Read before you do your Vista upgrade … really, I mean it

Ready for Vista?  Oh I am!  Okay, well maybe not quite since I don’t think Carbonite is quite there yet, regardless, I can’t wait.  Yeah I know all about waiting for the first rev, but hey I want to give you folks the skinny on it as soon as I can (hint, hint Edelman and Microsoft).

So are you ready?  There is a great tool that Microsoft supplies called the Upgrade Advisor that will tell you if your machine can even handle it.  That’s step one.  For me it looks like I can take Vista Business (which is what I’d like).

Now, once you have that spiffy box (I hear that you’ll be able to buy and download it online), what’s next?  LifeHacker points to a must-read article on ExtremeTech on what you need to know to upgrade your existing system.  This article assumes that you’re not wiping your machine and starting from scratch.  Yes, this is probably the best thing to do, it isn’t for everyone (certainly not for me).  Here is the intro from LH:

The article goes on to tell you how to prep your system for the upgrade and walks you step-by-step through the procedure. Sure, we all know that a fresh install of Vista on a clean hard drive is the best way to go (or, better yet, a new machine with Vista preloaded), but if that’s not an option, this guide can definitely help you upgrade smoothly

I read through the whole multi-page article and learned a good bit.  I might even print or PDF the puppy for later.  Lord know I won’t be able to find it when I need it.

When I get Vista, and install it, I’ll let you know how it goes.  I can’t wait!

Tags: Vista, Vista upgrades, Vista how-to