out there", it can never, ever be recalled or stopped.
I'm not hip to the "Win 7 Tool Installer". The last time I tried to use anything like that was to install some kind of addons ("Windows Essentials" or something like that - they turned out to be not all that essential) from the Microsoft site, and it failed miserably. That was the last time I tried to install MS Anything across the internet. If I can't get a physical install disk, I don't bother with it - my theory is if they can't be bothered to give me a disk to install from (which would cost them all of 10 cents), or at the least an ISO to make a disk from (which would cost them exactly NOTHING), it's probably not worth my bother to install. If it ain't worth a dime to them, it ain't worth a dime to me, either.
Still, those ISOs are "out there" already, and can never be recalled. They're in the wild, and in the wind. Unfortunately, the better ones may ONLY do a clean install, and not an upgrade - that is an advantage to my mind, but not to everyone's mind.