Windows 10: upgrade

Hello
I have a complete image of Windows 10, verified,.
Could I install Win 7 with drivers, go to Dell where the pc will be recognized as it came with 7 and upgrade all the drivers ?
I would start with BIOS and do network etc. Dell.
The reason is to "beef up" this machine which is 5 years old.
I could then image back to Win 10 assuming the desktop would recognize it if changes were made.
Thumbs up or down??
TY
Peter

:)

 

Windows 10 Upgrade - Lost power, computer stuck

I have tried the above steps, but my computer does nothing when I press the windows key and the X

 

Maps to Computer

Thanks. That solved that. I thought you had to load up each country as you needed it.

 

When you restore the image you have of Windows 10, it will completely wipe out the Windows 7 and go back to the Windows 10 exactly like it was on the day you created the Windows 10 image.

What you want to do is go back to Windows 7. Do all the driver updates. Then do the upgrade again to Windows 10 using a Windows 10 ISO file or a USB flash drive or DVD created from the Windows 10 ISO file:
Windows 10 ISO Download - Windows 10 Forums

How do I mount iso image file in Windows 7?

To do the upgrade, do not boot the computer from Windows 10 USB or DVD. Either just mount the ISO file within Windows 7, or insert the USB flash drive or DVD with Windows 7 running and then run setup.exe from it from Within Windows 7.

Once you've done the upgrade to Windows 10, then you can export all the drivers that are not included in vanilla Windows 10 by opening a Command Prompt (Admin) and running the command:

dism /online /export-driver /destination:\Drivers

The path in red is to a folder you create on a preferably external storage device to hold the exported drivers.

 

NavyLDR
I have always respected your computer skills. If I ask something that seems dull it is because our levels of skill and understanding are very different.
To put this simply, once the upgrades in 7 are done, the machine is not updated, just 7. If I then image to 10 I am back where I started from. I have to beef up 7 then reinstall windows not capture an image. I thought that imaging was just the OS but not the guts of the machine but see I was wrong. The image is everything.
To do as you say is a lot of work but I am referencing this page as I think I may like to try it.
If Win 10 runs well I will not bother but if it shows signs of issues I have tis project to involve myself with. Thank you so much for the advice and saving me from a disaster.
Peter

 

The only drivers resident on the computer itself is the BIOS (replaced by UEFI in newer computers). That is only enough to detect the basic properties of the hardware and read the boot sector of the disk to boot the computer. Nearly all of the drivers that allow the operating system to interact with the hardware are stored within the operating system on the SSD or hard drive and are loaded with the operating system. They are also replaced when the operating system is replaced.

When you load or update drivers you are changing files stored on the hard drive or SSD, nothing gets stored permanently on the computer (motherboard) itself.

 

What`s the point of doing this, do you want to run 7 or 10 ?

The only way to beef up a PC is to max out the hardware as best you can afford.

But with a Dell, I would not waste a dime *Wink

 

I did not know about this so asked to learn. The information NavyLCDR gave me was very informative.
At any rate, if I did have an issue doing it, as long as my verified image worked as it always has, I would be back where I started,I assume?

I have put a new hard drive and PSU in, and exchanged video cards. No good money will go into this system.
I am considering a Chromebook for my wife as she cannot maintain Windows and may build my own mid range desktop if this goes and variables allow. Looking at 80, I am realistically taking one day at a time. This digital age has been a boon for shut ins.
Let's hope this lasts. *Thumbs

 

Is your image of 10 an upgrade from 7 or did you clean install 10, do your updates, customize windows to your liking, and then create the image of 10 ?

 

I did both, the former first and the latter second
I think I used setup.exe for the upgrade and booted from the disc for the clean install.
Do I have that right?
TY
Peter

 

Yes, but I have no clue why you created an image of the upgraded version.

Ok, next question, why do you want to go through the trouble of installing 7, just to reimage it with 10 ?

 

I very much recommend doing an image of the upgraded version. The reason is when many people do a clean install afterwards they discover they are missing manufacturer supplied drivers or even manufacturer supplied registry entries. And if it is a cheap Chinese computer or tablet they may find those drivers very difficult to download.

I an image is made before the upgrade, or immediately after, the missing drivers can be recovered from it.

 

I have Win 10 pro running well and have an image of it.
I thought I would install 7, upgrade all the BIOS, drivers, etc. then image back to my Win 10.

It was explained 7 would be wiped so I did not. I have well running Windows 10 from a clean install. I image after each OS is installed and good to go so later on if there is trouble I will have a fresh OS. Although I have images along the way. I always keep the original so it will act like a fresh clean install.

[If - if, I wanted to go through the work of getting 7's upgraded drivers etc. to 10, I was a bit confused whether I would boot from the Windows 10 dvd or insert the dvd and run setup.exe.]

I don't mean to cause a stir, I was asking to learn and hope this summarizes my ideas. I have chosen to stay where I am.
Thank for your help
Peter

 

The upgrade advisor should be run first before considering an upgrade to rule out these issues.