Should be OK; others have done it. Just remove the recommended programs before the upgrade; a clean install is not required, the upgrade works fine. Windows 7 will install replacements for many of removed drivers, but some will nedd to be re-installed using Win 7 versions. Dell may not have Win 7 versions, as they are not real good at supporting an OS that wasn't originally installed on a particular computer.
I hope someone can give me a quick answer to this. I ran the Windows Upgrade Advisor, and it said my Dell Inspiron 531 was compatible with Windows 7, except that six programs needed to be uninstalled. However, when I went to the Dell website to see about removing two of those programs--the Modem Diagnostic Tool and Dell DataSafe Online--I found out that Dell doesn't list the Inspiron 531 as one of the compatible computers. Can I safely upgrade to Windows 7?
puzzled about upgrading from vista to windows 7