If you purchased a copy of Windows 7 on DVD at a
retailer or online store (or "e-tailer," as we like to call them), you
can install Windows 7 using Microsoft's simpler new Interactive Setup
Wizard, which guides you through a series of steps required to get
Windows 7 up and running. There are three primary ways to install
Windows 7 using Interactive Setup: a clean install, where Windows 7 will
be the only operating system on the PC; an upgrade, where you upgrade
an existing operating system to Windows 7, replacing the old with the
new; and a dual-boot, where you install Windows 7 alongside your old
operating system and use a boot menu to choose between them each time
you reboot. You'll look at all three methods in this chapter, in
addition to a fourth and related (but secret) installation method: a
clean install using Upgrade media.
1. Clean Install
A clean install
of the operating system is the preferred method for installing Windows
7. Although it's possible to upgrade to Windows 7 from certain previous
Windows versions , this path is perilous and can
often result in a Frankenstein-like system in which only some of your
applications work properly. In our experience, it's best to start with a
clean slate when moving to a new operating system, especially a major
release like Windows 7.
NOTE
Be sure to back up your
critical data before performing a clean install. Typically, you will
wipe out your PC's entire hard drive during a clean install, so any
documents, e-mail, and other data will be destroyed during the process.
Also, make sure you have all the installation files for the applications
and hardware drivers you'll need to reinstall after Windows 7 is up and
running. We recommend copying them to a recordable disc, USB memory key
or drive, network share, or other location.
NOTE
If you're worried about
whether your PC can run Windows 7 effectively, be sure to check out
Microsoft's Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor tool first. This tool will check
the hardware (and, for upgraders, software) installed on your system and
determine whether you will run into any issues. You can find the
Upgrade Advisor on Microsoft's Web site at: www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/upgrade-advisor.aspx.
1.1. Step-by-Step: Windows 7 Interactive Setup
This section walks you
through the entire Windows 7 setup process, using Microsoft's
Interactive Setup Wizard. This application was completely overhauled for
Windows Vista and then further streamlined for Windows 7, and it's now
much simpler and faster-moving, especially when compared to the version
used in Windows XP.
Follows these steps to install Windows 7 as a clean install:
Insert
the Windows 7 DVD in your PC's optical drive and reboot the system.
After the BIOS screen flashes by, you may see a message alerting you to
press any key to boot from the CD or DVD. If so, press a key. Some
systems, however, do not provide this warning and instead boot from the
DVD by default. A black screen with a pulsating Windows logo and the text "Starting Windows" will appear, as shown in Figure 1. NOTE
If your system does not
boot from the DVD, you may need to change the system's boot order so
that the optical drive is checked before the first hard drive. To do
this, consult your PC's documentation, as each PC handles this process a
little differently.
Eventually, the screen displays a colored background and the initial Setup window appears, as shown in Figure 2. Here, you can preconfigure the language, time and currency formats, and keyboard or input method you'll use during Setup.
Click Next. A window titled Install Windows appears, as shown in Figure 3. To continue with Interactive Setup, click Install now.
NOTE
This window also provides
a way to access Windows 7's new recovery tools. If you run into a
problem with Windows 7 later, such as not being able to boot into
Windows for some reason, you can boot your system with the Setup DVD and
use these tools to help fix the problem. Choose the link "Repair your
computer" to access these tools.
NOTE
Note how a single
letter is underlined in the Install Windows window. If for some reason
your mouse doesn't work, you can press Alt plus the related key on your
keyboard to select the appropriate action. For example, pressing Alt+R
on the keyboard will start the repair process.
In the next window (see Figure 4),
you must agree to the End User License Agreement (EULA). Although very
few people actually read this document, you should take the time to do
so, as it outlines your legal rights regarding your usage of Windows 7.
We're not lawyers, but we think it says that Microsoft exerts certain
rights over your first born and your soul.
In the next window, shown in Figure 5,
select Custom (advanced) as the install type. You don't need to click
the Next button here: just selecting an option will advance the wizard
to the next step.
In
the next window, choose the disk, or partition, to which you will
install Windows 7. On a clean install, typically you will be installing
Windows 7 to the only disk available, as shown in Figure 6.
NOTE
You can access the
Setup routine's disk configuration tools by clicking the option "Drive
options (advanced)" or by tapping Alt+A. These tools enable you to
delete, create, and resize partitions if needed.
Note that you may see two
or more partitions if your PC is configured with two or more physical
hard disks or a single disk that is divided into two or more partitions (Figure 7). NOTE
If you are performing a
clean install on a previously used machine, we advise you to format the
disk during this step to ensure that none of the cruft from your
previous Windows installation dirties up your new Windows 7 install. You
don't actually need to format a new disk. If you attempt to install
Windows 7 on an unformatted disk, setup will simply format the disk to
its maximum capacity automatically.
NOTE
In addition to the partition on which Windows 7 is installed—what Microsoft calls the system disk—Setup
also creates a second, hidden partition at the root of the drive. This
partition, which takes up 100MB of space, is there for two reasons: it
provides space for Windows 7's recovery tools, which, unlike in Vista,
are installed to the hard drive by default so they're always there; and
it provides space for BitLocker, an optional disk encryption technology.
After
you've selected the disk and formatted it if necessary, you can walk
away from your computer for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on your
hardware. During this time, Setup will copy the various files it needs
for installation to the hard drive, expand the Windows 7 image file from
the DVD, install Windows 7 and any included software updates, and
complete the installation by attempting to load drivers for your
hardware. A screen like the one shown in Figure 8 will display during this entire process. After
a reboot or two, your PC will launch into the second, and final,
interactive phase of Setup. You'll know something wonderful is about to
happen because you'll see the screen in Figure 9 after Setup reboots for the final time.
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During reboots, you may see
the screen that says "Press any key to boot to the CD or DVD." Once
you've started Setup, ignore that or installation will restart.
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In the first screen after the reboot, shown in Figure 10, you are prompted for a user name and a computer name. NOTE
The values you enter here are important. For your user name, you can enter just your first name (Paul or Rafael) or your full name (Paul Thurrott or Rafael Rivera),
but understand that whatever value you enter will be used throughout
Windows to identify you as the owner. Typically, when you install a
software application, for example, the setup routine for the application
will pick up this information from the system, too. So be sure you
enter the name you really want here. The computer name identifies your
computer on your home network, and while it's easy to change after the
fact, it's also a good idea to enter something meaningful within the
confines of the naming restrictions: alphanumerics are just fine, as are
dashes, but no underscores or other characters. Our advice is to go
simple: Den-PC, Home-computer, or whatever.
NOTE
A few notes about this
initial user account. Unlike Windows XP (but like Windows Vista),
Windows 7 does not create a visible administrator account automatically,
for security reasons. Nor are you allowed to create up to five user
accounts, as you were during XP Setup. Instead, you can create a single
user account during setup. That user account will be given administrator
privileges. Subsequent user accounts—created in Windows 7 using the
User Accounts Control Panel—are given limited user privileges by
default, but that's easy enough to change.
Next, you will be prompted to enter a password and a password hint, as shown in Figure 11. Alarmingly, this step is optional.
NOTE
Be sure to use a password,
please. It's unclear why Microsoft even makes this optional, as using a
strong password is one of the most basic things you can do to keep your
system more secure.
Enter your Windows product key (Figure 12).
This is a 25-digit alphanumeric string—in blocks of five separated by
dashes—that you will find on a bright yellow product-key sticker
somewhere in your Windows 7 packaging. You can also choose to have
Windows 7 automatically activate for you.
NOTE
As it turns out, you do
not actually have to enter your product key here. If you don't, you have
30 days to evaluate Windows 7 before the system forces you to enter the
key and activate.
NOTE
Do not lose your Windows 7
product key or give it away to anyone. Each Windows 7 product key is
valid for exactly one PC. After you've installed Windows 7 and activated
it—which ties the product key to your hardware—you won't be able to use
this number again on another PC, at least not easily. Note, however,
that you can reinstall Windows 7 on the same PC using this same product
key. If for some reason you are unable to electronically activate
Windows later, Windows 7 will provide a phone number so you can do it
manually.
Next, choose whether to enable Automatic Updates, as shown in Figure 13.
You should use the recommended settings, in which Windows automatically
downloads and installs all updates. Alternately, you can choose to
install only important updates or be prompted later.
NOTE
This behavior is far
more aggressive than the similar Setup screen that Microsoft added to
Windows XP with Service Pack 2. Note that you can't choose to download
but not install updates as before.
Configure the time zone, date, and time, as shown in Figure 14. NOTE
Even if you're
not particularly careful about setting the time correctly here, Windows
7 will eventually adjust to the correct time automatically because it
is configured out of the box to synchronize with an Internet time
server. That said, you should at least make an effort to ensure that the
time is reasonably correct to avoid problems with this process.
If you are in range of a wireless network, Windows 7 Setup will prompt you to connect to a wireless network, as shown in Figure 15. If you are connected to a wired or wireless network, you'll see the current location screen shown in Figure 16.
From here, you can choose whether the network you're accessing is a
Home network (and thus private), a Work network (also private), or a
Public network (such as a library, coffee shop, or airport). Windows
configures networking appropriately in each case.
Next, you are asked to configure a new Windows 7 feature called HomeGroup. Simply click Skip here, as shown in Figure 17.
Now, Windows 7 finalizes your settings, prepares your desktop, and takes you to it, as shown in Figure 18. You're done! Well, not quite.
1.2. Post-Setup Tasks
Now it's time to
finish configuring Windows 7 so you can begin using it. The first step
is to check out your hardware drivers: ideally, all of the hardware
connected to your PC has been detected, and Setup has installed drivers
for each of your devices. But first, let Automatic Updates run, an event
that will occur automatically if the PC is connected to the Internet:
this first update often installs a few final drivers that were missed
during Setup, as shown in Figure 19.
To see whether all is well, you
need to open a legacy Windows tool called Device Manager. (Windows 7
includes a newer way to access your hardware devices called Devices and
Printers, but Device Manager is still the easiest way to ensure that all
of your hardware is running properly.) There are a number of ways to
access the Device Manager, but the quickest is to select Search from the
Start menu, type device man, and press Enter. This causes the Device Manager window to appear (see Figure 20).
If any of the entries,
or nodes, in the Device Manager tree view are open, displaying a device
with a small yellow exclamation point, or bang,
then you need to install some drivers. There are four basic ways to
install drivers in Windows 7, listed here in reverse order of
preference:
Automatically:
Right-click the unsupported device and choose Update Driver Software.
Windows will search the local system, including any setup disks, to find
the appropriate driver. In my experience this method almost never
works, but it's worth trying. Manually:
As before, you right-click the unsupported device and choose Update
Driver Software. This time, however, you must supply the driver files
via a setup disk or other means. As an executable setup disk or download:
Many drivers come in self-contained executables whereby you run a setup
routine just as you would for an application program. If possible, be
sure to use a Windows 7–compatible setup application: these should work
just fine. However, Windows XP drivers often work as well, albeit with a
little grumbling on the part of Windows 7. Using Windows Update:
This is the best way to install drivers, and it's the first place to
visit if you discover that Windows 7 Setup didn't install all of your
hardware. The hardware drivers found on Windows Update aren't always as
up-to-date as those supplied directly from the hardware manufacturers.
That said, Windows Update–based drivers have been tested extensively and
should always be your first choice. Note that Windows 7 will likely
connect to Windows Update automatically if you have a configured network
adapter, grabbing any device drivers it can, within minutes of booting
into the desktop for the first time.
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To manually find drivers on Windows Update, open the Start menu and choose All Programs => Windows Update. Click the Check for Updates link in the upper-left corner of the Windows Update application, as shown in Figure 21.
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Repeat the preceding
processes until all of your hardware devices are working. If you did run
Windows Update during this time, you will likely have seen a number of
Windows 7 product updates as well. You should install those updates
before moving on to the next step.
Now it's time to install your
applications. Install them one at a time and reboot if necessary after
each install as requested. This process can often take a long time and
is mind-numbingly boring, but you should only need to do it once.
With your applications
installed, it's time to restore any data that you might have backed up
from your previous Windows install; or, if you have installed Windows 7
to a brand-new PC, you can transfer user accounts, music, pictures,
video files, documents, program settings, Internet settings and
favorites, and e-mail messages and contacts from your old PC to Windows 7
using an excellent Windows 7 utility called Windows Easy Transfer.
(From the Start menu, select Search, type easy, and then press Enter.) This utility is a full-screen wizard-like application (see Figure 22) that you can install and run on your previous OS as well. (We explore Windows Easy Transfer more in just a bit.)
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