"Pancho" wrote in message
...
On 25/06/2020 10:52, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Pancho wrote:
On 24/06/2020 15:10, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
My banking app is nagging me to do this, so suppose I must.

I'll do my Win7 Pro laptop first.

Have Googled it, but as usual as many questions as answers.

Ideally, the update would retain all my files data and apps. Obviously
some apps may need updating too - but assume they'd tell me if this is
so, if it doesn't happen by magic?

Ebay has plenty CDs etc for sale for a modest sum that promise to do
just this.

I do have the laptop backed up - using the Win7 facility - to an
external HD. Would I be able to retrieve my files from that if
anything goes wrong to the new Win10 while installing? Or should I do
a second backup of the files I know I might want later? JPGs and so on.

As usual, an idiots guide would be appreciated.

Idiots, guide... (well we really don't know what you have, but this is
my procedure)

Backup the files you want.

Buy a 250GB ssd for about £30 replace the laptop drive, keep the old
drive, just in case you have forgotten some files.

I've already changed the HD to an SSD by cloning the original HD. Which
is
now in a caddy, and where I've backed up to.

Install W10 fresh from USB (software downloaded from Microsoft).
Activate using Win7 credentials or £2 licence off ebay if they don't
work..

Copy back the files you want.

That would mean re-installing all the non MS apps I use. I do realise
some
if not all will need updating, but hoped this could be done as part of
the
process.

Yep.

My strategy is partly safety and partly good housekeeping, but if you
already have the original disk for safety, just run the automatic upgrade
and see what happens.

FWIW Thunderbird really is quite good, I would recommend using it rather
than Outlook Express.

Too many complaints about it for my liking and those having
to run old versions for some reason.