Would you like more features and flash in Windows on your netbook?  Here’s how you can easily upgrade your netbook to Windows 7 Home Premium the easy way.

Most new netbooks today ship with Windows 7 Starter, which is the cheapest edition of Windows 7.  It is fine for many computing tasks, and will run all your favorite programs great, but it lacks many customization, multimedia, and business features found in higher editions.  Here we’ll show you how you can quickly upgrade your netbook to more full-featured edition of Windows 7 using Windows Anytime Upgrade.  Also, if you want to upgrade your laptop or desktop to another edition of Windows 7, say Professional, you can follow these same steps to upgrade it, too.

Please note: This is only for computers already running Windows 7.  If your netbook is running XP or Vista, you will have to run a traditional upgrade to install Windows 7.

Upgrade Advisor

First, let’s make sure your netbook can support the extra features, such as Aero Glass, in Windows 7 Home Premium.  Most modern netbooks that ship with Windows 7 Starter can run the advanced features in Windows 7 Home Premium, but let’s check just in case.  Download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor (link below), and install as normal.

Once it’s installed, run it and click Start Check.

Make sure you’re connected to the internet before you run the check, or otherwise you may see this error message.  If you see it, click Ok and then connect to the internet and start the check again.

It will now scan all of your programs and hardware to make sure they’re compatible with Windows 7.  Since you’re already running Windows 7 Starter, it will also tell you if your computer will support the features in other editions of Windows 7.

After a few moments, the Upgrade Advisor will show you want it found.  Here we see that our netbook, a Samsung N150, can be upgraded to Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate. We also see that we had one issue, but this was because a driver we had installed was not recognized.  Click “See all system requirements” to see what your netbook can do with the new edition.

This shows you which of the requirements, including support for Windows Aero, your netbook meets.  Here our netbook supports Aero, so we’re ready to go upgrade.

For more, check out our article on how to make sure your computer can run Windows 7 with Upgrade Advisor.

Upgrade with Anytime Upgrade

Now, we’re ready to upgrade our netbook to Windows 7 Home Premium.  Enter “Anytime Upgrade” in the Start menu search,and select Windows Anytime Upgrade.

Windows Anytime Upgrade lets you upgrade using product key you already have or one you purchase during the upgrade process.  And, it installs without any downloads or Windows disks, so it works great even for netbooks without DVD drives.

Anytime Upgrades are cheaper than a standard upgrade, and for a limited time, select retailers in the US are offering Anytime Upgrades to Windows 7 Home Premium for only $49.99 if purchased with a new netbook.  If you already have a netbook running Windows 7 Starter, you can either purchase an Anytime Upgrade package at a retail store or purchase a key online during the upgrade process for $79.95.  Or, if you have a standard Windows 7 product key (full or upgrade), you can use it in Anytime upgrade.  This is especially nice if you can purchase Windows 7 cheaper through your school, university, or office.

Purchase an upgrade online

To purchase an upgrade online, click “Go online to choose the edition of Windows 7 that’s best for you”.

Here you can see a comparison of the features of each edition of Windows 7.  Note that you can upgrade to either Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate.  We chose home Premium because it has most of the features that home users want, including Media Center and Aero Glass effects.  Also note that the price of each upgrade is cheaper than the respective upgrade from Windows XP or Vista.  Click buy under the edition you want.

Enter your billing information, then your payment information.  Once you confirm your purchase, you will directly be taken to the Upgrade screen.  Make sure to save your receipt, as you will need the product key if you ever need to reinstall Windows on your computer.

Upgrade with an existing product key

If you purchased an Anytime Upgrade kit from a retailer, or already have a Full or Upgrade key for another edition of Windows 7, choose “Enter an upgrade key”.

Enter your product key, and click Next.  If you purchased an Anytime Upgrade kit, the product key will be located on the inside of the case on a yellow sticker.

The key will be verified as a valid key, and Anytime Upgrade will automatically choose the correct edition of Windows 7 based on your product key.  Click Next when this is finished.

Continuing the Upgrade process

Whether you entered a key or purchased a key online, the process is the same from here on.  Click “I accept” to accept the license agreement.

Now, you’re ready to install your upgrade.  Make sure to save all open files and close any programs, and then click Upgrade.

The upgrade only takes about 10 minutes in our experience but your mileage may vary.  Any available Microsoft updates, including ones for Office, Security Essentials, and other products, will be installed before the upgrade takes place.

After a couple minutes, your computer will automatically reboot and finish the installation.  It will then reboot once more, and your computer will be ready to use!  Welcome to your new edition of Windows 7!

Here’s a before and after shot of our desktop.  When you do an Anytime Upgrade, all of your programs, files, and settings will be just as they were before you upgraded.  The only change we noticed was that our pinned taskbar icons were slightly rearranged to the default order of Internet Explorer, Explorer, and Media Player.  Here’s a shot of our desktop before the upgrade.  Notice that all of our pinned programs and desktop icons are still there, as well as our taskbar customization (we are using small icons on the taskbar instead of the default large icons).

Before, with the Windows 7 Starter background and the Aero Basic theme:

And after, with Aero Glass and the more colorful default Windows 7 background.

All of the features of Windows 7 Home Premium are now ready to use.  The Aero theme was activate by default, but you can now customize your netbook theme, background, and more with the Personalization pane.  To open it, right-click on your desktop and select Personalize.

You can also now use Windows Media Center, and can play-back DVD movies using an external drive.

One of our favorite tools, the Snipping Tool, is also now available for easy screenshots and clips.

Activating you new edition of Windows 7

You will still need to activate your new edition of Windows 7.  To do this right away, open the start menu, right-click on Computer, and select Properties.

Scroll to the bottom, and click “Activate Windows Now”.

Make sure you’re connected to the internet, and then select “Activate Windows online now”.

Activation may take a few minutes, depending on your internet connection speed.

When it is done, the Activation wizard will let you know that Windows is activated and genuine.  Your upgrade is all finished!

Conclusion

Windows Anytime Upgrade makes it easy, and somewhat cheaper, to upgrade to another edition of Windows 7.  It’s useful for desktop and laptop owners who want to upgrade to Professional or Ultimate, but many more netbook owners will want to upgrade from Starter to Home Premium or another edition.

Links

Download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

Windows Team Blog:

Anytime Upgrade Special with new PC purchase

Positioned as companions to either desktop or laptop computers, netbooks are small, light, convenient devices that allow for most of the basic computing functions found in larger systems. One of the most important decisions you will have to make when buying a netbook is whether to buy Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter for your operating system.

Windows XP had a long and fruitful life as the operating system of choice for almost a decade. Although it would seem that with the release of Windows Vista and 7, XP would fade from memory, it remains an excellent choice for netbooks and other applications where a fast, small-footprint O/S is needed.

Alternatively, you could opt for Microsoft’s Windows 7 Starter, essentially a stripped down version of Windows 7 Home Premium specially designed for netbooks and mini laptops. If you are confused about which operating system to choose, read on to learn the pros and cons of using Windows XP or Windows 7 Starter as your netbook’s O/S.

Windows XP Pros

Full Operating System – If you want a full O/S that doesn’t seem to be a watered down solution, XP is the better choice. Without any programs running, XP takes up only about 250MB of RAM vs about 1200MB with Windows 7 Home Premium. If hardware is a concern, XP just may make netbooks a possibility,

Stability – There’s no denying that Windows XP is a stable computing platform. Well, it should be after a decade of service packs, patches, and upgrades. If you are comfortable with XP as a desktop or laptop O/S, it will likely serve you well on a netbook.

Support – Going back to the 10 years of XP thing, no other operating has more support available on the web. If you have a problem, a quick Google search returns thousands of pages ready to help you with free tech support. No such luck for Windows 7 Starter given that it is new and not many people run it as an O/S.

Windows XP Cons

Old – As stated above, Windows XP is about 10 years old even though it enjoyed a long life. Still, if you use your netbook for 3 years, your O/S of choice will be 13 years old when you finally junk it. That fact doesn’t sit well with some netbook buyers.

Limited Future Support – No matter how long its life, even XP’s support will be limited in the future. Although you are covered for old issues, good luck finding support for new ones, especially those that include new hardware.

No 64-bit Option – Although there was a 64-bit edition of Windows XP (x64 edition), no current manufacturer offers it as an O/S for netbooks. Although Windows 7 Starter is also only available as a 32-bit O/S, at least with XP there was a possibility. As the software industry moves on to produce 64-bit versions of its software, you may be left behind no matter which of the two operating systems you choose.

Windows 7 Starter Pros

Latest Operating System – Although a stripped down version, at least Windows 7 Starter is based on the most current O/S from Microsoft. At the very least, you can expect the same kind of support you would expect from a current desktop or laptop O/S.

Streamlined – Although technically stripped down, some people prefer to consider Windows 7 Starter as streamlined for netbooks. Rather than install Home Premium and cut out everything unnecessary in order to deliver a pleasant computing experience, Microsoft has already done the work for you – it’s called Windows 7 Starter.

Anytime Upgrade Available – If you do decide to take the plunge and run Windows 7 Home Premium on your netbook, you can use Windows Anytime Upgrade to make the switch for about $80. At least this way you have the option if you think the investment is worth it.

Windows 7 Starter Cons

Limited Functionality – Let’s be honest, Windows 7 Starter really is a stripped down version of its bigger brothers Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate Edition. Although one thing the software giant got right was to allow you to run as many programs at one time as you want (well, at least as many as your RAM and processor can handle). Previous versions of Starter allowed a maximum of three programs to run simultaneously.

No Aero – If you got used to the Aero Desktop in Vista and 7, you may be in for a shock when you realize that the pretty desktop you have in those operating systems isn’t available in Windows 7 Starter. Don’t look for Aero Glass or Peek in this stripped down O/S because you won’t find them.

Preinstalled Only – Windows 7 Starter is only available preinstalled on a netbook or similar device. If you choose Windows XP, you may not be able to switch to Windows 7 Starter even if you are willing to pay for it. Make your decisions now because you may not be able to change it later.

Conclusion

Although a stripped down version of the other editions of Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 7 Starter is a competent alternative when choosing an O/S for a netbook. Still, Windows XP just may have some more life left in her if you want a full-fledged operating system and want to enjoy the free support available on the web.

If you generally like the features of Windows 7 and don’t mind that it doesn’t quite look or feel like its big brothers, Windows 7 Starter may be a good choice for you. If you want the tried and true stability and usability of an O/S with a long, successful history, Windows XP may be the better choice.

Whatever you choose, think of how you intend to use your netbook and make the decision from that information rather than the list of features each choice offers.