Noob question on OS changes

[PC Muppet]

Hi, just a couple of quick questions regarding operating systems.

1) If for example I were to change from Vista Basic (64bit) to Vista Premium (64bit), is it just a case of whack in the new disc and it will 'over-write' the basic disc & replace with the premium or will it be more complicated than that?

2) Assuming it does just over-write, will all programs & files previously installed be ok, or is changing the OS more akin to a total reboot?

Cheers in advance.

 

[RJC]

It depends if it allows a upgrade or reinstall, if it's a upgrade then most programes will be ok, but if you do a re-install then all programes will need to be installed.

 

[theheyes]

You should always perform a full backup when attempting an upgrade.

Clean installs are generally less buggy than an upgrade.

This is usually the case from moving between generations of operating systems. I'm really not sure how the upgrade process between Vista versions works. In the early days I was under the impression that an upgrade simply "unlocked" functionality but this could be totally wrong.