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You can use the 'upgrade' installation media, but installing either on top of XP is a destructive installation. You''ll lose all the XP apps and configuration and wind up with the same virgin W7 / W8 installation as if you had started with bare metal.. Be sure you have all the media and license keys to reinstall your apps, and back up all you data first because you WILL have to restore it.

You can upgrade XP to Vista and retain your apps and data, and upgrade V to W7 non-destructively.