Updating From Microsoft Windows XP to Microsoft Windows 7
A lot of problems can arise when trying to update an older machine such as this from Microsoft Windows XP to Microsoft Windows 7. Microsoft has not made it easy for XP users to move to Win7. You won't be able to run the upgrade disk and have the newer operating system install on top of XP, leaving your data and programs in place.
Instead, you have two options:
1. You can do a Clean install, in which you wipe the hard drive clean and install a virgin copy of Windows 7, then reinstall your software and copy your data back to the drive.
2. You can do a Custom install, in which your older setup is squirreled away in a folder called WINDOWS.OLD. This will include your program files, though you won't be able to run your software from there. It will also include data files, but you shouldn't rely on this as your sole backup strategy prior to upgrading.
First and foremost When performing and update such as this: make sure that all hardware on the machine that is being updated is compatible and will meet Windows 7's minimum system requirements. A good way to do this is simply to go to the Microsoft website and download the windows 7 advisor at: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/upgrade-advisor. This tool can be very helpful in determining if a system is capable of running windows 7. Some of the Windows 7 system requirements are: * 1 GHz processor (32- or 64-bit) * 1 GB of RAM (32-bit); 2 GB of RAM (64-bit) * 16 GB of available disk space (32-bit); 20 GB of available disk space (64-bit) * DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Another good tip to consider before starting installation process is making sure that all important data is backed up for safe keeping on another machine or a portable hard drive.
The only major technical problems that one can see