How to Install Windows 7 Comprehensive Guide to How to Install Windows 7

How to Install Windows 7 - Introduction

There are three main versions of Windows 7 and this guide covers how to install Windows 7 in any of these variants.Actually there is a fourth version, Windows 7 Starter, but this is only available pre-installed on netbooks etc and it is limited in its capabilities compared to the other versions on offer.

If you are building a new PC then you can purchase an OEM version of Windows 7.You will find this a much cheaper alternative to the full retail version, the only difference being the lack of telephone or any technical support.

Mountains of support is available on the internet for any problem you are likely to come up against though and unless you really want to pay for this we would strongly recommend that you stick with the OEM version.

We would recommend the ‘Windows 7 Home Premium’ version as the most suitable for home users.The ‘Windows 7 Home Premium’ option gives the best features verses price trade off.

The other thing to consider is whether to opt for the 32 bit or 64 bit version. If you have a 64 bit processor installed in your PC then you will most likely want to purchase the 64 bit version to ensure you make full use of the extra performance available to you. A 64 bit processor and operating system will also allow you to access RAM above 4GB.

Do be aware though that some of your software may not be 64 bit compatible and it is worth checking this out before deciding.Ok, so you are probably going to opt for the OEM version but remember that the OEM version will not come with a pretty box or manual although you will save a truckload of money over the retail version.

If you are constructing a new PC then you will already be performing a clean installation but if you are simply upgrading we would still always recommend a clean installation of Windows 7 rather than an upgrade or re-install over your current Windows Vista installation.

Note that Windows XP users will only have the option to perform a ‘Clean’ install; the upgrade option is only available to Windows Vista users.

Any problems you may have with your current installation may still be there after you re-install / upgrade and some applications may not work correctly requiring you to re-install these anyway.

A clean installation will require that you back up all your files and folders as a clean install will wipe your hard drive of everything including your settings and programs.

You can make use of Windows Easy Transfer (available from the Microsoft site or on the Windows 7 installation DVD) to help you with this. Windows Easy Transfer will help you to copy your data together with your program settings, email, photos etc to an external hard drive, USB drive or on to a DVD.

Windows Easy Transfer can be used for migration of files and settings whether you are currently running Windows XP or Windows Vista.

Even with this facility available to you do please ensure that you have separately backed up any documents photos and music files etc that you simply cannot afford to lose to a safe medium that you are sure you can restore from. See our page on Data Backup to avoid any potential disasters.

How to Install Windows 7 – Installation

You can boot directly from your Windows 7 DVD. Insert the Windows 7 Installation DVD into your optical drive and the installation should begin.

Note that you may need to enter your PC BIOS to change the order of boot devices if you are upgrading from Windows Vista or re-installing otherwise your PC may simply start up with your current version of Windows.

The BIOS can be accessed at start up by pressing the Del, F1, F2 or ESC key dependant upon your BIOS version and manufacturer. Once you are in the BIOS look for the ‘Boot Order’ sub menu which you will find listed under one of the main menus – probably listed as ‘Advanced’.

You will need to use the arrow keys and enter/return key to navigate around the BIOS instead of your mouse which will not work.

Now make the CD/DVD drive top of the boot order list by using the + and – keys to sort the boot order of the listed drives.The first screen you will see informs you that Windows is loading files – just sit and wait for Windows to finish, it doesn’t take long.

Windows has now loaded all the setup files into memory and you will now see the ‘Starting Windows’ screen.

When the ‘Starting Windows’ screen disappears you will be asked to select your ‘Language to install’, ‘Time and currency format’ and ‘Keyboard or input method’. Select and then click ‘Next’.

Once you’ve clicked on ‘Next’ you will be presented with a screen inviting you to ‘Install Now’.

Click the ‘Install now’ button and your Windows 7 installation will begin. You will now see a ‘Setup is starting’ screen.

Followed closely by the software license terms which you should read and then tick the ‘I accept the license terms’ box and then click ‘Next’.

Now you have an option of ‘Upgrade’ or ‘Custom (advanced)’. The ‘Upgrade’ option may be grayed out if you have bought an OEM installation disk that is for installation on a new PC only and which will perform a ‘Clean’ installation by default on your hard drive.

The next screen asks you where you wish to install your copy of Windows 7. We only have one option as we have a brand new hard disk drive.

Note that if you are installing on and old drive with data already on it you will get the option to install on one of the logical drives (maybe more than one logical drive if the drive has been partitioned). There will also be options available to allow you to format the drive thus erasing all of the data on it or to create, delete or expand partitions etc. Once again, do make sure you have backed up all of your data!

Select the unallocated drive and then click on ‘Next’ and wait while Windows 7 installs itself on your brand new drive.

By the way, to make a clean installation over an old one there is no need to delete or format the drive first. Windows will move the older version to a folder called Windows.old thus preserving your data for access later if you should wish. Note though that this version of Windows will then no longer be bootable.

That’s it for now, you’re in for a bit of a wait while Windows gets on with installing itself on your hard drive. Time to get a coffee perhaps!

Your PC will restart itself several times during the installation and this is quite normal.

After a long wait (may be an hour or longer depending upon your setup) you will be greeted with a ‘Welcome’ screen and ‘Windows is finalising your settings’ screen.

Windows will then invite you to ‘Choose a user name for your account’ and to ‘name your computer’. This name will be used for identifying the PC if it is connected to a network for instance.

There is a password option but if the PC is purely for family use you may not require this.

The next screen will ask you to enter your ‘Product Key’. Enter and tick the activate Windows automatically option if you want Windows to activate itself when you go online for the first time.

The next screen gives you three different security options. The choice is yours. Most people should go for option one and use recommended settings. We will choose option two and ‘Install important updates for Windows only’ as we will be installing our own Internet Security software and do not wish to report problems to Microsoft.

You now have the option to set date and time but you shouldn’t need to do this as you have probably already set this up in the BIOS.

Tick the ‘Automatically adjust clock’

If your computer is connected to a network the Windows 7 installation program will detect this and ask you to select the type of network, Home, Work or Public.

Windows will now configure your settings for the network – sit back and relax for a few minutes.

You should now be greeted with a ‘Preparing your desktop’ screen and you’re almost all done!

Windows will now personalize your settings.

Voila! – You have now installed Windows 7!

If you have used Windows Easy Transfer to back up your data you can re-instate files by going ‘Start’ > ‘All programs’ > ‘Accessories’ > ‘System tools’.

Now click on ‘Windows Easy Transfer’ to run the program and then click on ‘Next’.Click on the option ‘An external hard drive or USB flash drive’ and then click on ‘This is my new computer’ and you can now proceed to re-instate your backed up files, settings and folders from the backup file you created earlier.

How to Install Windows 7 – Setting up your New Computer

Your new computer is up and running but there is a number of things that you need to do before you can put your PC to good use.

How to Install Windows 7 – Drivers

First off we need to install the correct drivers for the motherboard, graphics card etc.

Windows 7 will scan your system to see what hardware you have installed and then install the relevant drivers for these drivers. If it recognises your hardware correctly then this shouldn’t be a problem, but driver updates are pretty frequent and also depending upon what you have bought, you may not have the correct versions of drivers i.e. it may be a Windows 98 or XP driver that has been supplied on your disk and this will not work with Windows 7.

The best advice is to see if you can go to the motherboard, graphics card etc manufacturer web site and then search for your model number. When you get to the details for your device there should be an option to download the latest drivers for your particular operating system. Download these and burn to a disk or copy to a USB stick ready for installation on your new PC.

To confirm that all of your drivers have been installed correctly go to ‘Start’ > ‘Control Panel’ > ‘System and Security’ > ‘System’ > ‘Device Manager’.

You will now be shown a list of all of your installed hardware devices. Click on the ‘+’ sign next to each item of hardware to see full details and look for any yellow exclamation marks that would indicate if the driver is not installed or working correctly.

If you find any exclamation marks then simply double click on the device and then select ‘Driver’ where you will be given the option to update the drivers for this device.