So I have my shiny new netbook but it comes preinstalled with Windows XP.  Having used Vista since beta versions and got used to it’s features and way of working, I felt it was a backwards step to go back to XP and not have those extras.

First of all I installed the Vista compatibility wizard program to see if the netbook would be capable in theory of running Vista and thankfully everything passed the test.  Next I had to decide which Vista version I wanted to buy.  I didn’t think I would need all the features of Vista Home so I went for the cheaper option and purchased Vista Basic Upgrade from the Microsoft online store as it was quite a bit cheaper than the Home Premium version.

I downloaded all the files and ran the installation from the XP desktop.  It got to the expanding of files part and just threw me out with an error that it could not overwrite the boot – without the ability to overwrite the boot it would not be able to install it no matter how many times you re-try.

I searched for hours online and was even on the phone to Microsoft support for nearly an hour trying to get it to install but no joy.  That is, until while searching I happened across a forum with a topic dealing with this exact problem.

http://www.4winmobile.com/forums/netbook/ – that is the forum you want, check the sticky at the top for the Vista upgrade guide.

The problem only exists if you are doing an upgrade from the XP desktop, so if you are doing a clean install with an upgrade or full version booting from the disc this problem should not apply to you.  The problem is the boot folder hidden within XP.  This tells the computer how to boot the machine into XP.  The way to complete the upgrade is to delete or rename the folder into something else so the installation thinks it is not there.  But be warned, if you delete the folder you will not be able to reboot the machine if the installation does not work.  So I renamed mine so it was still there if I needed it.

The folder is located in the root of the C:\ drive.  Go to C:\ and then go to tools – folder options – click on the view tab.  Place a tick in “show hidden files and folders” and untick “hide protected system files” – this will ensure that you can see the boot folder and can rename it to something else.

Once I renamed the folder and restarted the upgrade it went all smoothly without a hitch at all and soon enough Vista was installed on the machine.  After installation everything worked as normal.  All the hotkeys worked and the Avantquest connection manager for the sim card worked fine.  I had to get a few driver updates but that is to be expected. The machine is very speedy and I have had no problems whatsoever.

For those who like numbers, my Windows Experience Score is 2.7 It is really only let down by its “gaming graphics” which really is not an issue as netbooks are most definitely not gaming machines.