Question on PC & Peripherals:

Can I upgrade to Windows 7 from Vista Home Basic?

Submitted by Reader

Answer:

According to Microsoft, there is no direct upgrade path to Windows 7 from Vista Home Basic. As such, the common advice is to purchase the retail pack for Windows 7 when it launches and do a clean install on your system.

However, there is another, little-known method which may save you some money, and also allow you to keep most of your software and drivers in your current Home Basic system. Simply purchase the upgrade to Vista Home Premium pack and you will be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it arrives in October. By installing Vista Home Premium and then 7 Home Premium, you may not need to reinstall all your drivers and applications on the new platform.

However, there is currently no guarantee that all your software and components are Windows 7 compatible so we suggest you check with the hardware vendor regarding compatibility. You can find out more details in our coverage here.