Learn Vista - Installing Windows Vista

If you buy a PC or laptop computer that has Windows Vista installed inside it, so you don't have to be dizzy to think about how to install Windows Vista. But in some cases, you are required to install, perhaps there are many corrupt system files that cause Windows can not run properly, or perhaps your computer has been infected by some viruses and it's been difficult to clean it except by re-installing Windows Vista, or other reasons like broken harddisk, and so on. This time we will understand around how to install Windows Vista. I hope this page can be helpful and to ease understanding the installation process.


Hardware Requirements

Before installing, it's better for you to know first your computer hardware capacity so that it can run Windows Vista properly. Here are the recommended requirements:
- Processor 800 MHz
- Memory RAM 512 MB
- Harddisk 20 GB
- CD-ROM
- Graphics card with 32 MB memory, SVGA resolution 800 x 600 pixel.

Besides that, in order to use other facilities, it's needed:
- Sound card for listening to music
- modem for internet access
- network adapter for computer networking using wire, or wireless adapter and wireless access point for wireless networking.
- USB slot for flashdisk use, or for connecting digital camera to computer, and so on.
- scanner
- fax modem for facsimile facility.
- webcam for video conferencing.
- radio tuner and tv tuner for listening radio broadcast and watching television respectively.
- and other devices according to your need.

Some matters that need to be noticed

Before installing, there are some matters you have to know relating to Vista use, namely:

- Which Vista version will be installed, wheter Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate. Surely the cost of every version are different. If you have a DVD of Windows Vista setup, there have been all the versions of Vista inside it. You can choose one of them and installing it freely for 30 days of use without having to activate. But after that, You have to.

- Harddisk partition. Windows Vista setup has programs to create, delete, and format the harddisk partition before starting the installation.

- Do you want to run clean install or upgrade? Clean install means installing from the beginning, all existing programs must be reinstall. Whereas upgrade means to maintain the existing programs and settings.

- Do you want to install dual-boot (more than one operating system) or just Windows Vista? If you want dual-boot, you must really understand about Vista startup process because it's very different to previous Windows (XP).

Begin Installation

The steps go as follows:

1. Insert CD or DVD of  Windows Vista Setup to CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. Then restart computer, make sure that your computer start the booting process from CD/DVD.

2. After boot program of Vista setup runs, it then automatically copies boot.wim file into RAM to run Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE). Here is the picture:

3. Click Install now to begin installation. By following all instructions along the process, you will easily go installation. The other important things that need to be observed are about the choise for Upgrade or Custom:
-Upgrade, setup will replace the existing operating system, but application programs with their settings will be maintained.
-Custom, setup will perform clean install. All existing programs inside previous operating system will be deleted.

 4. If you have reached on partition setup process, there are some instructions you need to understand:

- Extend. This button functions to add the size of selected partition.
- Load Driver. This button functions to run external drivers for the selected partition.
- Delete. To delete the selected partition.
- Format. To perform format process using NTFS.
- New. To create new partition.

5. After following whole instruction till finish. In the next steps, you will be directed to configure Windows Vista via Set Up Windows dialog. There, you will set:
- Country or region.
- Keyboard layout, the default setting is English (United States) - US.
- Username and password.
- Computer name.
- Background picture (wallpaper).
- Windows Vista update schedule.
- Setting of date, time, and time zone.