TechNet Events Follow Up from September 9 – 11, 2009

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I’m sorry that I’m a bit behind in posting my follow up from the TechNet Events that I delivered in Southern California from September 9th through 11th.

I had only three questions that came up during the presentations and they are as follows:

  1. What happens to the Program Files directory if you perform a Custom (Advanced) Install of Windows 7?
  2. How do you configure the additional settings associated with AD Recycle Bin in Windows Server 2008 R2?
  3. Attendee mentioned that at her company, they were able to perform an in-place upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7.  Everyone wanted to know if this was indeed possible so I promised to test it out myself and report back.

Answer 1:

If you perform a Custom (Advanced) Install of Windows 7, the previous copy of the Windows directory will be renamed to Windows.Old and the Program Files directory is deleted.

Answer 2:

First, something went wrong with my demo on the AD Recycle Bin in San Diego so I figured I would put together a quick (15 minute) screen cast on AD Recycle Bin.  In this screen cast, I walk through the steps required to enable the AD Recycle Bin as well as how to configure the Tombstone setting for the Recycle Bin.  I also show the use of Powershell commands to undelete multiple items.

 

 

 

Answer 3:

I tested this scenario using Windows XP Pro SP3 installed in a Virtual Machine on Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V as well as Windows XP Pro SP3 installed natively on physical hardware.  I tested using the 32 bit version of Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise.  The steps that I took are outlined below.

  • While logged in as administrator on Windows XP, inserted the Windows 7 DVD.
  • Presented with 2 installation options:

      Win7UpgradeScreen

  • I chose Upgrade and was presented with a Compatibility Report screen stating that it is not possible to directly upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7. 

      Win7UpgradeCompatReport1

  • Rebooted the Virtual Machine and booted directly to the Windows 7 DVD Setup. 
  • Again, I was presented with the two different installation options and chose the Upgrade Option.  Just as before, I was presented with a Compatibility Report stating this option is not available in my current situation.

      Win7UpgradeCompatReport2

While I was doing the testing from Hyper-V, I used the Expression Encoder 3 Screen Capture utility to create a quick screencast for your viewing pleasure as well.  I am including that right here.

 

 

The official details for moving to Windows 7 from Windows XP or Windows Vista can be found on the Windows Team Blog.  I am including the two specific blog entries from the Windows Team Blog as well as the Step by Step Guide on the Windows 7 Site.

https://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windows7/archive/2009/09/24/moving-to-windows-7.aspx

https://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windows7/pages/moving-to-windows-7-faq.aspx

https://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-xp-to-windows-7

Please read through these carefully and in its entirety to get a full understanding of what is and is not supported.

Harold Wong