Recently I upgraded to a new machine with Windows 7. Before my last crash I made a copy of my Winamp folder (from C:\Program Files\) onto my media drive. I’ve been using iTunes now for months and have decided that Winamp needs to return to my desktop. As my machine is the home theater machine you sometimes just need a program that works and one that makes it easy to control the flow of music and the Winamp developers have always understood this concept. You can use the Jump to File to plan your next few songs, the visualizer to just black out the TV to hide the player controls (and wow some), but I digress.

This method of restoring your Winamp folder is pretty simple and will restore your media library, top played songs, custom playlists and more. You can restore to higer versions within the version 5 series of Winamp if that was your last backup version as well. The trick to a seamless upgrade/restore is to keep your media in the drive tree (My Computer) at the same location. If you have all or most of your media on a separate drive then this should be easy – as on either an upgrade or a fresh install – you can easily make that drive have the same letter (unless you’ve somehow had a media drive on C:\ ?). After installing Windows 7 on my fresh machine I simply put my media drive back at S:\ by going to Computer Management and then Disk Management (as with Windows XP, 2000, Vista).

So now we’re assuming you have backed up your old Winamp folder, somewhere, on a thumb drive, separate drive, or in Windows Backup somewhere to media.

*Get a copy of Winamp (stay in the same version series, try upgrading from there – this written for version 5 series).

*Install Winamp (from Website) – On Windows 7 64-bit Winamp wants to install to the x86 version of the Program Files Folder. I changed this to the default (C:\Program Files\) folder that Winamp might expect from my previous install on Windows XP. I installed everything, but we’ll do it again so skip the Winamp Remote program on this round should you desire to download and install it. Do not run Winamp on exit of the install process.

* Navigate Windows Explorer (Win+E) to the Winamp install folder (C:\Program Files\Winamp) and delete all the files.

* Restore your copy of the Winamp folder to the Winamp install folder. You can copy the contents into this folder or the Winamp folder into the Program Files directory. If you have backed the program directory up on a backup media and can selectively install or extract that folder try to get it to land here or move it here.

* Launch Winamp. Don’t use any desktop or other icons – navigate directly to the Winamp install folder.
Install Winamp – Install the latest version again to the folder we have installed to, deleted and pasted into.
Launch Winamp.

* ???

* Profit

Now you have the current version with your existing media library. If you have migrated over to iTunes and want to move to or restore a old Winamp install like I did you can import your media library over from iTunes in Winamp 5.56, the current version as of this writing, by using the menu option once you have the media library window open. I went to my top played and clicked on the number one song and it instantly played (rather was queued and then played as that was my default for parties).

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So while looking for information on how to hack an upgrade install I found a page worth sharing. It not only lists how to shim this hack, but also some notable changes and things you should be aware of before making the leap to the Windows 7 RC.

Here is a sample of the 12 things ‘you should know’;

11. What the changes are:

Everyone always asks what the changes are. Microsoft has listed 64 changes from the Beta RC  here,here, and here. If you want the short version, here’s a quick list of the most significant changes:

Improved Taskbar: Can now fit 24-39% more icons depending on your resolution, opened apps stand out more, smaller jumplists, and items that need your attention now blink faster.

UAC vulnerability fix: Every time the level of UAC is changed, you will be prompted for confirmation.

Stream your music library over the Internet in Windows Media Player: This feature would be great if easier to use. To access it, go to Library in WMP and click on Stream in the breadcrumb. It is a lengthy process but the instructions given should get you where you want.

Turn Windows features on or off: Yes you can finally “uninstall” IE8 or other “unnecessary” Windows features. Read about it here

Improved Driver Support: Didn’t download the beta because of all those hardware incompatibility stories you’ve heard? It’s still not perfect in the RC but a lot has improved since the Beta. It’s worth a try.

Insane wallpapers, new themes and sound schemes: If you love customization, Windows 7 RC will satisfy your tastes. There are a lot more goodies added for you to customize to your liking in the RC.

via 12 things you need to know before installing Windows 7 RC | Windows 7 Center.

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