Ever since Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP, users across the globe have been looking for ways to successfully migrate to a better and safer operating system, including Windows 7,8 and 10.
To make the process smooth, it is important to understand the complete scope of the project and develop an appropriate plan taking into account the risks involved, time taken, costs etc. and the way to deal with these.
If you’re also in the process of Windows migration from Windows XP, here is your guide to make the transition simpler-
Do a thorough evaluation
The first step is to evaluate complete hardware and make the choice of the new operating system you want to move to (Windows 7, Windows 8, or the latest Windows 10). Once done, take an inventory of all your hardware and applications to identify machines that need replacement followed by evaluating software required.
Develop a migration strategy and communicate to the team
Another important part of the successful migration process from Windows XP is clear communication. Make sure that your entire IT team is on board with Windows migration process and goals are clearly defined. While you do this ensure that-
- All the security vulnerabilities in your system have been addressed.
- The entire staff have been using the common appliance version.
- You do have an automated data backup system.
Start the migration process with business-critical applications
As you begin the process of migration, prioritise critical and most important applications first and build a standard hard disk image. Also, identify applications that may have compatibility issues with the newer OS to be able to solve issues through virtualisation.
Apart from identifying applications that may have compatibility issues with the new operating system, check the common settings to migrate and determine application and custom settings to transfer.
Upgrade old machines to newer versions of Windows
If the hardware is good enough to support new versions of Windows, including Windows 7 or 8, there is still a need for running the installation process that completely overwrites the hard drive as there is no such option to upgrade the operating system from Windows XP to Windows 7 or 8 by keeping the personal files, applications and settings safe. It is, therefore, advisable to backup all important data such as images, videos and personal documents to an external storage drive before Windows migration.
Post-migrationThe fact that various Windows versions are radically different from each other with a host of migration issues, IT administrators need to be fully prepared and ensure to monitor the results of Windows migration for a certain timeframe. This is extremely important as the full gamut of application behaviour takes some time to be apparent and requires you to measure and track your results closely.
This also allows you to keep track of the different parts of Windows migration process and communicate the same to others (teams and other stakeholders) involved in the process.
