We can Upgrade XP to Vista. But it is actually not a good idea. This is because both didn’t have nothing in common. They are two different operating systems with contrasting system requirements and functionality. But we can upgrade our XP installation to Vista.
To Upgrade XP to Vista, we need to create a new partition. This partition is where we are going to install Vista. Vista requires at least 15 GB of free disk space. Then some space should be left for installing apps for Vista. So you can install Vista on a partition of your hard drive. Otherwise we can install Vista on a second hard drive, which I think is the best option and is more practical. But be sure not to install Vista on the same partition where XP is installed.
1. First boot from the Vista installation DVD. Then press the Install Now button to start the installation process.
2. After going through the usual steps like updating the installation, agreeing to the license agreement, you are provided with a window which asks “Which type of installation
do you want?”.In this screen select Upgrade instead of Custom install.
3. The setup will scan your computer for system compatibility and then you are provided with a system computability report which is a detailed report of your system’s maximum disk space, memory, audio, video capacity etc. If you got a nice compatibility report there is no problem installing Vista.
4. Now the setup will continue as a clean install. The difference is that we did not need to setup a user name and password, or configure display properties etc. Vista uses the same settings you have configured in XP. When the installation is complete the system reboots and then you have to configure Automatic Updates and other essential options like date, time etc. Now press the Finish button and your system will reboot again with a nice welcome screen and you can enter the Username and password that you have set in XP to login to your system.
Another option is to dual boot XP with Vista.
1. Follow the steps similar in upgrading XP to Vista, instead of clicking on the Upgrade button press Custom install, when you are asked, “Which type of installation do you want?”.
2. Press the Next button. Here you have to select a partition where you need to install Vista. Choose a partition in your first hard drive or use a second hard drive to install Vista.
3. The setup will continue as usual and you have to follow all the steps as in a clean install.
4. When you reboot to log in to your computer you can see a boot menu where you can choose the OS from which you need to boot from.
