A Windows 7 clean install simply means an installation of Windows 7 on an unused partition on your hard drive. In most cases, though, a clean install of Windows 7 means to remove an existing operating system (Windows XP, Linux, Windows 7, Windows 8, ... doesn't matter) and to replace it with a fresh installation of Windows 7.
After serious Windows 7 problems or during a new Windows 7 installation with an older operating system installed that you'd like to replace, it's best to wipe your primary hard drive partition clean and reinstall Windows 7 from scratch - a procedure referred to as a "clean install" or sometimes as a "custom install". Ads Start Download www.internetspeedtracker.com 1. Click To Begin 2. Download App 3. Increase Download Speed & Enjoy! 18+ Game topfreebrowsergames.com once you're inside the game, your friend won't see much of you! Dictionary Free Download www.dictionaryboss.com Word Definitions, Translate & More. Download Dictionary Boss Today!
Windows 7 Download Best Windows Computer Windows Driver Update Clean Computer PC Desktop
This guide is broken into 3 parts for a total of 34 steps and will walk you through every part of the Windows 7 clean install process.
Backup & Locate Your Product Key
The most important thing to realize before performing a clean install of Windows 7 is that all of the information on the drive that your current operating system is installed on (probably your C: drive) will be destroyed during this process. That means that if there's anything you want to keep you should back it up to a disc or another drive prior to beginning this process.
You should also locate the Windows 7 product key, a 25-digit alphanumeric code unique to your copy of Windows 7. If you can't locate it, there is a fairly easy way to find the Windows 7 product key code from your existing Windows 7 installation, but this must be done before you reinstall Windows 7.
Note: If Windows originally came preinstalled on your computer (i.e. you did not install it yourself), your product key is probably located on a sticker attached to the side, back, or bottom of your computer's case. This is the product key you should use when installing Windows 7. Ads PC Cleaner- Free Download www.safepcrepair.com Clean PC, Boost Speed, Fix Errors. Free Download (Highly Recommended!) Windows VPS $9,99 www.germanvps.com 4 Cores, 4096 RAM, 100 GB HDD Windows 2008 or 2012,Instant Setup
Start the Windows 7 Clean Install Process
When you're absolutely sure sure that everything from your computer that you want to keep is backed up, proceed to the next step. Keep in mind that once you delete all of the information from this drive (as we'll do in a future step), the action is not reversible!
Note: The steps and screen shots shown in these 34 steps refer specifically to Windows 7 Ultimate edition but will also serve perfectly well as a guide to reinstalling any Windows 7 edition you may have including Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Home Premium. Performing a Clean Install of an OS Other Than Windows 7?
Windows 7 is going to be released soon, on October 22nd, to be precise. It's the next big Microsoft operating
system, bringing much hope after the Vista lackluster performance. While many local Windows XP users have
refused to think of switching to Vista, they might be inclined to try Windows 7.
I thought this was an excellent opportunity to write a number of tutorials introducing Windows 7, starting with
the installation guide. In the second article, we will focus on security. In the third article, we will talk
about desktop customization. Today, I'm going to show you how to install Windows 7 on your machine.
Introduction
I have already reviewed Windows 7 Beta in great detail. You're encouraged to read
the article, so you can familiarize with some of the changes that Windows 7 brings, including system
requirements, memory usage, Windows XP compatibility mode, and other features.
Installing Windows 7 - Step by step & preparations
Backup
You may be installing Windows 7 on a machine that already has an operating system installed. In that case, you
will have to consider what to do with existing data on the disk.
You may want to completely wipe the existing data and start clean. Or you may want to incorporate Windows 7
into the existing setup, whether as a side-by-side installation or an upgrade.Whatever you choose, please make
sure your files are safely backed up, so that you do not accidentally,
irrecoverably overwrite critical data during the installation.
Installation key
Please make sure you have the Windows 7 installation key available. Without it, you will not be able to install
the operating system.
Drivers for the computer hardware
There is no guarantee that Windows 7 built-in set of drivers will
include your specific hardware. Therefore, please make sure you have
the right drivers available before you start the installation. The
drivers usually come on CD/DVDs supplied by the manufacturer
with newly purchased hardware. Alternatively, you may also download
them from official vendor websites. Having the drivers available will
make sure that after you have installed Windows 7, your system will
perform to its fullest. If you meet the above three requirements,
we are ready to go.
Boot from Windows 7 DVD
The first step is to place your Windows 7 DVD into the DVD tray and boot the machine. Your computer needs to be
configured to boot from DVD. This is done via BIOS. On most computers, the BIOS menu can be accessed by
pressing either the F2 or Del keys while the machine is booting.
Once you have completed this stage, Windows 7 will start loading. If you see the below image, you're doing well
so far.
After a few moments, you will reach the installation menu. Your first step is to choose the language and the
keyboard.
You will be now taken to the Install now menu. We have already prepared for the installation, so you can click
Install now and proceed.
The next step is to accept the license agreement.
After this, you will have to decide whether you want to Upgrade an existing
installation or perform a Custom (advanced) installation, which is basically
creating a new copy of Windows.
We will discuss multiple boots in a separate tutorial. For now, if you are interested, you may want to explore
a Dual boot tutorial that tackles this issue from the Linux side, with a Linux
distribution being installed alongside Windows XP. In the soon-to-come multiple-boot tutorial, I will address
the installation of Windows 7 alongside other Windows (XP and 7), as well as Linux.
Personally, I recommend you install a new copy. Fresh installations are always
better. Your machine starts in a pristine state and does not rely on old leftovers.
Partitioning
The next step is to choose where you want to install Windows 7. This is probably the most important part of the
entire installation, so you need to be very careful here and make the right choices.
We only have a 20GB unallocated space on our disk, so we have no dilemma. However, it is possible that you may
have other partitions from previous installations present, or you may have created a custom partitioning setup
before starting Windows 7 installation using a third-party partitioning software, like GParted. We will soon this discuss in greater detail. For now, let us create our Windows 7
partitions.
Inexperienced users can simply highlight the unallocated space and click Next. The partitioning layout will be
created for them. However, we want to explore additional features. To this end, we need to expand the
Drive options (advanced).
You now have the option to create new partitions, format them with a desired filesystem, change the size of
existing or newly created partition (Extend), or delete them. The Load Driver function is usually necessary if
you want to create more complex setups like RAID, but this is currently beyond the scope of this tutorial.
We will create a new partition. According to official system requirements, Windows 7 needs 16GB of free space.
However, you can do with less. The minimum recommended space for a partition where you want to place Windows 7
is 10350MB. Eventually, the installation itself will take approx. 7GB.
Just for your information, here's a snippet of what would happen if you try to install Windows 7 on a partition
that does not meet the minimum expected size limit:
This does not mean your installation won't succeed. It might, but why risk it? We will create a 14GB partition:
Windows 7 installer will now tell you that it will have to create an additional partition for the core system
files. This will be a small primary partition ahead of your newly created one.
This is what it looks like:
Important technical bits to pay attention to!
We now have a system partition and a primary partition, plus some free space. In purely technical terms, there
is no such thing as a partition of the type system. There are only two types of partitions: primary and logical. The above-mentioned partition is a primary
partition.
In total, there can only be up to four primary partitions on any physical disk. Windows 7, by itself, creates
and uses at least two primary partitions. If we created another partition in the free space, it would too,
become a primary partition.
Some quick math, this means that if we want to have more than two Windows 7 installations side by side, we
don't have enough partitions available.
Recommendation
Use a third-party partitioning tool to create a partition layout beforehand. This will allow you to place
Windows 7 files on a logical partition, saving yourself the precious commodity of wasting primary partitions on
what is essentially non-system data. We will see this example in a separate tutorial.
If you're using ONLY Windows 7 to create a partition layout on your system, then you should just create a
partition with a sufficient size to hold the Windows 7 data files and nothing else. The system partition will
be added. Leave the handling of any unpartitioned, free space after the installation.
Begin installation
If you're comfortable with your setup, highlight the created partition and click Next. Windows 7 will be
installed to this partition. Depending on your hardware, this can take some time. My testing shows approx.
30-40 minutes.
During the installation, your computer may restart several times. Let it be.
User settings
Eventually, you will be asked to provide your username and a computer name. You will also have to
password-protect your account. This is most advisable. You should opt for a strong password.
Activation
The next step is to activate your Windows. Grab your key and type it here.
Updates
You will be asked to configure your updates. You can choose either setting you like. However, I recommend you
configure this choice later, after Windows 7 is installed and running properly.
We will discuss this separately in the Windows 7 security tutorial. Therefore, I will choose Ask me later, but you may want to go for either the first or the second option, as you see
fit.
Time zone
Configure your time zone:
Location
Your location will determine the firewall settings for your newly installed Windows 7. You have three choices:
home, work or public network. Home and work networks are supposed to be trusted, so you should not experience
any problems adding other machines to your group or sharing data with them.
However, the public network is meant to be untrusted. So if you have installed Windows 7 in, let's say,
Internet cafe, then you should choose the third option.
Congratulations!
Congratulations, you have just successfully installed Windows 7.
Conclusion
Installing Windows 7 is not that difficult. The installation is more streamlined and user-friendly compared to
Windows XP, however some of the options are more restrictive, like the
partitioning, for example.
Overall, it's a simple procedure that should take you no more than an hour to complete. Of course, once the
installation is done, there's the long post-install setup, where you should customize the looks of your new
desktop, determine the security settings, and choose the programs you want to install and use.
We will talk about getting familiarized and comfortable with using Windows 7 in the following tutorials. Our
second article will deal with the most important aspect of system configuration after the installation -
security.
Cheers!
Many computers ship without Windows
7 installation discs. Instead they come with "recovery" discs and/or
partitions that claim to restore your PC to its "factory fresh" state,
but include a ton of bloatware (free trials, media players, useless
utilities, and the like) along with Windows. Removing each piece of
bloat is time-consuming, and just not the same as truly starting fresh.
In this article, you'll learn how to make your own Windows 7
installation disc (or USB flash drive) and use the valid product key you
already have to perform a fresh reinstallation. The following method is
effective and legal, and doesn’t require a lot of technical expertise.
(If you do need help with bloatware, however, read "What to Do With a New PC.")
However, we don't recommend that you delete your recovery partition
or throw away your existing recovery discs. Although many people have
had success with the following procedure, others have not. Some users
have not been able to activate their copy of Windows even after entering
a valid product key, while others own PCs that require software not
included in a Windows 7 ISO. You have no way to know whether this
procedure will work for you until you try, and you need a backup plan in
case it doesn’t.
Also, save your files and drivers to external media before you start.
Reinstalling Windows wipes out all personal data and causes a loss of
functionality in devices for which Windows lacks an adequate built-in
driver. Plan on loading the latest device drivers from media you create
before reinstalling Windows.
Reinstalling Windows 7, Step by Step
1. Find your Windows 7 product key: Typically this
25-character alphanumeric string is printed on a sticker affixed to your
PC or on documentation included with your PC. Alternatively, you can
use a keyfinder program such as Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder to pull your product key from the Registry. You need your product key to reinstall Windows. Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder helps you round up your serial numbers.2. Download the ISO file for the version of Windows 7 you own:
The above links point to Digital River, a licensed distributor of
Microsoft software. These downloads are each over 3GB, and your product
key will work only with your edition of Windows, so make sure to select
the right one. UPDATE 2/25/15 Digital River no longer works; you can now download Windows 7 ISOs from Microsoft's Software Recovery website. 3. Download the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool.
This utility lets you copy your Windows 7 ISO file to a DVD or USB
flash drive. Whether you choose DVD or USB makes no difference; just
confirm that your PC can boot to the media type you select. 4. Boot your computer using the Windows 7 DVD or USB
flash drive. Follow the prompts to prepare the destination hard drive
and install Windows.
Data integration is often underestimated and poorly implemented, taking time and resources. Yet it
Learn More
It covers a new installation of Windows 7 onto a clean hard drive or from inside Windows, as well as multiboot installations.
Performing a New Installation of Windows 7
The three basic types of clean installation procedures are as follows:
• Install on a brand new disk or computer system
• Erase the disk, format it, and install
• Install into a new directory for dual-booting (see the multiboot discussion later)
If
you intend to use either of the first two methods, be sure your
computer can boot from a DVD (most newer computers support booting from a
DVD drive). Doing so might require changing the drive boot order in the
BIOS or CMOS, but try it first as-is. With no floppy disk inserted and a
clean hard disk, try the DVD drive next. The Windows 7 DVD is bootable
and should run the Setup program automatically.
Installation
takes 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the speed of your machine. Refer
to the following sections if you have questions about any steps in this
process.
Note: Windows 7 automatically applies the NTFS format to any disk partition upon which it is installed during a clean installation.
Typical Clean Setup Procedure
If
you're installing into an empty partition and you can boot an operating
system that is supported for the purpose of Setup (Windows Vista or
XP), just boot up, insert the DVD and choose Install Now from the
resulting dialog box. Then you can follow the installation step-by-step
procedure.
If
Windows doesn't detect the DVD automatically upon insertion, you must
run the Setup program, setup.exe, from the Start, Run dialog box (after
opening the Run dialog box, type D:/setup.exe; on Vista use the Start
menu Search box instead [using the corect letter for your DVD drive if
it isn't D]). The setup.exe application is located in the Sources
directory on the DVD. After the Setup routine starts, you can follow the
installation procedure step by step.
If your computer
has a blank hard disk or your current OS isn't supported, this process
changes. You must launch the installation process from the Windows 7 DVD
(this works only if you can boot from the DVD drive). Setup
automatically runs if you boot from the DVD.
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Yet another setup method involves the network. To
initiate a network installation, you must create a network share of the
distribution DVD or a copy of the DVD on a hard drive. The destination
system must have network access, and the user account must have at least
read access to the installation files. Initiate Setup by executing
setup.exe from the network share. For example, from the Start, Run
command, or the Vista Start menu Search box, type this path: \\\
\sources\Setup. Setup recognizes an over-the-network
installation and automatically copies all files from the network share
to the local system before the first reboot.
Tip:
All versions of Windows 7, 32- or 64-bit, are included on the same DVD.
The product key that you enter during setup determines which actual
version of Windows 7 you end up with after the installation completes.
Keep your Windows 7 DVD and product key in a safe location after you've
performed your installation. It's useful for repairs of all kinds.
Next: Clean install from DVD, step by step Installing Windows 7 from an existing Windows installation.
There are two options to choose from during the Windows 7 installation process:
Upgrade. This option replaces your
current version of Windows with Windows 7, and keeps your files,
settings, and programs in place on your computer.
Custom. This option replaces your
current version of Windows with Windows 7, but doesn't preserve your
files, settings, and programs. It's sometimes referred to as a clean installation for that reason.
In this article you'll find detailed instructions for installing Windows 7 and reinstalling Windows 7.
