Windows vista installation

If the user is doing an upgrade to Vista, then their settings in their older version of Windows can be saved temporarily, Vista is uncompressed onto the hard drive, and the user settings are applied to the freshly installed Vista. Some users, especially those burned by problematic OS upgrades in the past, may not trust the Windows Vista upgrade process to work correctly.

Instead, they may want to do a clean install of Vista, and only then apply their personal settings from their previous version of Windows, such as Windows XP. The Windows Vista installation process makes this possible, when the User State Migration Toolkit is utilized to save those settings prior to the older version of Windows being wiped out by the clean install of Vista.

Note that the User State Migration Toolkit can only retain user settings from Windows and XP, and it is a command line tool, and thus not as user-friendly as Microsoft's Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, which has a more newbie-friendly graphical user interface GUI. In addition to speeding up the Windows installation process, the new image-based approach introduced with Windows Vista offers some additional benefits.

Users apparently do not have to be concerned about their personal data in the target partition being wiped out, because the image is file-based, and not sector-based, and thus no user files are deleted or overwritten during the process.

The fact that the Vista image is file-based also means that the WIM file format is completely independent of any hardware. Search instead for. Did you mean:. Microsoft Windows Vista Official. Installation Instructions You must download the. Select the build button. Save your. Phone Activation Press the [Windows] and [Pause Break] button activation or right click Computer and select properties. Version history.

Last update:. Updated by:. In the left pane, click Check for updates. To manually install SP2 using the standalone installation package Depending on whether you're running the bit or the bit version of Windows Vista, download the update for bit versions or download the update for bit versions. If you disabled your antivirus software, enable it again. Need more help? Join the discussion. Was this information helpful?

Yes No. Thank you! Any more feedback? The more you tell us the more we can help. Can you help us improve? Resolved my issue. Clear instructions. Easy to follow. No jargon. Windows will automatically restart your computer when finished. Setup will launch again, and a message will tell you that Setup is updating registry settings. This happens every time you start Windows, but will happen in the background next time.

A window will open letting you know that Windows is completing the installation. Your computer will restart again when this is complete. Setup will now load drivers and check video settings. This part does not require any input from you. Enter your username and computer name. Your username will be used to log in to the computer and personalize your account.

Your computer name is the name that your computer will display on the network. You can add more users later through the Windows Vista Control Panel. Windows will ask you for a password. This is optional but highly recommended, especially if the computer will be accessible by users other than yourself.

Select a Windows Update option. To make sure that your copy of Windows runs securely and stably, it is highly recommended that you choose one of the first two options. The first option will install all updates automatically; the second option will prompt you when important updates are available. Select the date and time. These should be correct already as they are linked to your BIOS, but you can change them now if they are not. Check the box if your area observes Daylight Savings. Select your network preferences.

If your computer is connected to a network, you will be given an option to identify that network. Most users will select Home or Work network. If your computer is being used in a public place, select Public network.

Mobile broadband users should always select Public network. Windows will now attempt to connect your computer to the network. This process is completely automated.

Explore your desktop. After one final loading screen, your new Windows Vista desktop will appear. Installation is now complete. Read on to get your computer updated and protected. Part 3. Activate Windows Vista. Before you can use Windows to its fullest, you will need to activate it. Activation can be done automatically over the internet. Click the Activation icon in the System Tray to start the process. Run Windows Update. If you selected not to update automatically, you should run Windows Update as soon as possible.

This will ensure that you have the latest security and stability fixes. If you chose to automatically update, your computer will start downloading and installing updates as soon as it is connected to the internet.

Check you devices and drivers. Most of your hardware should be installed automatically, but you may have to get drivers for more specialized hardware, or download the latest versions from the manufacturers. You can see what needs drivers from the Device Manager. Install an antivirus. While Microsoft provides a free antivirus solution called Microsoft Essentials, it is barebones and not a strong deterrent against viruses.

Instead, install a third-party antivirus program that will help to protect your computer and information. You can find both free and paid antivirus software.

Install your programs.