1. Choose the installation method
Now you have downloaded the ISO image and burned it to DVD. Next you have two options to run the installer. The performance of the Windows Installer depends on which method you choose. If your system already has Windows XP, Vista, or an earlier version installed, you can launch the installer from the Windows operating system. Alternatively, you can boot the system from the installation media. Either way, you will see a dialog box.
What is the difference? If you run the installer in Windows.
1, can not run the 64-bit installer in the x86 version of Windows.
2, install Windows 7 and the existing Windows version of the same volume.
3, must use the existing partition, can not be changed, the installer does not recognize the unallocated space.
If you boot from Windows 7 DVD:
1, you can not upgrade the existing Windows version, you can only customize the installation.
2, you can delete an existing partition, create a new partition, extend an existing disk partition, or specify an unallocated space as the installation location.
3, install Windows 7 and the existing Windows version of the same volume.
In addition, if you launch the installer in Windows, you can choose to run a compatibility check on your existing system.
Second, how to install a new
If you plan to do a clean installation, it is recommended that you back up, then launch the installer from the Windows 7 DVD, eliminating any existing partitions. Because this will save you time and reduce some trouble. Now assume that you have already made a backup. Because all the data will disappear, so be sure to save it before you start.
There are four steps to the new installation:
1. Start the program from the Windows DVD, follow the prompts to select a custom (advanced) installation, and then click Next to enter the screen;
2, click the drive Options (Advanced) displays all available disk management tools;
3, select a partition from the list, then click Delete
4, repeat any other extra volumes until everything except the unallocated space Did not stay.
Now, you can complete the installation using all the unallocated space on the drive.
Three, find the old driver is not afraid
In my test, so far, windows 7 is very detailed on the driver. But it's not perfect, some devices are blank, or replaced by generic drivers.
If you have already installed an earlier version of Windows Vista or Windows 7, you do not need to use a special program to back up the driver from the old system. Windows Vista and Windows 7 are in a folder called FileRepository, which reminds everyone to save a local copy of all drivers, which is in a subfolder of the DriverStore folder. The full path is C:WindowsSystem32DriverStoreFileRepository.
In a clean Windows 7 X86 installation, the FileRepository folder contains more than 900 MB of files. If you add some new devices or updates, this number can easily exceed 1GB.
After you complete the new installation of Windows 7, you can use Device Manager to install or update any driver, or just click The old driver you saved is ready to install.
Four, fearlessly overwrite old folders
When you instruct the Windows installer to do a custom installation, it will move the old Windows, Program Files, and Users folders (Documents and Settings) to a name. For Windows. Old folder. The new installation creates a new set of top-level folders on the current system drive: Windows, Program Files, and Users. The benefit of this is that the single disk on the system has a new installation with only one partition and a large amount of free disk space. And no data will be lost. A new, non-destructive installation gives you a new start, and old data files are safely hidden in the Windows.old folder.
To perform a clean and non-destructive installation, you can launch the Windows 7 installer on Windows or from the Windows 7 DVD, click on the installation steps, select the Custom (Advanced) option, and then, in the list of available disk partitions, select one of the included The partition of your current Windows installation. For most people, it's drive C. After you click OK, you'll see a warning dialog. After you've finished setting up, when you first start Windows 7, you'll see all your data and program files. In the Windows. Old folder. If you have any old data files to retrieve, you can find them in the Users folder (Windows Vista) or Documents and Settings.
5. Hard disk capacity requirements return to the original
Under the current standard, you do not need a lot of disk space to install Windows 7. Microsoft announced the RC minimum hardware recommended 16G free disk space. But that's not a hard requirement. After installing Windows 7 Ultimate on a 10G drive (9.9G format) virtual machine, I still have 3.95G of free disk space.