Don't know how relevant, but found a blog on a similar topic

http://blogs.lessthandot.com/index.php/SysAdmins/OS/upgrading-to-win-7-can-take-a-while

>>Have you considered something like:
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>>http://www.7tools.com/exact_image/
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>>I use something like that (version 2005 and the old discontinued PowerQuest DriveImage 5) for years, and it really helps out in a situation you are experiencing.
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>That is a good idea, and I will use a similar tool before I reformat this machine (for whatever O/S I put on it). I have a program I used a couple of years ago when replacing the HD with a bigger one - the name escapes me for the moment..
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>>Basically, I am able to make an exact duplicate of my working HD to a second Hard drive, then format and install whatever is on my HD. If there are problems, I am able to restore the exact duplicate (takes a few minutes) to the exact way it was before I missed with it. This really cuts down on my frustration level with dealing with all this stuff as I know I can go back to where I was.
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>>I actually have incremental images made this way (like just with Windows Installed, then one that I call my working computer with everything, etc., etc.). All this has probably saved me hundred and hundred of hours over the years.
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>>This is a real time saver, and in reality I restore my HD every 2 or 3 months this way (obviousely saving and restoring my work first) so that my computers always seem to run as new.
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>>Hope this helps.
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>>Mel
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>>>>It will not let me upgrade because of those. They aren't just warnings - they stop the upgrade and your choice is to cancel.
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>>>>OK, another dumb question....can you simply do a complete reinstall? I'd be more interested in a fresh install than an upgrade anyway. Am I missing something?
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>>>Yes of course. I was hoping not to do that yet because it would take me days at least to reinstall everything and get the machine back to some sense of normalcy.
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>>>My intent was to do a reinstall sometime in the fall with the 64bit version (I wanted to do Vista 64bit since Vista came out but never got clear answers on hardware or software compatibility). Of course, my loathing of Vista has increased to the point that it is coming off this machine (period).
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>>>I have attempted to find information from Dell or Microsoft re: hardware compatibility for my Dell E1705 (9400) laptop running 64bit Windows 7 and find nothing but a black hole. I'm not seeing much of anything out of dell re: win 7 except upgrade promises if you purchase certain new machines.
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>>>If I have to reinstall I need to know I will be able to use my hardware w/o spending hours or days hunting for solutions with a crippled machine. XP is looking like the answer (as it has been for years).