XP --> Win 7. Three drives, two unaffected?

I want to upgrade from XP SP3 to Windows 7. I have three drives, C (os) with D and E for data. Will D and E be unaffected? I'm happy for C to be reformatted in the process (does W7 do that?) but I really don't want to disturb D and E. Or is the upgrade an unavoidable major upheaval for all three?
:cry
John

 

Greetings, Skyline_UK.

Shouldn't be a problem at all - to be safe, you might consider temporarily disconnecting the data drives during the install process, but even if that's not feasible the drives should be unaffected.

And, yes - the Win7 install will (and should, for a cleaner install) format the C: drive prior to installation. Just follow the prompts.

 

If you haven't already done so it would be advisable to run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor before going any further.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/upgrade-advisor

 

Before I go ahead, I just want to understand the 32/64 bit thing.
My PC is a music DAW (based on Sonar) and some music applications and plug-ins don't yet operate in 64 bit.
(1) Does Windows 7 install 32 and 64 bit or will I need to make a choice? Or,
(2) Is everything done 'under the hood' of the OS so I should install the 64 bit versions of music applications where they exist, and not worry if I have to install 32 bit versions where they don't?

Earthling, thanks, I ran that already and the only issue I have is a MAudio MIDI 4x4 interface which I need to replace as it's an old box which has been replaced with a W7 compliant one.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

1. Windows is either 32 or 64 bit. You have no choice. It is based on the version that is on the DVD that you have.
2. 32-bit programs run seamlessly under 64-bit windows under what is called Compatibility Mode. You don't have to do anything - Windows does all the work. This applies to programs. Drivers, on the other hand, are generally specific to either 32 or 64-bit mode.

 

Thanks Abeki. So, in short, as I think the upgrade comes with both, I should install the 64 bit version and forget about it?

 

The ONLY meaningful benefit of 64-bit is where you have and want to use more than 4GB of memory, including your graphics memory. If RAM plus graphics is under 4GB then you are less likely to encounter driver or software issues with 32-bit.

 

As long as you have 4 or more GB of RAM, I say you should install the 64-bit version and just don't worry about it. If you have less than 4GB of RAM, install the 32-bit version. Also, if you install the 64-bit version, make sure to DL and install the 64-bit version of the drivers you will need.