Vista ~ Introduction |
Installing! Microsoft has done a lot of work to streamline the installation process for Vista. It's faster and requires less interaction than previous versions and it's smart about sniffing out your existing network setup, Internet access and other configuration details. On the surface, the process appears fairly similar to XP's set up. Under the bonnet, though, things are quite different. Microsoft has at last said goodbye to the remaining vestiges of DOS-mode installation. Instead, Vista uses a new disc imaging technology called WIM (Windows Imaging Format) for the installation. The setup program copies a single image file containing a compressed, bootable copy of Vista to your hard drive and then decompresses this image. After that, setup reboots your system and proceeds to customise the generic image with the drivers required by your system. This makes for a faster installation. More importantly, it will make it far easier to update Vista in the future, as WIM, in conjunction with a program called ImageX, provides simple mechanisms for incorporating updates, and applications, too, into a Vista image. The Vista DVD also includes all versions of the operating system on the one DVD. At installation time, it's the product key supplied with the DVD which determines the version installed. That means that down the track you'll be able to use that same DVD to upgrade to a more powerful version of Windows – your hardware permitting – simply by purchasing a new product key and reinstalling. Will it work on my system?Vista will totter along on a system with an 800 MHz processor, 512M RAM, and 20G hard drive with 15G free, a DirectX 9-capable graphics card and a CD-ROM drive. With that rig, you'll be able to run Vista Basic. Just don't load any resource-intensive applications on top of it. I really don't recommend you run Vista on that system, nor on a machine with anything less than a 1 GHz processor, a gig of RAM, a recent video card with 128M graphics memory, a 40G hard drive with at least half that space free and a DVD drive. You'll need at least that to run the Premium, Business or Ultimate versions and get the advantages of the Aero graphics interface.
Vista may not work with all your hardware, but it's remarkably smart about troubleshooting problems and solving them automatically (click the image to view a full-sized screenshot). Even with a powerful enough base system, it's possible you'll run into problems with Vista. Some of your peripherals or components might not work and some of your software might fail to run. This sort of breakage occurs with every new version of Windows. Microsoft has tried to mitigate the problem by shipping a truckload of device drivers for Vista – around 19,500 on the DVD with more available via the Windows Update service – so there's a good chance you'll get your hardware working. If you encounter problems, visit your hardware manufacturers' Web sites to seek out Vista versions of your drivers and check out software developers' sites for patches and updates. Make sure you run the Vista Upgrade Advisor before you install Vista and follow its advice. The Advisor will give you a good idea of any likely problems on your system. It will also recommend the best version of Vista for your system. It's possible to install a better-than-recommend version – say Ultimate instead of Premium -- on your system if you have the basic necessities, but you may find some of the most advanced features won't work or be available as options if you do so. For more information on the different Vista editions and hardware requirements, check out my article on Upgrading to Vista.
Save yourself grief by running the Vista Upgrade Advisor before trying to install Vista. Installation options: CleanThe simplest way to get Vista is to buy a new PC with the Vista version of your choice pre-installed. That way, you should end up with a clean system designed to work with the new operating system. If you intend to install Vista on an existing PC, you have three options: a clean installation, an in-place upgrade or a dual-boot installation. With a clean installation, you insert the Vista DVD while running your existing Windows setup and select the Custom (Advanced) installation option. Setup will copy your existing Windows installation into a folder called windows.old and then step you through installation. The old version will no longer be usable and although, technically, you should be able to search through windows.old to find your old documents and data, the process is fraught with problems. So you should make sure you have a recent data backup on hand as well as your original application discs. In fact, this type of installation should really be called "clean lite", because it doesn't entirely eliminate your old operating system. If you prefer, you can perform a true clean installation by booting from the Vista DVD, choosing Custom (Advanced), selecting the Format option and then proceeding. But note: you'll need a Full Version (not the Upgrade Version) of Vista to perform this type of installation, although a workaround is available to do a clean install from an Upgrade DVD). The advantage of either type of clean installation is that it eliminates the chance of inheriting problems or debris from your old Windows installation. With a true clean installation you get the added advantage of extra elbow room for your new installation, so it may be the only way to shoehorn Vista onto a system with limited hard drive space. The downside to any clean install is that you'll have to reinstall all your programs and copy your data from its backup location. Furthermore a true clean install does not give you the opportunity to run the Vista Upgrade Advisor. So which should you use: clean lite or true clean? If your disk space is limited, you're installing on a system with no functioning operating system or you have no Internet connection, a true clean installation is the way to go. Otherwise, use a clean lite install: it will still give you a clean environment for Vista and it has the added advantages of letting you use the Upgrade Advisor and letting you download updates before installing Vista, plus a shot at recovering some of your data files in an emergency. You can always delete the windows.old folder later on to create more space on your drive. Either way, a clean installation is the safest, surest option and it's the course I recommend. Installation options: In-place UpgradeIf you're running any 32-bit version of Windows XP, you can perform an in-place upgrade. Note that your current operating system determines to which versions of Vista you may upgrade.
Upgrade options for XP users While an in-place upgrade is appealing because it preserves your applications, settings and data, it's usually a poor choice because it means your brand new operating system inherits baggage and problems from its predecessor. If you decide to perform an in-place upgrade, insert the Vista DVD while you're running your existing version of Windows, run Setup and choose the Upgrade option.
Avoid doing an Upgrade (in-place) install if possible. Use the Custom option to do a clean install. Even though this type of installation preserves your existing data, things can go wrong so make sure you back up your data and jot down your application settings before you proceed. Don't forget to back up browser bookmarks, contacts, email and other items as well as the contents of My Documents.
Installation options: Dual bootingDual-booting Vista and your existing operating system is a good choice if you are an experienced user. It lets you install Vista alongside your current OS and then choose between the two via a boot-up menu each time you restart your system. Dual-booting gives you the benefits of a clean Vista installation plus the added advantage of being able to "fall back" to your existing operating system should the need arise. It is also a useful way to go if you have hardware or software which Vista can't handle: you can boot into your old OS when you need to use that application or device, then reboot into Vista for your everyday work. It sounds perfect, so why shouldn't everyone dual boot? Well, firstly you need a second hard drive or an empty partition on your existing drive for installing Vista. Secondly, a dual-boot system requires a little technical nous on your part. If you're fazed by the term "partition" it might not be the ideal solution for you. If you plan to install Vista to a partition on an existing drive, create the partition before you run Setup, making sure it is a primary partition of least 20G. Vista comes with rudimentary partitioning tools but a safer option is to use a non-destructive partitioning utility such as PartitionMagic or Acronis Disk Director. Performing a clean installRegardless of the type of installation you choose to do, the process itself is not all that different from one type to another. Let's step through a clean installation – that is, a clean lite installation – the type most people are likely to use. These instructions assume you have an active Internet connection. Step 1. Log on to your existing Windows desktop and then insert the Vista DVD into the drive. Step 2. Click Check Compatibility Online. Download the Vista Upgrade Advisor, install and run it and then read through the report. If possible, remedy any problems it detects in your system and print out the report so you can use it later. Step 3. Return to the Vista setup screen and click Install Now. Step 4. Go online to get the latest updates for Vista. This will ensure you have any patches and the most recent device drivers. Step 5. Type in your product key. Note that it will be automatically converted to uppercase and the hyphens inserted for you, so you can simply type the key without the dashes. Step 6. Accept the Vista licence. Step 7. At the Which Type Of Installation Do You Want prompt, click Custom (Advanced). Step 8. Select where you'd like to install Vista – most likely your existing operating system drive (unless you intend to dual boot). Setup will display a warning that your existing Windows installation will be copied to a folder called Windows.old. Click OK to proceed. Note: If you're performing a true clean install, having booted from the DVD, at this point you should click the Drive Options link and then click Format to wipe your hard disk clean prior to installing Vista. Setup will now go on its merry way. It will copy the Vista image to your computer, expand the compressed files, install features and any downloaded updates and then complete the installation. The whole process should take around 20 to 30 minutes. During that time your computer will reboot several times. Just leave it alone. If you see a prompt to Press Any Key To Boot From CD Or DVD don't touch anything. Setup will eventually prompt you to complete the installation by selecting regional settings, choosing a log-in name and password and specifying your network type if you're on a network. After that, Vista checks your computer's performance and automatically adjusts display and other settings to match it, then presents you with the log on screen. Post-setup actionsVista leaves a few loose ends you'll need to attend to after setup completes. Most importantly, you'll need to install anti-virus software. Although it includes Windows Defender anti-spyware and a firewall that monitors both incoming and outgoing traffic, Vista has no in-built anti-virus software. Vista's Security Alerts will prompt you to install such software and help you locate appropriate software online.
The first time you run some Vista programs, including Windows Media Player 11, you'll need to go through additional setup steps. Vista also fails to prompt you for a network name and instead gives your network the default name of workgroup. You'll need to fire up the Network and Sharing Center via the network icon in the taskbar to rectify this. In the Network and Sharing Center, click the Customize link beside the network identifier and type the correct network name in the Set Network Location dialog. While you're in the Network and Sharing Center, in the Sharing And Discovery section turn network discovery and file sharing on, too. You may also need to visit software and hardware sites to download and install patches and updated drivers that Vista has failed to track down for you. Vista's setup only lets you create a single user account. So take a look around the Welcome Center, from which you can add a new user. It's also a good starting point for becoming acquainted with all Vista has to offer.
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