Lecture: 1 - Installing Windows 7

Installing Windows 7

Basic Step by Step Guide

This is the first lecture from the course System Administration, in this lecture we will learn the basic process of how to install Windows 7 on any computer. In this lecture we will cover following topics

• Planning the Installation
• 32-bit or 64-bit Version
• Type of Installation
• Beginning the Installation Process
• The Installation Process
• Choose Custom or Upgrade option
• Creating Hard disk Partitions
• Finalizing the Installation

PLANNING THE INSTALLATION

 Planning for your Windows 7 installation:

• Check System Requirements
• Check Hardware and Software Compatibility
• Determine Disk Partitioning Options
• Complete a Pre-Installation Checklist

Microsoft states the minimum recommended specs for Windows 7:

• 1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
• 1 GB of system memory
• 16 GB of available disk space
• Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)
• DVD-R/W Drive
• Internet access (to activate and get updates)

 32-BIT OR 64-BIT VERSION?

The Windows 7 installation disc package includes both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7.
Basically, the 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system. So if you plan on using Windows 7 on a computer with more than 3 GB or RAM, I would strongly suggest using the 64-bit version.
Most programs designed for the 32-bit version of Windows will work on the 64-bit version of Windows

Note:
Either way, you cannot use an existing 32-bit version of a previous OS to perform an in-place upgrade to a 64-bit version of Windows 7, and you'll need to format and install a fresh copy.
Also, you cannot use an existing 64-bit version of a previous OS to perform an in-place upgrade to a 32-bit version of Windows 7.

TYPE OF INSTALLATION

 Basically, there are 2 approaches to installing Windows 7:

Upgrade (In-place upgrade) - This option replaces your current version of Windows with Windows 7, and keeps your files, settings, and programs in place on your computer.

Custom ("fresh" installation) - This option replaces your current version of Windows with Windows 7, but doesn't preserve your files, settings, and programs. It's sometimes referred to as a clean installation for that reason.

As always, a fresh installation is much better and I strongly recommend taking that track.

 BEGINNING THE INSTALLATION PROCESS

To follow the installation, follow the step by step given in my lecture Slides below


Session 1_Lecture 1 - Installing Windows 7