Don't look regretful. Illustrated Windows 7 installation secret

On May 5th, Windows 7 RC finally opened the official public download. This has been uploaded to the BT network for more than a week, and MSDN and TechNet-subscribed developers have already allowed downloads in the morning. But the users of these groups are the first few people to see the release of Windows 7 RC. This is undoubtedly good news for those who have given up on downloading and waiting for it earlier. At the same time, I have collected some good and bad information about installing Windows 7. In the past week I have installed and upgraded RC—— notebooks and desktops, some with compatible touch panels, some with none; some with TV modules and Blu-ray drives. There are both new installations and upgrades; there are x86 and x64 versions. These steps are all recorded.

In this article, I want to share 7 lessons I learned along the way, including some even some Windows experts who don't know the secrets of installation.

Secret 1: Choose the appropriate installation option

Secret 2: Start by cleaning up the disk

Secret 3: Back up your old driver first

Secret 4 : Non-destructive new installation

Secret 5: The required disk space is smaller than you think

Secret 6: Unlocking the upgrade from Windows 7 Beta

Secret 7: Unlocking Additional Editors

Secret 1: Choosing the Right Installation Options

You have downloaded the ISO image from Microsoft's website and burned it to a DVD. What are you doing now? At this point, you have 2 choices to run the installer from this newly created medium. Compatibility issues and the Windows installation process vary depending on your choice.

If you already have Windows XP, Vista, or an earlier version of Windows 7 on the system where you plan to install Windows 7, you can start the installation process from Windows. Alternatively, you can boot the system from the installation media (this may require entering the BIOS settings to change the boot device entry). Either way, you will see a dialog like the following:

What is the difference?

If you are running the installer from Windows:

l You can upgrade from Windows Vista or Windows 7 Build 7077 and higher.

l You cannot run x64 installation on an x86 version of Windows, and vice versa.

lCannot be upgraded from Windows XP or any Windows 7 pre-7077 build version (unless you use the method mentioned later in this article)

lYou cannot make any changes to the current hard disk; you must use With some partitions, the installer does not recognize unallocated space.

If you are booting from Windows 7DVD:

l You cannot upgrade from an existing version of Windows. This is only a custom option.

lYou can delete an existing partition, or create a new partition, expand an existing disk partition from unallocated disk space, or divide an area from unallocated disk space as an installation location.

l You can install Windows 7 on the same volume that already has other Windows versions.

Also, there is a subtle but important difference between the initialization screens, depending on how you started the installer. If you are running the installer from Windows, you will have an option to run a compatibility check on the current system. The online compatibility check is not online yet, but testing should be available soon.

Secret 2: Starting with Clean Disks

If you plan to upgrade from existing Windows Vista or earlier Windows 7, you must run the installer from your current Windows. However, if you are planning a new installation, I recommend that you back up first, then boot and delete all partitions from the Windows 7 DVD, and leave nothing except the unallocated disk space. Want a reason? On an empty hard drive, the installer creates a 100M boot partition for storing boot files and for making reservations for BitLocker drive encryption. This will save you time and reduce the hassle of planning to test BitLocker later.

Please note that the following steps are based on the assumption that you have backed up the data you need from the drive. All data will be erased, so make sure you have saved any important data before starting these steps. Also, if your hard drive contains a recovery diagnostic partition, you should not use this method and you may want to use it later.

To complete the disk cleanup and prepare a new installation for it, follow these steps:

1. Boot from the Windows DVD and follow the prompts to select <Custom (Advanced) Installation”, then Click Next to the next screen (the hard drive used on your PC will be different, but the method is the same):