Datasheet

Installing Windows Vista

2. Upgrading Windows

3. Set Up Windows

We will cover each of these steps in detail in the following sections.

The following sections give the details of the installation process to show

how the process works. But you should not actually upgrade Windows Vista

until you reach Exercise 1.2. In that exercise, you’ll set up your computer to

complete the rest of the exercises in this book.

Upgrade: Collecting Information

The Collecting Information stage of the upgrade is slightly different from a clean installa-

tion. The following steps are involved with an upgrade installation (click Next after com-

pleting each step):

1. Insert the Windows Vista DVD in your computer, and run setup.exe from the Windows

Vista media. Alternatively, you can run setup.exe from a network share.

If you boot the computer to the Windows Vista DVD, you will only have the

option to perform a clean install.

2. You will be presented with the Windows Vista installation dialog box, as shown in Fig-

ure 1.3. From here, you can choose to install Windows Vista, check the compatibility

of your system online by using the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, read about the

Windows installation process, and transfer files and settings from another computer by

using Windows Easy Transfer.

We discussed Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor and Windows Easy Transfer

earlier in this chapter.

3. You will be prompted to update your current operating system. If you choose not to

update, the installation might fail. You can also choose to send information to Microsoft

during this process.

4. You will be prompted to type your 25-character product key for activation. You can find

the product key on a sticker on your computer or on the installation disc folder. Unlike pre-

vious versions of Windows, the product key is one long text box rather than five separate

text boxes. As you type the 25-character product key, the dashes will be added for you

automatically. There is also a check box to automatically activate Windows when online.

5. The Microsoft Windows Vista license terms will appear. The installation will not allow

you to click Next until you have accepted the license terms.

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