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.
Partitioning
The next step is to choose
where you want to install Windows 7.
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:
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.
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.
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