HOW TO INSTALL WINDOWS VISTA IN A LAPTOP

Today most new laptops are preloaded with Windows VISTA. But this guide is for those who have bought a brand new laptop without an OS or have replaced or reformatted their laptop’s hard disk. This type of install is called clean install and it’s a walk in the park. First let’s see what you should have to start a clean install of windows VISTA. You will need a Windows VISTA CD with product key, a laptop connected to wired network, a CD/DVD drive, and current drivers for your hardware components. Usually Windows VISTA will include drivers for your hardware, if not it is very easy to download them from your hardware manufacturer’s website after you install Windows VISTA in your laptop.

For a clean install, insert the Windows VISTA CD into your CD/DVD drive and restart your computer. If prompted to start from the CD, press SPACEBAR. If you miss the prompt, just restart your laptop to try again. Now all you have to do is follow the guided instructions. In every step accept the default selection to complete you Windows Vista clean installation. Make sure to accept the Windows Vista Licensing Agreement. You will have to create a partition for your hard drive if it is not already done and if you are not sure of what settings you need, just pick the default options when prompted for it. When you click the finish button in the last window, your laptop will restart. Make sure not to touch any keys till the operating system completely reloads.

In case you are planning to upgrade to Windows Vista from your existing operating system, it is important to understand your options, which will depend on the version of Windows that is currently running on your laptop and the type of hardware you have to run certain features. If you have Windows XP or Windows 2K, download, install and run Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to identify whether your laptop is ready for an upgrade to Windows Vista. You will also know which edition of Windows Vista meets your needs and which features of Windows Vista will be able to run on your laptop.

Upgrading to certain versions could be performed without backup (in-place upgrade) whereas the rest requires clean install. You can upgrade in-place, which means you can install Windows Vista and retain your applications, files and settings that you had in your previous edition of Windows. For this you have to purchase and install an upgrade copy of Windows Vista.

If you upgrade to Windows Vista with a clean installation, you should use Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy all your files and settings to an extra hard drive or other storage device, and then install Windows Vista. After the installation is complete, Windows Easy Transfer reloads your files and settings on your upgraded laptop and you will have to reinstall them. You can purchase an Easy Transfer Cable from any computer manufacturers or retailers. Install the small software application that is included with your cable on your current laptop. Plug one end to your laptop and the other end to an external hard driver or another system. Now launch Windows Easy Transfer and follow the instruction to complete the transfer. You can also download, install and run Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) that will help you to install, customize, and deploy the Microsoft Windows Vista family of OS.