Installing Windows 7 - Clean Install
Current Operating System: Windows XP Home or
Professional
New Operating System: Windows 7 [Any Version] |
| In this
scenario the intent is to take a computer with some
version of Windows XP installed and do a clean
installation of Windows 7. There are actually two
ways to go about the installation; |
|
1. The installation can be started by booting from
the Windows 7 DVD. By booting from the DVD you will
have the option to make changes to the partition
structure on the hard disk. However, if the changes
you make involve changing the partition where XP is
currently installed then you lose files and data
that might be saved to a windows.old folder that
could be accessed from Windows 7. If you don't make
changes to the install partition, the windows.old
folder will be created and you'll have access to the
data and files transferred there. |
|
2. The installation can be started from inside the
existing Windows XP installation. This choice
eliminates the option to make changes to the
structure of the hard disk. It will remain exactly
as it is currently with no option to create, delete,
or resize partitions. However, there will be a
windows.old folder created that will contain data
and files that can be accessed after the Windows 7
installation is complete. It's important to note
that while windows.old does contain a programs
folder, this does not mean they transfer completely
and are usable. They will have to be reinstalled in
Windows 7. |
| When you
pause and think about it, what's the difference
between this scenario and
scenario one where you do a clean Windows 7
installation to a bare hard drive? Other than the
windows.old folder discussed above, the only 'real'
difference is the ability to use an upgrade version
of Windows 7 as opposed to a full version Windows 7
DVD. Even that's a faux difference because you can
use an upgrade version to do a full clean install
even if you never have had a system with XP or any
other qualifying product installed, but that's a
different story for a different article. |
| The
majority of users are more comfortable starting an
operating system installation from inside Windows
rather than booting from the DVD which often times
requires changes be made to the boot order inside
the system BIOS. Since XP is currently installed you
may have this option available depending on what
version of XP is present. If the current XP
installation has either no Service Packs or SP1 or
SP1a installed [See Fig. 1] then the Windows 7
installation cannot be started from inside XP. This
isn't a very likely scenario as long as XP has been
around, but it does happen on occasion. You have to
boot from the installation media [that's a fancy way
of saying boot from the DVD] or else you have to
update Windows XP to Service Pack 2 or above. |
Fig. 01 |
| Here's
another point to think about if you're considering
installing Windows 7 on a system running Windows XP
with anything less than Service Pack 2 installed.
You'll be unable to install and run the Windows 7
Upgrade Advisor. It isn't a show stopper, but the
Upgrade Advisor is a useful tool that provides
insight about issues you may encounter. Again, just
because it's called Upgrade Advisor and it can be
run on some versions of XP, you still can't
'upgrade' in the traditional sense of upgrading. |
Fig. 02 |
| With the
two points above out of the way, here's the
procedure for installing Windows 7 when XP is in
place on the system. I've tried to set the tutorial
as a comparative guide which will allow you to see
the differences you're likely to encounter during
installation depending on whether the installation
is started by booting from the Windows 7 DVD or if
the installation is started from inside Windows XP. |
| The left
hand column follows the 'Booting from the Windows 7
DVD' installation while the right hand column
follows the 'Starting Installation from Inside
Windows XP' installation. I've matched identical
screens in each scenario horizontally and noted in
the appropriate column when there is no equivalent
screen. |
| |
|
| Booting from the
Windows 7 DVD |
Starting
Installation from
Inside Windows XP |
| |
|
Fig. 3A
With the Windows 7 DVD in the drive, power on the
system and watch for the "Press any key to boot from
CD or DVD ..." message to appear and press any of
the keys on the keyboard. The spacebar is the usual
choice, but 'any' key will suffice.
If you don't see the message appear,
see the
Set BIOS to Boot from CD/DVD
Drive page. |
There is no
equivalent screen when initiating the installation
of Windows 7 from inside Windows XP |
|
Fig. 4A
Depending on the system and configuration, you may
or may not see the [Windows Boot Manager] screen. If
it appears just hit [Enter] to continue. |
There is no
equivalent screen when initiating the installation
of Windows 7 from inside Windows XP. |
|
|
Fig. 5A
This screen is just to let you know Windows files
are being loaded and provide visual confirmation the
system hasn't locked up or frozen. |
There is no
equivalent screen when initiating the installation
of Windows 7 from inside Windows XP |
|
|
Fig. 6A
Another piece of eye candy to
keep you advised about what's happening in the
background. |
There is no
equivalent screen when initiating the installation
of Windows 7 from inside Windows XP |
|
|
Fig. 7A
The main [Install Windows] screen. If you want to
change the system [Language], [Time and Currency]
format, or [Keyboard or Input Method] settings, this
is the place to make those changes. |
There is no
equivalent screen when initiating the installation
of Windows 7 from inside Windows XP
Note: While it's true there is no equivalent screen
'at this point' in the installation, the option to
make these changes does present later in the process
when doing the initial operating system setup. |
|
|
Fig. 8A |
Fig. 8B |
Basically these are the same point in the
installation process. When the installation is
started from within XP, the option to Check
Compatibility Online is available. Booting from the
DVD disallows compatibility checking but does allow
the [Repair Your Computer] option not otherwise
available.
In either case, clicking the [Install Now] button
will keep the process moving forward. |
|
|
| There is no
equivalent screen when initiating the installation
of Windows 7 from inside Windows XP |
Fig. 9B
Just another eye candy screen of no consequence. |
|
|
Fig. 10A |
Fig. 10B |
| Yet
another set of screens to provide a visual
confirmation that something is actually happening in
the background. |
|
|
| There is no
equivalent screen when initiating the installation
of Windows 7 from inside Windows XP |
Fig. 11B
The option to go online and get updates is
presented. This screen always makes me laugh when I
read the installation 'might' fail and the system
'could' be more vulnerable to security threats if I
decline the updates. And - a goat could fall through
the roof and kill me before installation completes,
but hey -- if you want the updates, now is the
time. |
|
|
| There is no
equivalent screen when initiating the installation
of Windows 7 from inside Windows XP |
Fig. 12 B
Just a little eye candy and progress indicator to
keep you amused while the updates are located and
downloaded. |
|
|
| There is no
equivalent screen when initiating the installation
of Windows 7 from inside Windows XP |
Fig. 13B |
It's
quite likely you'll never see an operating system
selection screen listing the different operating
systems available.
Most DVD's are tied to a specific version by way of
the supplied activation key, and instead of
displaying this screen, you are taken directly to
the license terms screen shown below.
The question is frequently asked what version
Windows 7 DVD I'm using in this screen capture that
allows all the different x86 versions to be visible
on the same DVD. It's a specially modified DVD I
made from a Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade DVD. Go
here for instructions on how to modify and burn
your own version. |
|
|
Fig. 14A |
Fig. 14B |
| The
infamous [Microsoft Software License Terms] screen
where you're reminded that even though you paid for
the operating system with your hard earned money,
you can't do a damn thing with it unless you agree
to Microsoft's license terms to light up that little
[Next] button. |
|
|
Fig. 15A
Select the type of installation you want to perform.
In this scenario it's going to be a [Custom]
installation. |
Fig. 15B
Select the type of installation you want to perform.
In this scenario it's going to be a [Custom]
installation. |
| Normally
when an option isn't available or applicable it's
grayed out. In this case the 'Upgrade' option
definitely falls into this category, yet it can be
selected. You can't upgrade from XP to Windows 7 no
matter how you approach the installation, so select
the [Custom (advanced)] option to continue the
installation. |
|
|
Fig. 16A
If by chance you select [Upgrade] in the previous
screen you'll see this [Compatibility Report]
stating your choice was unacceptable and offering
advice on how to proceed.
Unfortunately, the advice given doesn't apply to
this scenario. It tells you to restart the
installation from inside Windows, in this case XP,
which still won't allow an upgrade and you'll be
right back where you started. |
Fig. 16B
If by chance you select [Upgrade] in the previous
screen you'll see this [Compatibility Report]
stating your choice was unacceptable and offering
advice on how to proceed.
Unfortunately, the advice given states you can't
upgrade from XP to Windows 7 and suggests you visit
a website to learn about Windows Easy Transfer.
Absolutely worthless, but if you do want information
on Windows Easy Transfer, here's
an article that may help. |
| Here's
the important part. If your intent is to go back to
the [Install Selection] screen and pick [Custom], do
not use the red 'X' to close this window. Instead,
use the left facing arrow on the upper left of the
screen. Using the red 'X' will force you out of the
installation and it will have to be restarted from
the beginning. |
|
|
Fig. 17A
Select the disk and partition where Windows 7 will
be installed.
In this example there is only one choice, but be
careful if you're installing to a drive with
multiple partitions. You can easily select the wrong
drive or partition and wipe out data you wanted to
keep.
Click the [Next] button. |
Fig. 17B
Select the disk and partition where Windows 7 will
be installed.
In this example there is only one choice, but be
careful if you're installing to a drive with
multiple partitions. You can easily select the wrong
drive or partition and wipe out data you wanted to
keep.
Click the [Next] button. |
|
|
Fig. 18A
The question has been asked, why didn't the notice
in Fig. 18B appear on the installation started by
booting from the DVD? Truth is, it did appear, but
compare Fig. 18A to Fig. 17B and you'll see when
booting from the DVD you have the option to modify
partitions.
In this case, Fig, 18A shows the initial drive
layout before I deleted Disk 0 - Partition 1 to make
the drive layout appear as it does in Fig. 17A; 50GB
of unallocated space. Had I just clicked [Next] in
Fig 18A before making the modifications the notice
shown in Fig. 18B would have appeared. |
Fig. 18B
This is the notice that the selected partition may
contain files from a previous Windows installation,
in this case XP, and notifying you about the
Windows.old folder that will be created. |
|
|
Fig. 19A |
Fig. 19B |
That's
it for the moment. The installation program will
work through each of the steps along with a few
system restarts.
No user intervention is required during this phase
of the installation. |
|
|
| There is no
equivalent screen when initiating the installation
of Windows 7 from inside Windows XP |
Fig. 20B
Way back in Fig. 7A in the Booting from Win 7 DVD
scenario you had the option of changing the system
[Language], [Time and Currency] format, or [Keyboard
or Input Method] settings. This screens allows you
to make basically the same adjustments when the
installation is started from inside Windows XP. |
|
|
Fig. 21A |
Fig. 21B |
|
Eventually you'll be prompted for a user name and
computer name. The user name doesn't make much
difference, but give some thought to the computer
name, especially if you have more than one computer
and this installation will be part of your network. |
|
|
Fig. 22A |
Fig. 22B |
Countless times I've seen and heard it said that if
you are a home user you don't need a password.
That's just plain idiocy. If you don't password
protect your account you are leaving it open and
vulnerable to anyone and everyone, even those people
at home you trust that just might accidentally wipe
out your entire system - or perhaps might not be
quite as trustworthy as you thought.
If you do use a password to protect the account, a
password hint is required. In this case I suggest
you do not enter a password hint that is in any way
relative or germane to your actual password. Just
enter a string of garbage or type the word 'None' to
satisfy the requirement something be entered. |
|
|
Fig. 23A |
Fig, 23B |
| I
strongly suggest you not enter your
product key at this point and uncheck the box for
automatic activation. At the minimum you have 30
days to evaluate and test the installation before
activation is required. Take advantage of it to
test, modify, and possibly even reinstall the
operating system if necessary. |
|
|
Fig. 24A |
Fig. 24B |
| I remain
a huge proponent of not giving away the keys to the
update kingdom by giving anyone the right to update
your system without you giving specific approval of
each and every update. Obviously my choice here is
going to be [Ask Me Later] when you can give
permission to be notified when updates are available
without committing to their download and
installation until you have a chance to review them
first. |
|
|
Fig. 25A |
Fig. 25B |
| Nothing
to say here -- it's setting the time and date for
crying out loud. |
|
|
Fig. 26A |
Fig. 26B |
|
Finalizing settings. Nothing to do but just wait. |
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| Once the
personal settings have been entered there are a
series of screens welcoming you to Windows 7, a
notice the desktop is being prepared and finally
the Windows 7 desktop appears when the Windows 7
installation is complete. |
| |
|
| Here are a
few additional points to consider in this type of
installation: |
| Dealing
with the product key [aka serial number] has changed
substantially from XP, to Vista, and now Windows 7.
|
- In XP, the product key was required right
away before you could even start an
installation.
- In Vista, the option to bypass entering the
product key right away at the beginning of the
installation was introduced. The installation
could be completed without any product key and
you had 30 days of operating system use before
the key was required.
- In Windows 7 no product key is needed for
the initial installation in spite of it being a
little less obvious than was the case in Vista.
|
| That said,
the bottom line however is that eventually you are
going to need a valid activation key if you want to
continue using the operating system past the 30, 60,
90 or whatever the number of days it is now you're
allowed before the system essentially shuts down and
refuses to do much of anything except allowing an
activation key to be entered. |
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