10 things to remember before installing Windows 7

[Paul]

I would like to congratulate all the lucky Windows 7 enthusiasts who have managed to grab a key from Microsoft & TechNet. If you haven’t got the key yet.Then Click here for getting the Key

In this guide I will point out some important things that you need to do and remember before installing Windows 7 on your machine.


Check the hardware requirement

The most common misconception still out there is that Windows 7’s hardware requirements are either the same as Vista’s or even higher. This is not the case at all. Although the minimum specs are the same as Vista’s, the OS runs much more smoothly than Vista does under the same hardware specs.Though Windows 7 should run fine with the 512 MB RAM system, it’s always better to follow Microsoft recommendations.Here are the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 7:

• 1GHz processor (32- or 64-bit)
• 1GB of main memory
• 16GB of available disk space
• Support for DX9 graphics with 128MB of memory (for the Aero interface)
• A DVD-R/W drive
• Internet access (to download the Beta and get updates)

Backup Vista:

If you are planning to upgrade from Vista SP1(SP1 is must) then it’s a good idea to backup your Vista drive so that you can revert back to Vista easily. I hope most of you know how to do back up task.

Backing up your data is one of the most critical steps in upgrading your operating system. Unfortunately, this step is often overlooked in the excitement of installing the latest operating system. In addition to backing up your data, it's best to verify that you have all of the installation media from your existing software and the appropriate licensing information before you start the installation.Below are some of the Important files which you need to take backup.

• Documents
  
• Outlook pst file
  
• Windows live writer folder
  
• Saved games
  
• Other program profiles that you use.

[Paul]

Don’t take out those driver CDs

Windows 7 contains updated hardware drivers so chances are you won’t need to install a single driver if your hardware isn’t as old as Zeus. Also don’t forget that Windows 7 would require an optimized graphics driver to take advantage of the hardware you have (WDDM 1.1) so you may want to think again before planning to force-install the latest beta drivers from Nvidia or ATI.


The driver model of Windows 7 is identical to Vista

This means Windows 7 won’t suddenly bring life back to your XP-only hardware. If it didn’t work for Vista, it won’t work for Windows 7.
If you have installed too many programs then it’s a good idea to generate list of installed application using a simple command.

[Paul]

Check application compatibility

To make your Windows Vista installation go as smoothly as possible, you should ensure that your existing applications will run under Vista before installing it. You can download and run the Application Compatibility Toolkit to help you identify applications that may not run under Windows Vista.


Beta installation:

Usually, the Windows 7 Installation wizard will have an option for you to easily create a new partition for the install. If the option is not provided, here is how you can manually set up the partitions within Windows. If you are running Windows Vista, open up your Start Menu, right click Computer, and choose Manage. Then in the left-pane, open up the Storage category and select Disk Management. Right click any area of Unallocated Space and create a New Simple Volume. From there, complete the wizard to create your new volume. Once created, make sure that it is a Primary Partition. Now you’re all set and good to go with the installation.

[Paul]

Properly burning an ISO to your DVD

I know a few people that actually just took the ISO file and burned the exact file directly onto the DVD. If you open your burned DVD and it shows just the ISO file, you’ll need to burn another DVD again. The DVD should show the ISO image’s contents (not just one .ISO file) once you have burned it. I recommend using ImgBurn, which is a free and easy tool for burning ISOs.


You don’t need to burn a DVD at all to install Windows 7:

You can use WinRAR or .iso mounting software that have extracting capabilities to extract the ISO’s contents into a folder. Once extracted, you can install Windows 7 Beta off your hard-drive just like any other OS.


You can run Windows 7 under VMWare or Virtual PC:

Running Windows 7 under a virtual environment is like running an Operating System (OS) inside an OS, so you don’t have to worry about putting your actual computer at risk.

Just select Windows Vista at the OS Menu. When your mouse is in the Virtual PC area, press Right-Alt to drag your mouse back onto the screen of your current OS.

[Paul]

Windows 7 Beta will have bugs / MP3 corruption bug fix:

It’s easy to forget that Windows 7 Beta can have possible bugs because of how stable it is. Try not to keep sensitive data on the same partition and run Windows Update right after installation. If you don’t receive the KB961367 update through Windows Update to fix the Mp3 corruption bug, you can download it here.