A.4. Installing Windows Vista Once you've decided to take the plunge and install Windows Vista, you can begin the countdown. A.4.1. Preparing for the Installation If you've made all the plans and done all the thinking described so far in this chapter, you have only a short checklist left to follow: -
Update your virus program and scan for viruses. Then, if you're updating an existing copy of Windows, turn off your virus checker, along with other auto-loading programs like non-Microsoft firewall software and Web ad blockers. -
Confirm that your computer's BIOSits basic startup circuitryis compatible with Windows Vista. To find out, contact the manufacturer of the computer or the BIOS. Don't skip this step . You may well need to upgrade your BIOS if the computer was made before mid-2006. -
Gather updated, Vistacompatible drivers for all of your computer's components . Graphics and audio cards are particularly likely to need updates, so be sure to check the manufacturers' Web sitesand driver-information sites like www.windrivers.com and www.driverguide.comand download any new drivers you find there. -
Disconnect any gear that's not absolutely necessary for using your computer. You'll have better luck if you reconnect them after Vista is in place. This includes scanners , game controllers, printers, and even that USB- powered lava lamp you like so much. If you've gone to all this trouble and preparation, the Windows Vista installation process can be surprisingly smooth. The Vista installer is much less painful than the ones for previous versions of Windows. You won't see the old DOS-style startup screens, the installation requires fewer restarts, and if you're doing a clean install, it's amazingly fast (often 15 minutes or less). A.4.2. Performing an Update Installation Here's how you upgrade your existing version of Windows to full Vista status. (If you prefer to perform a clean install, skip these instructions.) -
Start your computer. Insert the Windows Vista DVD into the drive . The Setup program generally opens automatically (Figure A-2, top). If it doesn't, open My Computer, double-click the DVD-ROM icon, and double-click the Setup.exe program in the DVD's root folder.  | Figure A-2. Top: The Vista Setup program is ready for action. Close the doors, take the phone off the hook, and cancel your appointments. The installer will take at least an hour to go about its businessnot including the time it will take you to iron out any post-installation glitches .
Bottom: Use the button on the top of this screen to indicate whether you want a clean installation or an upgrade installation . | | -
Click Install Now . The "Get important updates for installation" screen appears. Clearly, Microsoft thinks it's a good idea to download any software updates that have appeared since you bought your copy of Vista. -
Click "Go online to get the latest updates for installation." The installer searches the Web for updates and then downloads them for you. Then the "Type your product key" screen presents itself. -
Type in your 25-character Vista serial number (product key) . The product key comes in the Vista box or on the DVD case. If you turn on "Automatically activate Windows when I'm online," Vista will try to activate itself after three days.
Note: If you leave the product key blank, you'll be offered the chance to enter it after Vista's installed. If you do leave it blank, you'll see a screen where you have to choose the version of Vista you purchased. If you don't pick the right one, your product key won't work with it, and you'll have to perform a clean install at some point.
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Click Next . A screen full of legalese appears. -
Review the work of Microsoft's lawyers , and then click "I accept the license terms." Click Next . Now you're asked to choose between an upgrade and clean install (Figure A-2, bottom). -
Click Upgrade . Now the installer checks to see if any of your PC's components are incompatible with Vista. If so, the Compatibility Report screen appears, shown in Figure A-3. There's not much you can do about it at this point, of course, other than to make a note of it and vow to investigate Vista-compatible updates later.  | Figure A-3. This screen lists any programs and drivers that Microsoft considers incompatible with Windows Vista . | | -
Click Next . The installation program begins copying files and restarting the computer several times. Unfortunately, this part can take a lot longer than 15 minutes. After the final restart, you're almost there. Before you can log in for the first time, you're asked to choose how to configure Vista's protection features. Select "Use recommended settings." After that, you're asked to confirm your date and time settings, and then tell Vista whether your network is at home, work, or a public location (for more information on the implications of these choices, see page 359). Finally, Vista pops up a polite screen that says "Thank you". Click Start to begin your Vista experience. After you log in (page 688), the Welcome Center appears, described later in this appendix. A.4.3. Performing a Clean Install (or Dual-Boot Install) To perform a clean installation of Windows Vista, or to install it onto an empty partition for the purpose of dual booting, the steps are slightly different: -
Start up your PC from your Windows Vista DVD . Every Vistacompatible computer can start up from a DVD instead of from its hard drive. Sometimes, if you start up the computer with a DVD in the drive, instructions for booting from it appear right on the screen (you may be directed to hold down a certain key, or any key at all). If you don't see such an instruction, you might have to check with the computer's maker for instructions on this point. At the beginning of the setup process, you'll wait for a moment while the installer loads ups. -
When the Install Windows screen appears, click Next to bypass the Regional and Language Options screen . Bypass it, that is, unless you don't speak English or don't live in the United States. -
At the next screen, click Install Now. On the "Type your product key" screen, enter the 25-character product key and click Next . Again, the product key is the serial number that came with your Windows Vista DVD. If you turn on "Automatically activate Windows when I'm online," Vista will try to activate itself in the next three days. Now the usual legal notice pops up. -
Review the licensing agreement, if you like, click "I accept the license terms," and then click Next to continue . Since you booted from the DVD, you don't have the option of performing an upgrade installation. -
Click "Custom (advanced)" to proceed with a clean install . Now Windows shows you a list of the partitions on your hard drive. Unless you've set up your hard drive for dual booting as described on page 623, you probably have only one. -
By pressing the up and down arrow keys, highlight the name of the partition (or choose some unallocated space) on which you want to install Vista, and then click Next . Use the Drive Options at the bottom of this window to delete, create, or format partitions. After the formatting process is complete, the Setup program begins copying files to the partition you selected, and eventually restarts the computer a time or two. -
Choose a name for your main account, a password, and a picture . You can read more about accounts in Chapter 23. This very first account, the one you're creating here, is very important; it's going to be an Administrative account (page 669). Once you log in using this account, you can create accounts for other people.
Tip: If it's just you and your laptop, you can leave the password blank; you'll be able to log in, wake the computer from sleep, and otherwise get to your stuff that much faster. Note, however, that if your account password is blank, some Vista features won't work (including Remote Desktop, described in Chapter 27).
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Click Next . Vista asks you to type a computer name and choose a desktop background. -
Either accept the proposed computer name (your name followed by "-PC"), or type one that's short and punctuation-free (hyphens are OK) . You can always change the computer name later; see page 312.) -
Click Next . Now you can choose how to configure Vista's protection features. -
Select "Use recommended settings." The date and time settings screen appears. -
Set the date, time, and time zone, and then click Next . Now Vista tries to connect to your network, if you have one. If it succeeds, it asks whether your network is at home, work, or a public location (for more information on the implications of these choices, see page 359). Finally, Vista thanks you. -
Click Start to begin your Vista experience! When it's all over, the Welcome Center appears, described next.  |
