Upgrading Windows: From DOS 5.0 to Windows 7

[Josh]

This guy takes you through installing DOS 5.0 and installs every major OS (Minus ME and NT) along the way in an upgrade fashion. Watch the settings which are retained and the programs which are kept as well.

Pretty impressive (Can your linux do this?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPnehDhGa14

[skwire]

That is a cool cool video. 

[nudone]

Yep. A cool trip down memory lane. I wonder why Windows ME and NT were left out - didn't they work as upgrades?

[lanux128]

Yep. A cool trip down memory lane. I wonder why Windows ME and NT were left out - didn't they work as upgrades?

that's what he mentions for WinME.

FAQ

1) Why Didn't you Install ME?

Since Windows ME cannot be upgraded to 2000, I chose to install 2000 straight from 98 as it was chronologically the next release.

[nudone]

ah right, another reason why WinME was a load of rubbish.

[Deozaan]

Wow. I always wondered what Windows 1 & 2 looked like. I remember we had pre-Windows machines like a TI-98 and some monochrome systems I don't know the names of, but the first version of Windows my family ever used was Windows 3.1(1).

[Stoic Joker]

Wow. I always wondered what Window 1 & 2 looked like. I remember we had pre-Windows machines like a TI-98 and some monochrome systems I don't know the names of, but the first version of Windows my family ever used was Windows 3.1(1).

There was a multi-boot CD image floating around the internet awhile back that let you pick Windows 1, 2, or 3 to boot up and play with.

[40hz]

Pretty impressive (Can your linux do this?)

Pretty much. And at zero cost to the person doing the upgrades. What are we looking at here? Something like $500-$600 to go from DOS 5 to Win7? (Assuming, of course, you weren't bootlegging your copy of everything up to pre-WGA Windows 2000?   )

FWIW you can update approximately 95% of what's on virtually any Linux installation without needing to reboot. The remaining 5% (mostly kernal updates) may soon not require a reboot either thanks to ksplice and a few other projects that are looking to remove that too.

It's also worth noting that Linux, in general, is starting to move away from the notion of versions, opting for a rolling release model.

Microsoft is too. But they're thinking more along the lines of cloud-based services and applications which will be sold by annual subscription.

If all goes according to plan, it will eventually turn the PC into a smart terminal with subscribed access to a remote application and data server. (Kinda hauls us right back to 1960 (with IBM/Honeywell/Sperry Rand) except now we have the web - doesn't it?  )

Either way, that video was very cool. Brings back some fond memories (Win2K Pro ) and some painful ones (ME - whatever where they thinking?). Glad I didn't have to see that headache again. I still get nightmares. Surprised he didn't do WFWG however, since that was the Win3 most "smart money" went with.

ANyway...Great find! Thx for sharing it.