How to install Windows 7

You can start both Custom Installs and In-Place Upgrades for Windows 7 from within Windows XP or Vista (booting from the CD offers the same installation options) -- just choose the appropriate option when it appears.

For either install type, the installation is entirely automatic once you're at the 'Installing Windows' screen, so you can leave your PC unattended while it progresses. A Custom Install should take no more than 45 minutes, but an In-Place Upgrade will longer.

Here are the key steps for both installation types.

1. When prompted, it's advisable to download the latest updates for the Windows 7 installation for both Custom Installs and In-Place Upgrades, so make sure you have an active Internet connection before you begin.

2. Choose Upgrade or Custom to suit your installation type. Upgrade leaves all your files and settings in place, but is only possible for certain Windows Vista and Windows 7 combinations. Custom performs a clean install that ignores (but does not delete) your previous Windows configuration.

3a. For a Custom Install, you'll need to choose the partition for Windows 7 -- usually C:. Your old document, application and Windows files will be saved rather than erased -- see later.

3b. An In-Place Upgrade automatically selects the partition where Windows Vista is currently installed, so you'll just see a Windows 7 compatibility report before you can continue.

4. Both types of installation are wholly automatic from this point on, so you can just leave your PC to get on with things.

5. You'll need to go through the usual set-up steps to complete a Custom Install, but an In-Place Upgrade will use your existing Windows Vista settings, where possible.

6. As with Windows Vista, you don't need to enter your Windows 7 product key immediately after installation, nor do you need to activate Windows as soon as the installation is complete. You have 30 days to activate Windows 7 after it's installed.

7. For a Custom Install, you'll find your old Windows set-up archived in the C:\Windows.old folder. You'll be able to open old documents, but the other files are for reference only -- you won't be able to run any of your old applications, for example. You can delete the Windows.old folder once you've saved anything you want to keep.

8. The last step for a Custom install is to restore your old settings using Windows 7 Easy Transfer. Start it via the Start menu (just type the first few letters of the name) and then use the 'New Computer' option to restore your previously saved files and settings.