While most of the Windows users are familiar with the Windows installation, there are users who have no idea about installing Windows Vista/7 on their system as they have been using preloaded Windows on their PCs.
So I thought of writing a simple guide to cover Windows 7 installation procedure. Before we get into the innards of the installation you need to read below articles to make yourself familiar with Windows 7.
Top 10 things to remember before installing Windows 7
Installing Windows 7 using Virtual PC
Here, I assume that you have a bootable Windows 7 DVD or USB and you have already kept a partition (Minimum of 16GB) to install Windows 7. I also assume that you have made necessary changes to computer’s BIOS so that you can boot from DVD/USB.
Boot your PC using Windows 7 DVD/USB drive and press any key if you see Press any key to continue message.
Next select your language, keyboard type (Generally the US) and time format.
Click the Install button.
Click the box labeled I agree with the license terms and click Next to proceed further.
In the next screen, click on the Custom (advanced) option. I hope you are not upgrading here. If you are doing an upgrade then just click on the Upgrade option.
This is an important step as you need to select the drive where you would like to install Windows 7. Note that selecting a wrong partition will wipe out the data. Also, note that Windows 7 creates another small partition of about 200 MB if you are installing Windows 7 on an empty hard drive. The hidden 200MB partition will not be shown in the Windows Explorer!
You can also format the selected partition by opening drive option and then choosing the Format option.
Click on the Next button to start the Windows 7 installation. Windows may restart many times during the installation and you need not worry about that.
After completing the installation, Windows will give you the below screen to enter your username and password.
In the next step you will be asked to enter the Product Key. Enter the key that you have got and click the Next button.
Here you need to select the Windows 7 update option. Click Use recommended settings option.
Select Time Zone, date and time and click Next.
In the next screen, you need to select the type of network. That is, choose between Home network, Work network and Public network.
Finally, the setup will ask you to create a group depending on the type of Network you have chosen. If you are not sure, just skip as you can do it later as well.
You will see the Windows 7 desktop. That is, you have successfully installed Windows 7 on your PC. Don’t forget to read 10 things to do soon after installing Windows 7 to make your Windows 7 secure.
