The setup procedure of Windows 7 is easy. Although the setup can be started
within Windows, it is better to do a clean install by booting the computer
directly from the Windows DVD. As soon as the startup procedure has detected the
DVD, the user is asked for confirmation to boot from the Windows 7 DVD. In
one of the following steps you have to choose between the two types of
installation: an upgrade and a custom (advanced) installation.
Upgrade or custom installation
An upgrade installation performs an upgrade of the currently installed Windows. This results in a reinstall of Windows without formatting the partition: if possible settings, personal files and installed programs are transferred to the new installation. Although this sounds attractive, problems out of the previous Windows install can be imported as well. That's one of the reasons why a clean installation is preferred above an upgrade installation, therefore rather choose for the custom installation procedure where the hard disk can be repartitioned and/or the system partition formatted (before proceeding make sure there is a backup of the personal files!).
The setup procedure of Windows 7 is easy. Although the setup can be started within Windows, it is better to do a clean install by booting the computer directly from the Windows DVD. As soon as the startup procedure has detected the DVD, the user is asked for confirmation to boot from the Windows 7 DVD. In one of the following steps you have to choose between the two types of installation: an upgrade and a custom (advanced) installation.
Selecting a partition
During setup the user is asked which partition to install Windows 7 on. If there are no partitions yet (or if the current partitions have to be deleted) the hard disk has to be partitioned first. This can be done with partitioning software before the setup starts, but can be done during setup as well by the link Drive options (advanced) at the moment the user is asked on which partition to install Windows. If the setup assigns a disk letter other than C:, abort the setup and try again. This behavior happens after Windows is installed on a non-partitioned hard disk where the DVD player has been assigned the disk letter C: first. Restarting the setup is important to make sure Windows is installed on a C: partition.
ATTENTION: If Windows is installed on a partition which already contains a Windows Vista/Windows 7 installation (without formatting) then programs, settings and personal data will be transferred automatically to the new operating system while the old system files will be moved to the folder Windows.old. In case this back-up is not desired, repartition and/or format the hard disk!
Creating a new user account
After the computer is restarted, you are asked for a name for the user account and the name for the computer (only use short names without spaces). The next screen can be used to enter a password for the user account (although it is advised to enter a password, it is not necessary). When the computer is used by multiple users it is wise to create multiple user accounts after the setup has been finished (visit the page about setting up a user account for more information).
The product key
In the next step the user is asked for the product key, however it is not needed to specify the key. The option Automatically activate Windows when I'm online is enabled by default but can be deactivated when immediate activation is not desired (useful when one doubts whether the hardware is compatible, in that case the product key can still be used on another computer).
Home network, Work network or Public network
After the window with the date and time settings has been confirmed, the user is asked what network the computer is connected to: a home network, a work network or a public network. Depending on the type of network files and/or printers are shared with other computers in the network. If the computer is in a home or work situation, Home network or Work network would be the most obvious options to choose. However, if the advantages of a network like sharing files and printers are not used at all, choosing for Public network as location type is probably the best option to choose because this results in a better secured computer. The selected option can be changed afterwards within the Network and Sharing Centre.
HomeGroup
If Home network is chosen as location type the next window asks the user which personal files must be added to the HomeGroup. The HomeGroup is secured with a user account independent password and can be filled with files (e.g. personal documents, pictures, music and videos) which can be accessed by another computer in the network. Skip creating a HomeGroup if there is no need to share the files with other computers!
The system files are hidden by default, which is fine for less experienced users. However, some of the changes mentioned on this website assume that both system and hidden files are made visible. This is done by changing the following settings on the tab View (available through the button Organize of the Windows Explorer, Folder and Search Options, see the page optimized Windows 7 settings as well):
Upgrade or custom installation
An upgrade installation performs an upgrade of the currently installed Windows. This results in a reinstall of Windows without formatting the partition: if possible settings, personal files and installed programs are transferred to the new installation. Although this sounds attractive, problems out of the previous Windows install can be imported as well. That's one of the reasons why a clean installation is preferred above an upgrade installation, therefore rather choose for the custom installation procedure where the hard disk can be repartitioned and/or the system partition formatted (before proceeding make sure there is a backup of the personal files!).
The setup procedure of Windows 7 is easy. Although the setup can be started within Windows, it is better to do a clean install by booting the computer directly from the Windows DVD. As soon as the startup procedure has detected the DVD, the user is asked for confirmation to boot from the Windows 7 DVD. In one of the following steps you have to choose between the two types of installation: an upgrade and a custom (advanced) installation.
Selecting a partition
During setup the user is asked which partition to install Windows 7 on. If there are no partitions yet (or if the current partitions have to be deleted) the hard disk has to be partitioned first. This can be done with partitioning software before the setup starts, but can be done during setup as well by the link Drive options (advanced) at the moment the user is asked on which partition to install Windows. If the setup assigns a disk letter other than C:, abort the setup and try again. This behavior happens after Windows is installed on a non-partitioned hard disk where the DVD player has been assigned the disk letter C: first. Restarting the setup is important to make sure Windows is installed on a C: partition.
ATTENTION: If Windows is installed on a partition which already contains a Windows Vista/Windows 7 installation (without formatting) then programs, settings and personal data will be transferred automatically to the new operating system while the old system files will be moved to the folder Windows.old. In case this back-up is not desired, repartition and/or format the hard disk!
WHAT IF THE COMPUTER DOESN'T BOOT FROM DVD...If the computer doesn't boot from the Windows 7 DVD, the boot order has to be changed in the BIOS (in most cases the DEL or F2 key must be pressed while booting the computer, to get access to the BIOS). Look for something like boot order or boot sequence. Change the boot order and make sure the DVD player will be the first boot device (before the hard disk does). If the setup has finished, the boot order can be restored to the previous settings. |
WHAT IF THE HARD DISK IS NOT RECOGNIZED?During the setup procedure, you are asked on which partition to install Windows 7. If there is no partition to choose from, possibly the hard disk is not recognized by Windows. The most common cause is a SATA controller or RAID configuration (a combination of two or more hard disks working together to achieve a faster and/or more reliable system) which isn’t supported by Windows yet. This problem can be solved by loading the missing drivers (at the moment when is asked for which partition to install Windows on) with the option Load Driver from disk, CD or USB memory stick. The hardware drivers needed for the controller are stored on the CD with drivers and software for the motherboard. For better support, download the newest drivers from the website of the motherboard manufacturer (see the page about installing hardware drivers).TIP: Some motherboards have a feature to load a SATA hard disk as an IDE hard disk. Search the BIOS settings for an option like Native SATA support/AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface), and disable it. Although this setting works fine, it is better to install the original drivers for the SATA controller afterwards followed by restoring this setting. |
SYSTEM RESERVED PARTITIONBoth Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate create a 100 Mb hidden primary partition called SYSTEM RESERVED, besides the partition for the Windows installation. This partition is used for BitLocker (to enable encryption of the Windows partition) and contains the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) as well. Bitlocker is not used by many en the recovery console can be started from the Windows DVD as well. Therefore the system reserved partition is needless in most cases. However, there is no option to prevent the creation of the system reserved partition during setup. If you don't want the system reserved partition there are two options: partition the hard disk before starting the setup or reformat the currently available primary partition during setup (without repartitioning). There is a workaround as well to get rid of the system reserved partition during setup: delete the created Windows partition, add the free space to the 100 Mb system reserved partition, format the system reserved partition and install Windows on the enlarged partition. |
Creating a new user account
After the computer is restarted, you are asked for a name for the user account and the name for the computer (only use short names without spaces). The next screen can be used to enter a password for the user account (although it is advised to enter a password, it is not necessary). When the computer is used by multiple users it is wise to create multiple user accounts after the setup has been finished (visit the page about setting up a user account for more information).
The product key
In the next step the user is asked for the product key, however it is not needed to specify the key. The option Automatically activate Windows when I'm online is enabled by default but can be deactivated when immediate activation is not desired (useful when one doubts whether the hardware is compatible, in that case the product key can still be used on another computer).
Home network, Work network or Public network
After the window with the date and time settings has been confirmed, the user is asked what network the computer is connected to: a home network, a work network or a public network. Depending on the type of network files and/or printers are shared with other computers in the network. If the computer is in a home or work situation, Home network or Work network would be the most obvious options to choose. However, if the advantages of a network like sharing files and printers are not used at all, choosing for Public network as location type is probably the best option to choose because this results in a better secured computer. The selected option can be changed afterwards within the Network and Sharing Centre.
HomeGroup
If Home network is chosen as location type the next window asks the user which personal files must be added to the HomeGroup. The HomeGroup is secured with a user account independent password and can be filled with files (e.g. personal documents, pictures, music and videos) which can be accessed by another computer in the network. Skip creating a HomeGroup if there is no need to share the files with other computers!
WORKAROUND FOR THE LIMITATIONS OF A W7 UPGRADE-DVDDuring the upgrade procedure with the Windows 7 Upgrade DVD the setup searches automatically for an activated and validated Windows installation (this is not the case for the Express Upgrade-DVD). A 'clean' install cannot be done with the Windows 7 Upgrade DVD following the standard procedure of a normal Windows 7 DVD! Before you can proceed the Windows 7 upgrade procedure there must be an installed, activated and validated Windows. Start the setup from an already installed Windows and choose Custom setup (instead of an Upgrade setup) to achieve a clean installation of Windows 7. The files of the old installation will be stored in the folder Windows.old which can be deleted afterwards by using Disk Cleanup. |
DELAYING THE WINDOWS 7 ACTIVATION FOR 4 MONTHSWithout product activation, Windows 7 can be used for 30 days, after this period the operating system switches to a modus with reduced functionality (RFM). The command SLMGR -rearm makes it possible to extend this period three times with 30 days. To achieve this, run the Command Prompt (Start menu, All Programs, Accessories) in administrator modus by right clicking on the shortcut and choosing for Run as administrator. Following this procedure, the allowed period can be maximized to four months. The command SLMGR shows the other options of the Windows Software Licensing Management Tool, like changing/removing the current product key and showing the current licence information. |
After the setup has been finished...
Now Windows is installed, it is time to change some settings concerning the Windows Explorer and the Control Panel. According to the default settings the different items are shown by categories. The commands on this website assume that the control panel is showing all options by setting the view to big or small icons instead of categories.The system files are hidden by default, which is fine for less experienced users. However, some of the changes mentioned on this website assume that both system and hidden files are made visible. This is done by changing the following settings on the tab View (available through the button Organize of the Windows Explorer, Folder and Search Options, see the page optimized Windows 7 settings as well):
- Enable the option Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
- Disable the option Hide extensions for known file types.
- Enable the option Show hidden files, folders and drives.
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